| exceed
the goals we’ve set for it.” At the 2002
Salt Lake City Games, the U.S. alpine team won a total of
37 medals, including 9 gold medals, which was more than any
team competing.
 |
| Robert Johnson, Standard-Examiner |
The alpine disciplines will include the
same events contested in Olympic competition – downhill,
slalom, giant slalom, and super-G. Paralympic alpine skiing
competition is open to male and female athletes in the categories
for amputees, blind/visually impaired, spinal cord injured/wheelchair,
and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.
Nordic Skiing/Biathlon
The Paralympic Nordic ski competition is open to male and
female athletes in the categories for amputees, blind/visually-impaired,
spinal cord injured/wheelchair, and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.
“Both of our teams are highly
motivated as we move toward the 2006 Paralympics,” Metzger
said. “‘JK’ [Nordic Coach John Kreamelmeyer]
doesn’t have the numbers of alpine, but his athletes
are equally motivated. Steve [Cook] is a textbook example
of how hard work can produce tremendous success.” The
Nordic team looks to improve on its 10th place standing at
Salt Lake City in 2002.
The Biathlon combines elements of cross-country
skiing and sharp-shooting. Athletes ski three 2.5km loops
(7.5km total), stopping after the first two loops to shoot
at five targets (10 targets total). One minute is added to
the athlete’s finishing time for each miss.
Ice Sledge Hockey
 |
| Robert Johnson, Standard-Examiner |
More commonly known as sled hockey in the
United States, the sport has been played since the late 1980s.
Team USA won its first Paralympic medal in the sport –
the gold medal – at the Salt Lake City Games i
n 2002. Just as in ice hockey, sled
hockey is played with six players (including a goalie) at
a time. Players propel themselves on their sled by use of
spikes on the ends of two three-foot-long sticks, enabling
a player to push himself as well as shoot and pass ambidextrously.
Paralympic sled hockey competition is open
to male
athletes in the categories for amputees, spinal cord injured/wheelchair,
and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.
Curling
For the first time, curling will be a medal event at the
Paralympics. The competition features two participants
from each of two teams. Stones are slid by hand or with
a stick toward a target at the opposite end of the ice.
The object of the game is to get a team’s stones as
close to the center of the target (“house”) as
possible.
The wheelchair curling competition is open to male and
female athletes in various categories.
|
