COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. ― U.S. Paralympics, a division of the United States Olympic Committee, announced today that 16 athletes were selected to compete at the International Paralympic Committee Nordic Skiing World Cup, January 13-20, in Cable, Wisconsin. The athletes, selected after the U.S. Adaptive Nordic National Championships in Soldiers Hollow, Utah, include five members of the 2012-13 U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing National Team and three from the development team.
“Team USA will be represented in Cable by some familiar faces like Dan Cnossen and Andy Soule,” said John Farra, high performance director for U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing. “But we also have some incredible new talent, especially on the women’s side, which makes it an exciting time for Nordic skiing in the United States. The Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games may be more than 400 days away but our athletes are already on the road to high caliber performances in Russia.”
The action in Cable starts Sunday with the cross country short (5/10km freestyle). The cross country long (20/15/10km classic) is Jan. 14 with the sprint (freestyle) on Jan. 15. On Jan. 17, biathletes will compete with the biathlon long (12.5/15km) event. The biathlon short (6/7.5km) and biathlon middle (10/12.5km) competitions are scheduled for Jan. 19 and 20, respectively.
The Nordic season kicked off last month in Finland, where Cnossen and Soule had multiple Top 10 placements. The world cup circuit finishes March 14-21 with a test event in Sochi, Russia, at the site of the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games. The world championships are February 23-March 5 in Solleftea, Sweden.
U.S. roster for the 2013 International Paralympic Committee World Cup in Cable, Wisconsin.
Men
Omar Bermejo (Grand Rapids, Mich.), ret., Marines
Kevin Burton (Boulder, Colo.), ret., Navy
Dan Cnossen (Jamestown, Mich.), Navy*
Travis Dodson (Deming, N.M.), ret, Marines
Eric Frazier (Maple Hill, N.C.), ret., Marines*
Sean Halsted (Spokane, Wash./Twin Lakes, Idaho), ret., Air Force*
Augusto Perez (East Syracuse, N.Y.)
John Oman (Hudson, Wis.)
Aaron Pike (Park Rapids, Minn.)
Andy Soule (Pearland, Texas), ret., Army*
Jeremy Wagner (Honolulu, Hawaii), ret., Army Reserves*
Women
Alicia Brelsford Dana (Putney, Vt.)
Oksana Masters (Louisville, Ky.)
Tatyana McFadden (Clarksville, Md.)
Beth Requist (Grand Lake, Colo.)
Kristy Vaughn (Corry, Pa.)^
For more information about this event contact the Cable Area Chamber of Commerce by calling 715.798.3833.
