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SPEAKING FEE RANGE ** Please note that while this speaker’s specific speaking fee falls within the range posted above (for Continental U.S. based events), fees are subject to change. For current fee information or international event fees (which are generally 50-75% more than U.S based event fees), please contact us. $15,000 to $20,000 |
BOOK AMY VAN DYKEN speakers@coreagency.com |
TRAVELS FROM |
SPEAKING FEE RANGE* $15,000 to $20,000 |
Book Amy Van Dyken speakers@coreagency.com |
- Six-time gold medalist in swimming at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics.
- Traumatic injury survivor following a 2014 spinal cord injury who has used her Olympian’s strength to mount a recovery.
- Tireless advocate for others living with spinal cord injuries through her Amy Van Dyken Foundation and as captain of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation’s “Team Reeve.”
Amy Van Dyken conquered asthma and shoulder injuries en route to winning six gold medals in swimming in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. Asthma kept Van Dyken from swimming the length of a pool until she was 12, but she loved the sport and dedicated herself to training. An all-American collegiate swimmer, Van Dyken was the NCAA women’s swimmer of the year in 1994. She won gold in four events at the 1996 Olympics, surmounting by far the expectations of most sports pundits. While subsequent shoulder problems might have spelled the end of her Olympic career, Van Dyken overcame her injuries and took home two more gold medals in 2000. Her biggest physical challenge, however, has led her into a new calling as an advocate and champion of those living with spinal cord injuries.
In June 2014, Van Dyken was critically injured in an ATV accident that severed her spinal cord and left her paralyzed from the waist down. As she discovered the many obstacles paraplegics face in securing necessary equipment and navigating limited-access environments, Van Dyken recognized her personal story and public reputation could help her advocate for people with spinal cord injuries. She founded the Amy Van Dyken Foundation, or “Amy’s Army,” to help survivors of spinal cord injuries acquire important medical equipment that often goes uncovered by insurance.
Today, Van Dyken seeks to spread the message that “your life doesn’t have to end because of a spinal cord injury.” In addition to her own foundation, Van Dyken supports the efforts of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation as captain of “Team Reeve,” the foundation’s fundraising arm.
Amy Van Dyken’s story was an inspirational one even prior to her 2014 spinal cord injury. Her humorous, self-effacing take on overcoming childhood asthma to become a six-time Olympic gold medalist is inspiring. The motivational insights she has gained from her Olympic journey are applicable to many aspects of her audiences’ lives.
Van Dyken’s personal journey took a tragic twist when her ATV accident rendered her a paraplegic, but with characteristic Olympian strength she has managed to turn tragedy into the promise of new opportunities for those coping with serious physical challenges. She’d already overcome asthma and injury to win Olympic gold medals; now she’s overcome a near-fatal accident to win legions of supporters for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and for her own Amy Van Dyken Foundation.
Van Dyken’s approach is lighthearted, despite the heady challenges she’s had to overcome. Audiences will be left laughing as she gently pokes fun at herself and at others en route to sharing the wisdom borne of a life spent excelling in the face of considerable obstacles.
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