USOC Announces Vancouver Team, Women Underrepresented

Travis Mushett    Articles    

The USOC has announced its team for the Vancouver Paralympic Games (see below for the full roster), and, as usual, women are woefully underrepresented. A mere 28 % of the team is female, and while this is slightly better than the overall representation of 21-23%, it lags behind the summer games mark of 35% women. Female Paralympians have made many impressive strides in recent years, but there is still a ways to go before parity is reached.

In other news, five of the 50 athletes–a full 10% are military veterans. They are:
Heath Calhoun (Grundy, Va.), alpine skiing – retired U.S. Army (Iraq War Veteran)
Chris Devlin-Young (Campton, N.H.), alpine skiing – retired U.S. Coast Guard
Sean Halsted (Spokane, Wash.), cross country skiing – retired U.S. Air Force
Patrick McDonald (Orangevale, Calif.), wheelchair curling – retired U.S. Army
Andy Soule (Pearland, Texas), cross country skiing & biathlon – retired U.S. Army (Veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom

And the full roster:

2010 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team (15)
Joe Howard (Kingston, Mass.), forward
Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.), goaltender
Taylor Chace (Hampton Falls, N.H.), defense
Jimmy Connelly (Galloway, N.J.), defense
Andy Yohe (Bettendorf, Iowa), forward
Brad Emmerson (Amherst, N.Y.), forward
Tim Jones (Mt. Ephraim, N.J.), defense
Taylor Lipsett (Mesquite, Texas), forward
Alexi Salamone (Grand Island, N.Y.), forward
Mike Blabac (Buffalo, N.Y.), goaltender
Nikko Landeros (Berthoud, Colo.), defense
Adam Page (Lancaster, N.Y.), defense
Josh Pauls (South Plainfield, N.J.), defense
Greg Shaw (Park City, Utah), forward
Bubba Torres (Riverside, N.J.), forward

2010 U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Curling Team (5)
Augusto “Goose” Perez (East Syracuse, N.Y.), skip
James Pierce (North Syracuse, N.Y.), vice skip
James “Jimmy Jam” Joseph (New Hartford, N.Y.), second
Jacqueline Kapinowski (Point Pleasant, N.J.), lead
Patrick McDonald (Orangevale, Calif.), alternate

2010 U.S. Paralympic Alpine Skiing Team (24 athletes, 3 guides)

MEN (14)
Mark Bathum (Seattle, Wash.), visually impaired
Carl Burnett (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Bend, Ore.), sitting
Heath Calhoun (Grundy, Va./Aspen, Colo.), sitting
Nick Catanzarite (Winter Park, Colo.), sitting
Chris Devlin-Young (San Diego, Calif./ Campton, N.H.), sitting
Ralph Green (Brooklyn, N.Y./ Vail, Colo.), standing
Gerald Hayden (Winter Park, Colo.), sitting
Ian Jansing (St. Louis, Mo./Winter Park, Colo.), standing
Monte Meier (Park City, Utah), standing
George Sansonetis (Fraser, Colo.), standing
Joe Tompkins (Juneau, Alaska), sitting
Tyler Walker (Franconia, N.H.), sitting
Brad Washburn (Winter Park, Colo.), standing
John Whitney (Towson, Md.), standing

WOMEN (10)
Allison Jones (Colorado Springs, Colo.), standing
Ricci Kilgore (Reno, Nev.), sitting
Luba Lowery (Cumberland Foreside, Maine/Denver, Colo.), sitting
Alana Nichols (Farmington, N.M.), sitting
Hannah Pennington (Winter Park, Colo.), standing
Caitlin Sarubbi (Brooklyn, N.Y.), visually impaired
Laurie Stephens (Wenham, Mass.), sitting
Elitsa Storey (Sun Valley, Idaho), sitting
Danielle Umstead (Taos, N.M.), visually impaired
Stephani Victor (Park City, Utah), sitting

GUIDES (3)
Slater Storey (Sun Valley, Idaho) – guide for Mark Bathum
Rob Umstead (Taos, N.M.) – guide for wife, Danelle Umstead
Gwynn Watkins (Mt. Shasta, Calif.) – guide for Caitlin Sarubbi

2010 U.S. Paralympic Cross Country Skiing Team (6)

MEN (4)

Greg Mallory (Portland, Ore.), sitting
Chris Klebl (Heber City, Utah), sitting
Sean Halsted (Spokane, Wash.)/Twin Lakes, Idaho), sitting
Andy Soule (Pearland, Texas), sitting

WOMEN (1)
Monica Bascio (Evergreen, Colo.), sitting
Kelly Underkofler (St. Paul, Minn.), standing

2010 U.S. Paralympic Biathlon Team
Note:  These athletes will also compete in cross country skiing events.
MEN (1)
Andy Soule (Pearland, Texas), sitting

WOMEN (1)
Kelly Underkofler (St. Paul, Minn.), standing

BlazeSports to Join First Lady in the Fight Against Childhood Obesity

Travis Mushett    Articles    

The Obamas didn’t find their way to the White House by thinking small, and First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative is likewise sweeping in its ambition. Within a generation, Let’s Move! seeks to eliminate childhood obesity in the United States. The initiative’s foundations rests on four pillars:

1) Healthier schools.
2) Accessible and affordable healthy food in every part of our country.
3) Support parents in making healthy decisions.
4) Help kids become more physically active.

The Let’s Move! website features a nice introductory video featuring the FLOTUS herself.

As part of the initiative, Let’s Move! will be addressing the specific challenges to healthy lifestyles that are faced by young people with physical disabilities. BlazeSports will be active in this initiative and looks forward to the opportunity to help First Lady Obama bring fitness to our country’s young people.

Canadian McKeever to be First Winter Athlete to Compete in Both Olympics and Paralympics

Travis Mushett    Articles    

Photo courtesy of Ski Trax.

Brian McKeever of Canamore, Alberta was an up-and-coming cross-country skier when his vision began to deteriorate in his late teens. At 19, he was diagnosed with Stargardt’s disease, a condition that eventually left him with only 10% of his previous vision, all of it peripheral. This was far from the end of his athletic career, however. Already with four golds, two silvers, and one bronze to his name from the 2002 and 2006 Paralympic Games, in 2010, McKeever will blaze a trail that no winter athlete has trodden before; he will compete on both his nation’s Olympic and Paralympic teams.

After winning the 50-kilometer Olympic trials NorAm race in December, McKeever was officially named to the Canadian Olympic team in January. In addition to the 50K race on the final day of the Games, he hopes to compete in the 15K . And this is to say nothing of McKeever’s packed Paralympic schedule, in which he’ll compete in every cross-country race open to blind athletes (5K, 10K, 20K) and both biathlons (7.5K and 12.5K).

For more info on Brian, check out this video clip from CBC’s The National and this story from the Vancouver Sun.

White House Announces Delegations to Vancouver

Travis Mushett    Articles    

Earlier this week, the White House announced its delegations to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver. (You can read the full press release here.) In a heartening move, the Obama Administration included two Paralympians on the delegation to the Olympic Closing Ceremonies. World champion mono skier Peter Axelson and gold medal sled hockey star Manny Guerra will join Bonnie Blair, Kristi Yamaguchi, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, and several other high profile dignitaries at the Games’ conclusion on February 28.

The delegation to the Paralympic Opening Ceremonies on March 12 will be led by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki and include downhill skier Jim Martinson, alpine skier Mike May, slalom and giant slalom skier Bonnie St. John, and swimmer Melissa Stockwell.

Think Beyond the Label

Travis Mushett    Articles    

Think Beyond the Label

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLpwWUKm6KA

Above is a funny ad put together by Health & Disability Advocates as part of their Think Beyond the Label campaign. Their website looks like a pretty great resource in its own right, with plenty of information on disability and accessibility for employers and employees alike.

Welcome to BlazeSports WorldWide!

Travis Mushett    Articles    

Hi all–

Welcome to BlazeSports WorldWide, your one-stop shop for all that is new, interesting, important, fun, and fascinating in the world of disability sport. From here on out, we will be posting regularly on issues of concern to people with disabilities–athletes and not, Americans and our friends from around the globe (hence the “WorldWide” in our title)–and to their families, friends, coaches, advocates, and supporters. With pluck, moxie, and joie de vivre, we’ll scour the world to bring you the news.

So hold onto your hats, folks. The posts will be coming fast and furious.

Yours,
BWW