TOMS RIVER – Christie Raleigh-Crossley has sped to celebrity status.
The former Toms River High School South, Ocean County YMCA of Toms River, Toms River Country Club, Florida State University and Rowan University swimming standout sparkled at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. They took home five medals – two gold, two silver and one bronze.
Raleigh-Crossley, a first-time Paralympian, won gold in the 100-meter backstroke and 100 butterfly and raced to a silver medal in the 100 freestyle in the S9 class. The classification is specifically “for swimmers with coordination affected at a low level in the arms and legs, high degree of weakness in one leg or the absence of limbs,” according to LEXI, an online information system that explains parasport designations.
Raleigh-Crossley, 37, sped to a silver medal in the 50 freestyle in the S10 class, which is “for swimmers with movement affect at a low level in the legs, moderately in the hip joint or feet, to a high degree in one foot or minor limb absence.” They also claimed a bronze medal in the mixed 400 freestyle relay. They set the world record in the preliminaries of the 50 free in 27.28 in S9. They set a Paralympic record in the 100 fly in 1:05.19. They were second in the 50 freestyle in 27.38. They won the 100 backstroke in 1:07.92 and was second in the 100 freestyle in 0.65s.
“All medals have such significance to me,” they said. “All are very special.”
Even Raleigh-Crossley has needed time to realize their accomplishments.
“It has not sunk in at all,” they told teamusa.org/usparaswimming. “We went out there and had fun, though, and that’s always what I want when I swim. That was mission accomplished. I feel like I made my kids proud and that’s all I really wanted.”
Their playlist provided an extra spark for them as well as in the final moments before their race.
“It just so happened that my favorite walk-out song was the last song that I listened to,” they said. “It just happened to be in the playlist. It’s Fergie’s, ‘Glamorous.’ The last verse of the song tells about her dad telling her that this is life and to overcome and my dad always said to me, ‘You’ve overcome adversity. You can do it.’ So in that moment it felt like my dad was there, just reminding me, ‘You’ve got this. You can do this. This is what you’re meant for.
“He’s back home in the States. I wish he was here, but I definitely felt him in that moment … all the years of him telling me I could do it. It was right at that moment.”
Soon after they left the medal stand, Raleigh-Crossley saw their children in the crowd and stopped to embrace them with the medal hanging around their neck.
“It feels like a dream,” they said. “It does not feel real at all. I don’t know when it will finally sink in. I’m living a dream. It was incredible to have so many people from all over the world just celebrating you and the hard work you’ve put in.”
Raleigh-Crossley’s pool prowess resulted in a trip to Washington, D.C. where Team USA members met President Biden during D.C. Celebration Week in October.
“He walked to our stage and shook hands with us,” the Toms River Township resident said. “He said, ‘Those five medals put a little strain on your neck.’”
Raleigh-Crossley and their three children were honored at the Columbus Day Parade in Seaside Heights. They were also recently celebrated at a Township Council meeting.
They began swimming competitively at around the age of four and landed a berth on the Toms River Little League All-Star team in 1997 as a shortstop and pinch runner. They were the lone female All-Star.
“I learned a lot about sexism,” they said. “People said I could not do certain things because I was a girl. There was no rule that said I had to play softball. Little League taught me hard lessons.”
Raleigh-Crossley was a state champion at South and became the second freshman in state history to set a state record in any swimming event. After moving to Florida, they swam for the Pine Crest School and was a four-time state champion. They swam for Florida State and sped to numerous All-America honors. Intending to swim for Auburn University, they got married and gave birth to a daughter. They won an NCAA Division III title in the butterfly at Rowan.
They had dreams of competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in China. However, in 2007, they were struck by a drunk driver while crossing a street, resulting in four herniated discs and instability in the spine. In 2008, they were hit by another car, triggering a non-cancerous tumor to start developing in their brain. As a result, they began to lose function on the left side of their body. After re-injuring their lower back in 2016, they suffered a head injury in 2018 and underwent brain surgery.
They experienced paralysis on the left side because of the bleeding of a previously unknown blood tumor on their brain. On Jan. 7, 2018, the tumor was removed. Today, they use a wheelchair daily, will sometimes walk with forearm crutches and uses a ‘tapper’ when competing or a guide who will tap them when they are approaching the pool wall.
“My dad, Bill Sr., one of my coaches, instilled in us that if it’s something we want we have to push through adversity,” they said. “He said, ‘Stay dedicated.’ I always wanted to represent Team USA. Even with setbacks, I kept going for the dream.
“Failure is not an option. I kept going and pushing through.”
Even Raleigh-Crossley is amazed at the twists and turns their life has taken.
“Actually,” they said, “it has been quite unbelievable. When it is put out there, I say, ‘There is no way this happened to somebody.’ If I was to write a book about my life, the title would be, ‘That stuff really happened.’ People tell me I am strong and inspiring.”
They were honored with their likeness being used for a bobblehead at the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee. Their bobblehead is the first featuring a Paralympian. The special edition bobblehead was produced by the museum in conjunction with Raleigh-Crossley.
Sitting in a wheelchair on a patriotic base with their name in gold across the front, the smiling Christie Raleigh-Crossley bobblehead has their five medals draped around their neck while holding an American flag. Each bobblehead is individually numbered to 2,024 and is only available through the museum’s online store. The bobbleheads, which are expected to ship in February, are $30 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.
“I learned of it early in the process,” Christie-Raleigh said. “I am super grateful for it. It’s pretty incredible – a little bit of light in a dark time. It’s exciting. People tell me they will put it on their desk. That’s super cool. I am a die-hard New York Yankees fan and bobbleheads are a part of their lives. To be the first Paralympian with a bobblehead is more than just an honor. This is a momentous moment for the entire Paralympic movement and I am so grateful to get to be a part of it. I love how it showcases the various mobility aids that myself and so many others use. It is a wonderful representation for ambulatory wheelchair users both young and old.”
“We are excited to release this bobblehead in honor of Christie,” museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “Christie shined in the pool. We congratulate Christie and wish them continued success. We know that Christie is an inspiration for many and this bobblehead will be a great way to celebrate all of Christie’s accomplishments.”
Sklar follows the Paralympics and the Olympics.
“We always watch them to see who would make for a great bobblehead opportunity,” he said. “We look for great stories both on and off the field or pool in this case. Christie checked both of those boxes with tremendous performances and a very inspirational story.”
“We design quite a few bobbleheads,” he said, “so it takes a lot to stump us. I think the design is perfect as it incorporates their wheelchair and the American flag. A bobblehead generally takes a couple of hours to design. Each of the bobbleheads will be individually numbered to only 2,024, which makes them great collectibles. We typically will number them to the year the event took place.
“We have a few different designers who take the pictures and details that we provide and turn it into a rendering that the factory uses to sculpt the bobblehead out of clay. They help compile a lot of pictures and other details to make sure we capture everything in the bobblehead.”
Each United States President is prominently displayed in the museum in the order of their presidency. Baseball, football, basketball, ice hockey, soccer, tennis, bowling, boxing, golf, political figures, comedians, music figures, radio, television, announcers, comics, movies, historical characters and other random bobbleheads are displayed.
One bobblehead is dedicated to former Lakewood BlueClaws first baseman Ryan Howard, who starred for the BlueClaws and Philadelphia Phillies. There is a life-sized bobblehead of the museum’s mascot. Another life-sized bobblehead is of Vladimir Guerrero Sr., who enjoyed a Hall of Fame career in the major leagues.
