<h4>Ski Spectacular Serves as Training Camp for U.S. Disabled Ski Team</h4> <b>Disabled Sports USA</b> (DS/USA) hosted the 19th Annual Hartford Ski Spectacular, the nation's largest winter sports festival for persons with disabilities. Held December 310, 2006, in Breckenridge, Colorado, the event served as a training camp and competition to prepare the U.S. Disabled Ski Team (USDST) for the 2008 World Championships. U.S. Disabled Alpine Ski Team Head Coach Ray Watkins declared the Ski Spectacular as an overall success, as U.S. skiers claimed 17 of a possible 24 podium spots in the two days of racing. <table class="clsTableCaption" style="float: right; width: 42.2038%; height: 231px;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%;"><img src="https://opedge.com/Content/OldArticles/images/2007-02_05/5-1.jpg" alt="Carl Burnett, Breckenridge 2006. Photograph by Kurt Smitz/USSA." /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 100%;">Carl Burnett, Breckenridge 2006. Photograph by Kurt Smitz/USSA.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> "I was really impressed with the way our team performed," said Watkins. "We did have 17 podiums, but our goal was to have 24 out of 24 podiums. With 13 athletes racing, I expect each one of them to be on the podium, and they do, too. "I'm giving it to George Sansonetis (standup; Fraser, Colorado) and Carl Burnett (sit-ski; Cape Elizabeth, Maine)," added Watkins. "Those guys really skied well both days. They just went as fast as possible and put on a great performance." Burnett finished second in the slalom and then won the giant slalom (GS) over Canadian Brad Lennea and Scott Meyer (sit-ski; Frisco, Colorado), who finished second and third respectively. Sansonetis narrowly missed the slalom podium, finishing fourth on Thursday, but he powered back to win the GS with Australians Cameron Rahls-Rahbula and Toby Kane rounding out the podium. On the women's side, Laurie Stephens (sit-ski; Wenham, Massachusetts) and Stepani Victor (sit-ski; Park City, Utah) swapped places from the day before with Stephens winning the GS on Friday and Ricci Kilgore (sit-ski; Reno, Nevada) earning her second third place in two days. In the standing races, Sandy Dukat (standup; Vail, Colorado) and Elitsa Storey (standup; Sun Valley, Idaho) landed back on the podium. After finishing first and second on Thursday, the pair finished second and third on Friday to close the event won by Canadian Arly Fogarty. <h4>Wounded Warriors:The Next Generation of Paralympians</h4> In partnership with the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), the Ski Spectacular also featured a Special Guest program, which provided rehabilitation sports instruction to U.S. and British Wounded Warriors disabled while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sixty American and British Wounded Warriors and their families attended the event as special guests. For more than two years, WWP and DS/USA have coordinated adaptive sporting events for Wounded Warriors across the country. <table class="clsTableCaption" style="float: right; width: 37.1637%; height: 251px;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%;"><img src="https://opedge.com/Content/OldArticles/images/2007-02_05/5-2.jpg" alt="From left: Sandy Dukat, Arly Fogarty, and Elitsa Storey. Photograph by Kurt Smitz/USSA." /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 100%;">From left: Sandy Dukat, Arly Fogarty, and Elitsa Storey. Photograph by Kurt Smitz/USSA.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> "The Wounded Warrior Project and Disabled Sports USA adaptive sports programs exist to provide the severely wounded opportunities for psychological and physical rehabilitation and growth," said John Melia, executive director and founder of Wounded Warrior Project. Sandy Dukat said she enjoys events like the Ski Spectacular because they allow her to encourage athletes and show them that, regardless of age, going to the Paralympics is tangible. "The Paralympics provides wounded warriors, in particular, the opportunity to continue to represent their country," said Dukat. "We probably learned more this year from [the wounded warriors] than they learned from us," she said. "I was amazed at their courage." DS/USA Executive Director Kirk Bauer hailed the 2006 event as a spectacular success. "The Hartford Ski Spectacular 2006 drew record numbers of attendees, including 750 volunteers, staff, general participants, and special guests," he said. "At this years' event, Disabled Sports USA was able to offer eleven scholarships to up-and-coming youth ski racers. As a result, the next crop of Paralympic racers was able to develop their skills under elite coaching at no cost." <i>For complete results, visit </i><a href="https://opedge.com/3014"><i>www.asdracing.org/html/calendar-results-nar.htm</i></a><i>; for more information about DS/USA, visit </i><a href="https://opedge.com/482"><i>www.dsusa.org</i></a><i>; and for more information about the Wounded Warrior Project, visit </i><a href="https://opedge.com/1077"><i>www.woundedwarriorproject.org</i></a><i>, or call 877.TEAM.WWP.</i> <h4>19 Win Spots on U.S. Paralympics Wheelchair Rugby Team</h4> <table class="clsTableCaption" style="float: right; width: 37.9161%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%;"><img src="https://opedge.com/Content/OldArticles/images/2007-02_05/5-3.jpg" alt="Mark Zupan, 2005. Photograph courtesy of THINKFilm." /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 100%;">Mark Zupan, 2005. Photograph courtesy of THINKFilm.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <b>Nineteen athletes have been named to the 2007 U.S. Paralympics </b>Wheelchair Rugby National Team following a weekend-long selection camp held at the Lakeshore Foundation U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Site in Birmingham, Alabama. The roster includes all 12 athletes who won a gold medal at the 2006 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships, as well as seven new players. The seven new athletes selected to the team include Paralympians Sam Gloor, San Diego, California; and Eddie Crouch, Smyrna, Tennessee. Athletes selected to their first-ever U.S. Paralympics National Team include Chad Cohn, Tucson, Arizona; Zachary Tapec, Sumner, Washington; and Joel Wilmoth, Hueytown, Alabama. Also joining the U.S. team for 2007 are Nick Fonner, Homewood, Illinois; and Steve Kearley, Spring, Texas. Those athletes returning from the 2006 World Championship Team include Jason Regier, Denver, Colorado; Nick Springer, St. Petersburg, Florida/New York, New York; Seth McBride, Juneau, Alaska; Chance Sumner, Denver, Colorado; and Justin Patterson, Salinas, California, as well as Paralympians Norm Lyduch, Austin, Texas; Scott Hogsett, Phoenix, Arizona; Will Groulx, Portland, Oregon; Bryan Kirkland, Leeds, Alabama; Andy Cohn, Tempe, Arizona; Mark Zupan, Austin, Texas; and Steve Pate, Kalispell, Montana. "I was impressed with the energy, effort, and heart I saw from all of these guys this weekend," said U.S. Head Coach James Gumbert, Austin, Texas. "Selecting a national team is never an easy decision, but now we have an incredible group of 19 guys who we are going to work with throughout the year. In 2007 we'll be setting the foundation for achieving our ultimate goal of winning the gold medal at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China." <i>For more information about Lakeshore Foundation U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Site, visit </i><a href="https://opedge.com/3015"><i>www.lakeshore.org</i></a><i>; for more information about U.S. Paralympics, visit </i><a href="https://opedge.com/739"><i>www.usoc.org/paralympics/</i></a> <h4>O&P Extremity Games Video Makes Finals in Film Competition</h4> <table class="clsTableCaption" style="float: right; width: 33.9512%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%;"><img src="https://opedge.com/Content/OldArticles/images/2007-02_05/5-4.jpg" alt="Photograph courtesy of Extremity Games." /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 100%;">Photograph courtesy of Extremity Games.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <b>The music video</b> <i>There's No Replacement for the Competitive Spirit</i>, which debuted at the 2006 O&P Extremity Games' Award Ceremony, was selected out of hundreds of entries as one of six finalists in the X-DANCE Action Sports Film Festival's short category. Organized to raise awareness of the ability of individuals with limb loss or limb difference to compete in extreme sports, and to highlight the state-of-the-art prosthetic devices available today, the inaugural 2006 O&P Extremity Games by College Park included four judged competitions in skateboarding, wakeboarding, BMX biking, and rock climbing. More than $25,000 was awarded in cash prizes. "More than 500 athletes, sponsors, spectators, and volunteers from the United States, Canada, and Europe converged on the Orlando Watersports Complex last July," said Beth Geno, marketing manager for College Park Industries, Fraser, Michigan, and the O&P Extremity Games. "The 2007 event, eX2, will double the number of competitions and include kayaking, surfing, inline skating, and skydiving." "The first O&P Extremity Games surpassed our expectations. The athletes were amazing and definitely defied any preconceived conceptions of their abilities," commented College Park Industries President Eric Robinson. "We are psyched that X-DANCE selected our music video, There's No Replacement for the Competitive Spirit, as a finalist for the January film festival. It's very exciting to be able to recapture the experience of the 2006 event again and to share the energy and capabilities of these determined and gifted athletes with a broader audience." Launched in 2001 and coinciding each year with the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, X-DANCE celebrates the action sports culture and showcases the year's top action sport films, followed by post-screening question-and-answer with filmmakers and athletes. The X-DANCE Festival took place January 1923 in Park City, Utah. Winners were announced as this issue of <i>The O&P EDGE </i>was going to press, January 23. <i>To view There's No Replacement for the Competitive Spirit, visit </i><a href="https://opedge.com/770"><i>www.extremitygames.com</i></a><i>; for more information about X-DANCE, visit </i><a href="https://opedge.com/3016"><i>www.x-dance.com</i></a>
<h4>Ski Spectacular Serves as Training Camp for U.S. Disabled Ski Team</h4> <b>Disabled Sports USA</b> (DS/USA) hosted the 19th Annual Hartford Ski Spectacular, the nation's largest winter sports festival for persons with disabilities. Held December 310, 2006, in Breckenridge, Colorado, the event served as a training camp and competition to prepare the U.S. Disabled Ski Team (USDST) for the 2008 World Championships. U.S. Disabled Alpine Ski Team Head Coach Ray Watkins declared the Ski Spectacular as an overall success, as U.S. skiers claimed 17 of a possible 24 podium spots in the two days of racing. <table class="clsTableCaption" style="float: right; width: 42.2038%; height: 231px;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%;"><img src="https://opedge.com/Content/OldArticles/images/2007-02_05/5-1.jpg" alt="Carl Burnett, Breckenridge 2006. Photograph by Kurt Smitz/USSA." /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 100%;">Carl Burnett, Breckenridge 2006. Photograph by Kurt Smitz/USSA.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> "I was really impressed with the way our team performed," said Watkins. "We did have 17 podiums, but our goal was to have 24 out of 24 podiums. With 13 athletes racing, I expect each one of them to be on the podium, and they do, too. "I'm giving it to George Sansonetis (standup; Fraser, Colorado) and Carl Burnett (sit-ski; Cape Elizabeth, Maine)," added Watkins. "Those guys really skied well both days. They just went as fast as possible and put on a great performance." Burnett finished second in the slalom and then won the giant slalom (GS) over Canadian Brad Lennea and Scott Meyer (sit-ski; Frisco, Colorado), who finished second and third respectively. Sansonetis narrowly missed the slalom podium, finishing fourth on Thursday, but he powered back to win the GS with Australians Cameron Rahls-Rahbula and Toby Kane rounding out the podium. On the women's side, Laurie Stephens (sit-ski; Wenham, Massachusetts) and Stepani Victor (sit-ski; Park City, Utah) swapped places from the day before with Stephens winning the GS on Friday and Ricci Kilgore (sit-ski; Reno, Nevada) earning her second third place in two days. In the standing races, Sandy Dukat (standup; Vail, Colorado) and Elitsa Storey (standup; Sun Valley, Idaho) landed back on the podium. After finishing first and second on Thursday, the pair finished second and third on Friday to close the event won by Canadian Arly Fogarty. <h4>Wounded Warriors:The Next Generation of Paralympians</h4> In partnership with the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), the Ski Spectacular also featured a Special Guest program, which provided rehabilitation sports instruction to U.S. and British Wounded Warriors disabled while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sixty American and British Wounded Warriors and their families attended the event as special guests. For more than two years, WWP and DS/USA have coordinated adaptive sporting events for Wounded Warriors across the country. <table class="clsTableCaption" style="float: right; width: 37.1637%; height: 251px;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%;"><img src="https://opedge.com/Content/OldArticles/images/2007-02_05/5-2.jpg" alt="From left: Sandy Dukat, Arly Fogarty, and Elitsa Storey. Photograph by Kurt Smitz/USSA." /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 100%;">From left: Sandy Dukat, Arly Fogarty, and Elitsa Storey. Photograph by Kurt Smitz/USSA.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> "The Wounded Warrior Project and Disabled Sports USA adaptive sports programs exist to provide the severely wounded opportunities for psychological and physical rehabilitation and growth," said John Melia, executive director and founder of Wounded Warrior Project. Sandy Dukat said she enjoys events like the Ski Spectacular because they allow her to encourage athletes and show them that, regardless of age, going to the Paralympics is tangible. "The Paralympics provides wounded warriors, in particular, the opportunity to continue to represent their country," said Dukat. "We probably learned more this year from [the wounded warriors] than they learned from us," she said. "I was amazed at their courage." DS/USA Executive Director Kirk Bauer hailed the 2006 event as a spectacular success. "The Hartford Ski Spectacular 2006 drew record numbers of attendees, including 750 volunteers, staff, general participants, and special guests," he said. "At this years' event, Disabled Sports USA was able to offer eleven scholarships to up-and-coming youth ski racers. As a result, the next crop of Paralympic racers was able to develop their skills under elite coaching at no cost." <i>For complete results, visit </i><a href="https://opedge.com/3014"><i>www.asdracing.org/html/calendar-results-nar.htm</i></a><i>; for more information about DS/USA, visit </i><a href="https://opedge.com/482"><i>www.dsusa.org</i></a><i>; and for more information about the Wounded Warrior Project, visit </i><a href="https://opedge.com/1077"><i>www.woundedwarriorproject.org</i></a><i>, or call 877.TEAM.WWP.</i> <h4>19 Win Spots on U.S. Paralympics Wheelchair Rugby Team</h4> <table class="clsTableCaption" style="float: right; width: 37.9161%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%;"><img src="https://opedge.com/Content/OldArticles/images/2007-02_05/5-3.jpg" alt="Mark Zupan, 2005. Photograph courtesy of THINKFilm." /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 100%;">Mark Zupan, 2005. Photograph courtesy of THINKFilm.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <b>Nineteen athletes have been named to the 2007 U.S. Paralympics </b>Wheelchair Rugby National Team following a weekend-long selection camp held at the Lakeshore Foundation U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Site in Birmingham, Alabama. The roster includes all 12 athletes who won a gold medal at the 2006 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships, as well as seven new players. The seven new athletes selected to the team include Paralympians Sam Gloor, San Diego, California; and Eddie Crouch, Smyrna, Tennessee. Athletes selected to their first-ever U.S. Paralympics National Team include Chad Cohn, Tucson, Arizona; Zachary Tapec, Sumner, Washington; and Joel Wilmoth, Hueytown, Alabama. Also joining the U.S. team for 2007 are Nick Fonner, Homewood, Illinois; and Steve Kearley, Spring, Texas. Those athletes returning from the 2006 World Championship Team include Jason Regier, Denver, Colorado; Nick Springer, St. Petersburg, Florida/New York, New York; Seth McBride, Juneau, Alaska; Chance Sumner, Denver, Colorado; and Justin Patterson, Salinas, California, as well as Paralympians Norm Lyduch, Austin, Texas; Scott Hogsett, Phoenix, Arizona; Will Groulx, Portland, Oregon; Bryan Kirkland, Leeds, Alabama; Andy Cohn, Tempe, Arizona; Mark Zupan, Austin, Texas; and Steve Pate, Kalispell, Montana. "I was impressed with the energy, effort, and heart I saw from all of these guys this weekend," said U.S. Head Coach James Gumbert, Austin, Texas. "Selecting a national team is never an easy decision, but now we have an incredible group of 19 guys who we are going to work with throughout the year. In 2007 we'll be setting the foundation for achieving our ultimate goal of winning the gold medal at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China." <i>For more information about Lakeshore Foundation U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Site, visit </i><a href="https://opedge.com/3015"><i>www.lakeshore.org</i></a><i>; for more information about U.S. Paralympics, visit </i><a href="https://opedge.com/739"><i>www.usoc.org/paralympics/</i></a> <h4>O&P Extremity Games Video Makes Finals in Film Competition</h4> <table class="clsTableCaption" style="float: right; width: 33.9512%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%;"><img src="https://opedge.com/Content/OldArticles/images/2007-02_05/5-4.jpg" alt="Photograph courtesy of Extremity Games." /></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 100%;">Photograph courtesy of Extremity Games.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <b>The music video</b> <i>There's No Replacement for the Competitive Spirit</i>, which debuted at the 2006 O&P Extremity Games' Award Ceremony, was selected out of hundreds of entries as one of six finalists in the X-DANCE Action Sports Film Festival's short category. Organized to raise awareness of the ability of individuals with limb loss or limb difference to compete in extreme sports, and to highlight the state-of-the-art prosthetic devices available today, the inaugural 2006 O&P Extremity Games by College Park included four judged competitions in skateboarding, wakeboarding, BMX biking, and rock climbing. More than $25,000 was awarded in cash prizes. "More than 500 athletes, sponsors, spectators, and volunteers from the United States, Canada, and Europe converged on the Orlando Watersports Complex last July," said Beth Geno, marketing manager for College Park Industries, Fraser, Michigan, and the O&P Extremity Games. "The 2007 event, eX2, will double the number of competitions and include kayaking, surfing, inline skating, and skydiving." "The first O&P Extremity Games surpassed our expectations. The athletes were amazing and definitely defied any preconceived conceptions of their abilities," commented College Park Industries President Eric Robinson. "We are psyched that X-DANCE selected our music video, There's No Replacement for the Competitive Spirit, as a finalist for the January film festival. It's very exciting to be able to recapture the experience of the 2006 event again and to share the energy and capabilities of these determined and gifted athletes with a broader audience." Launched in 2001 and coinciding each year with the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, X-DANCE celebrates the action sports culture and showcases the year's top action sport films, followed by post-screening question-and-answer with filmmakers and athletes. The X-DANCE Festival took place January 1923 in Park City, Utah. Winners were announced as this issue of <i>The O&P EDGE </i>was going to press, January 23. <i>To view There's No Replacement for the Competitive Spirit, visit </i><a href="https://opedge.com/770"><i>www.extremitygames.com</i></a><i>; for more information about X-DANCE, visit </i><a href="https://opedge.com/3016"><i>www.x-dance.com</i></a>