The boy behind a capitol idea

DENVER - State Rep. Gwyn Green is used to hearing from her constituents.

But she was surprised when 9-year-old William Kane called her in October with a proposal.

The Dennison Elementary fourth-grader wanted to make skiing and snowboarding the official winter recreational sports of Colorado.

"It's extremely rare," Green, D-Golden, said of someone so young calling her about state business. "He was so cute. He was so enthused.

"I gave him a little job. I told him I wanted to get a petition going ... I wanted to get some signatures on the petition."

About six weeks later, they touched base again.

"He was a little disappointed that he only had 70 names, but I thought 70 was really good," said Green. "I was quite impressed."

Kane, who takes piano lessons and plays baseball, signed up the entire fourth grade at the Jefferson County school.

"I asked all my friends and they said, ‘Sure, I'll sign.' They liked skiing, too," said Kane, a mogul skier who often hits the slopes at Winter Park with his family - twin brother, Matthew, older brother, Patrick, and parents, Anne and Tom.

His classmates went a step further, said Dennison fourthgrade teacher Nicole Petrie.

"Those fourth-graders wrote letters to representatives and senators to accept the proposal," she said.


Read more at the Rocky Mountain News