Paralympians headline 2008 U.S. disabled ski team

The 2008 U.S. Disabled Ski Team includes 12 alpine skiers and six cross-country athletes, U.S. Disabled Ski Team Program Director Sandy Metzger announced. With 30 World Cup podiums, including 12 victories across both squads last winter, the team will feature the return of 16 Paralympians.
PARK CITY, Utah — The 2008 U.S. Disabled Ski Team includes 12 alpine skiers and six cross-country athletes, U.S. Disabled Ski Team Program Director Sandy Metzger announced. With 30 World Cup podiums, including 12 victories across both squads last winter, the team will feature the return of 16 Paralympians.
    Headlining the alpine squad are Stephani Victor (sit-ski), who captured the World Cup overall, slalom and giant slalom titles last winter, and Laurie Stephens (sit-ski), the World Cup super G champion. Chris Klebl (sit-ski), who produced eight World Cup cross-country podiums last season and finished second in the overall standings, highlights the cross-country team.
    “We have so many solid athletes returning this season like Victor, Stephens and Klebl,” Metzger said. “It’s also encouraging to see such a talented pack of athletes start to emerge at the top level. These teams are still rebuilding a bit from the 2006 Paralympics, but we have such strong coaches who have made very important partnerships with the national development programs — no doubt we’ll be full strength for 2010.”
    Leading the developmental charge for cross-country is Andy Soule (sit-ski), who finished fourth in his first World Cup last season. A military veteran, Soule lost both his legs in Afghanistan and experienced skiing for the first time in 2005. He has quickly become a solid addition to the U.S. roster. On the alpine end, Brad Washburn (standup) and Elitsa Storey (standup), who both captured their first U.S. championships last season, look to make their mark on the World Cup tour. Washburn made the jump from the C to the A team, while Storey will make her debut with the C team.
    Retiring from the alpine squad after a seven-year career that saw multiple Paralympic and World Championships medals is Sandy Dukat (standup), while three-time Paralympian Steve Cook (standup), a former World Cup champion and World Championships gold medalist, will step down from the cross-country team.
    Jon Kreamelmeyer, who has been with the cross-country program through three Paralympics, will lead the cross-country squad for the 10th year, while Ray Watkins resumes the alpine head coaching position for the second season.
    Competition for both teams opens Dec. 3-7 with the annual Ski Spectacular in Breckenridge, Colorado. The World Cup season kicks off Jan. 7-11 in Abtenau, Austria, for alpine, with cross-country slated to start Jan. 13-22 at Isny, Germany.

2008 U.S. Disabled Ski Team roster (birthdate, disabled category, hometown and * if Paralympian)

Alpine men
A team
Monte Meier (4/27/71; standup, Park City, Utah)*
Brad Washburn (10/12/86; standup, Littleton, Colo.)*

B team
Carl Burnett (6/14/81; sit-ski, Winter Park, Colo.)*
Gerald Hayden (5/5/80; sit-ski, Merced, Calif.)*

C team
Chris Devlin-Young (12/26/61; sit-ski, Campton, N.H.)*
Roger Lee (1/4/63; sit-ski, Wildomar, Calif.)*
George Sansonetis (10/20/72; standup, Fraser, Colo.)*
Joe Tompkins (8/20/68; sit-ski, Juneau, Alaska)*

Alpine women
A team
Allison Jones (5/12/84; standup, Colorado Springs, Colo)*
Stephani Victor (8/29/69; sit-ski, Park City, Utah)*

B team
Laurie Stephens (3/5/84; sit-ski, Wenham, Mass.)*

C team
Elitsa Storey (12/26/87; standup, Ketchum, Idaho)*

Cross-country men
A team
Bob Balk (3/7/66; sit-ski, Long Beach, Calif.)*
Sean Halsted (11/24/70; sit-ski, Sunday River, Maine)
Chris Klebl (1/5/72; sit-ski, Heber City, Utah)*
Greg Mallory (3/23/68; sit-ski, Portland, Ore.)*
Andrew Soule (12/2/80; sit-ski, Sun Valley, Idaho)

Cross-country women
A team
Monica Bascio (9/16/69; sit-ski, Evergreen, Colo.)*