Statewide literacy campaign picks up speed as Granite State Olympian Bode Miller joins the team

CONCORD, NH — The Olympic gold medalist and all-time World Cup champion skier Bode Miller is laying down tracks for others to follow as part of the New Hampshire Department of Education’s ongoing campaign to instill the love of reading and enhance reading proficiency among the state’s youth. 

Miller, 45, who grew up in the White Mountains town of Franconia, recently recorded a video of himself reading to two of his young children, illustrating the importance of early training to give young people a fast start to a lifetime love of reading. This video can be found on Instagram.

“Any elite athlete will tell you that training, discipline and love for the sport are the most critical ingredients to success and that the earlier you instill those values, the better,” Miller said. “The same is true for reading. Getting off to a fast start is essential. And those who know me understand that mixing hard work with a little fun makes any activity better.”

Gov. Chris Sununu and Frank Edelblut, education commissioner, welcomed the New Hampshire native to the literacy awareness campaign.

“As anyone who has followed Bode’s career over the years has seen, Bode knows what it takes to build a strong foundation and have fun while doing it,” Sununu said. “Bode is teaching his own children that whether you’re competing on the world stage or in your own hometown, reading early and often is the cornerstone of that foundation. Now he’s working to spread that same message throughout the 603!”

Edelblut expressed confidence that having Miller on the team will add to the campaign’s success, and speculated that Miller, the father of eight, has some experience instilling the love of reading in young people.

“As a parent, Bode understands that giving the gift of reading is an expression of love that brings confidence and inspiration to children, and serves as a window to the imagination,” said Edelblut. “We’re happy to add his winning outlook and work ethic to our push toward providing all New Hampshire children with the essential literacy skills that will lead them to the winner’s podium. Like skiing or any sport, the journey to reading starts early. The beauty with reading is that its power lasts a lifetime.”

Since March, NHED has engaged in a full-scale literacy awareness campaign to encourage and promote the love of reading among early learners with the goal of growing reading proficiency. Billboards bearing a single, simple word and social media have helped convey the message. It enlisted Miller as part of that effort.

Miller, who grew up “off the grid” in a cabin with no electricity or indoor plumbing and an eye for differentiating between what is essential and what is not, puts reading near the top of his list of essentials, just below food and shelter.

In his 2005 book, “Bode: Go Fast, Be Good, Have Fun,” Miller offers this encouragement to Granite Staters hitting the slopes or hitting the books: “Get a plan, stick to it and trust your instincts … and almost anything is possible.”

For more information on the campaign, visit nhlovesreading.org. Additional material and videos can be found on YouTube.