United_States_at_the_2010_Winter_Paralympics

United States at the 2010 Winter Paralympics

United States at the 2010 Winter Paralympics

Sporting event delegation

The United States sent a delegation to compete at the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. A total of 50 U.S. competitors took part in all five sports.[1] The American delegation included five former members of the U.S. military, including a veteran of the Iraq War (Heath Calhoun) and a veteran of the War in Afghanistan (Andy Soule).[1]

Quick Facts United States at the 2010 Winter Paralympics, IPC code ...

The United States finished sixth in the gold medal and fifth in the total medal count. U.S. coverage of the 2010 Paralympic Games was provided primarily by the Universal Sports Television Network.[4]

Disability classifications

Every participant at the Paralympics had their disability grouped into one of five disability categories; amputation, the condition may be congenital or sustained through injury or illness; cerebral palsy; wheelchair athletes, there is often overlap between this and other categories; visual impairment, including blindness; Les autres, any physical disability that does not fall strictly under one of the other categories, for example dwarfism or multiple sclerosis.[5][6] Each Paralympic sport then had its own classifications, dependent upon the specific physical demands of competition. Events were given a code, made of numbers and letters, describing the type of event and classification of the athletes competing. Events with "B" in the code were for athletes with visual impairment, codes LW1 to LW9 were for athletes who stood to compete, and LW10 to LW12 were for athletes who competed sitting down.[7] In biathlon events, which contained a target shooting component, blind and visually impaired athletes were able to compete through the use of acoustic signals, whose signal intensity varied dependent upon whether or not the athlete was on target.[8]

Medalists

Further information: 2010 Winter Paralympics medal table

The following American athletes won medals at the games; all dates are for March 2010.[9] In the 'by discipline' sections below, medalists' names are in bold.

More information Medal, Name ...
Heath Calhoun carrying the U.S. flag at the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on March 12, 2010

Alpine skiing

Main article: Alpine skiing at the 2010 Winter Paralympics

On February 26, 2010, U.S. Paralympics nominated a team of 14 men and 10 women (plus three guides) to compete in alpine skiing.

Men[10]
More information Athlete, Event ...
Women[10]
More information Athlete, Event ...
Andy Soule, wins bronze in biathlon, Men's 2.4 km Pursuit.

Biathlon

Main article: Biathlon at the 2010 Winter Paralympics

Two U.S. competitors participated in the biathlon. Both are also members of the U.S. cross-country skiing team.[1] Andy Soule, a veteran of the War in Afghanistan, won the bronze medal in men's 2.4 km sitting pursuit on the opening day of the Paralympics, becoming the first American to win a biathlon medal in the either the Olympic or the Paralympic Winter Games.[11][12]

More information Athlete, Events ...

Cross-country skiing

Main article: Cross-country skiing at the 2010 Winter Paralympics

The cross-country skiing team consists of four men and two women. Two of the skiers, Andy Soule and Kelly Underkofler, will also be competing in the biathlon.[1]

Calculated time

To ensure a fair event when athletes with differing disabilities compete, times achieved were sometimes modified by a percentage rate, to produce a result known as "Calculated Time". It is this time that decided the result of the races, and is listed below. Where this differs from the real time recorded, real time is also listed.[13]

Men
More information Athlete, Events ...
Women
More information Athlete, Events ...
Key
  • RT = real time
  • CT = calculated time

Ice sledge hockey

Team USA in a face-off against Team Japan during pool play on March 16, 2010.
Main article: Ice sledge hockey at the 2010 Winter Paralympics

The U.S. qualified for sledge hockey (also known as sled hockey) at the 2010 Paralympics by winning the 2009 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships.[14][15] USA Hockey nominated the 15-member sledge hockey team on December 15, 2009, pending approval by the United States Olympic Committee.[16] With a win over Japan in the gold medal game on March 20, 2010, the U.S. captured its second-ever gold medal in the sport.[17] The team did not allow a goal in the tournament, outscoring its opponents by a total of 19 to 0. Alexi Salamone, born with deformed legs due to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and later adopted by an American family, was the leading scorer for the U.S. with four goals and eight points in five games.[18]

More information Squad list, Group stage (Pool A) ...

Wheelchair curling

Above, the U.S. competes against Sweden in the bronze medal game while below, South Korea competes against Canada in the gold medal game.
Main article: Wheelchair curling at the 2010 Winter Paralympics

The U.S. team qualified for the 2010 Paralympic wheelchair curling tournament based on their performance in the 2007, 2008, and 2009 World Wheelchair Curling Championships.[20] After two straight losses in the playoff round, the team finished in fourth place.

Team

The team is as follows:[21]

Skip: Augusto Perez
Third: Patrick McDonald
Second: James Pierce
Lead: Jacqui Kapinowski
Alternate: James Joseph
Coach: Steve Brown

Standings

More information Country, Skip ...

Round robin results

The United States finished with a 7–2 win–loss record, in second place.[22]

Semifinals

Sheet C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Final
 United States (Perez) (has hammer) 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 5
 South Korea (Kim) 0 1 0 3 1 1 0 1 7

Bronze medal game

Sheet D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Final
 United States (Perez) (has hammer) 0 1 0 3 0 0 1 0 5
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  Sweden (Jungnell) 3 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 7

Media coverage

U.S. coverage of the 2010 Paralympic Games was provided primarily by the Universal Sports Television Network. A nightly two-hour show covering daily competition was broadcast from March 15–23, and on-demand replays were offered on UniversalSports.com.[4] Daily video highlights were also available at the official website of the U.S. Paralympic Team, usparalympics.org. NBC showed a one-hour program covering the Opening Ceremony on March 13, and will show a two-hour highlights program on April 10.

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Bourrgeois, Beth (February 26, 2010). "USOC Names the 2010 U.S. Paralympic Winter Games Team; 50 Athletes to Compete in Vancouver". United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on August 17, 2010. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
  2. [2]
    Blanchard, Jamie (March 11, 2010). "Heath Calhoun named U.S. flag bearer for Opening Ceremonies of 2010 Paralympic Winter Games". U.S. Paralympics. Archived from the original on March 15, 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  3. [3]
    Bourgeois, Beth (March 20, 2010). "Monte Meier named U.S. flag bearer for Closing Ceremony". U.S. Paralympics. Archived from the original on April 12, 2010. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
  4. [4]
    "NBC Sports and Universal Sports to Broadcast 2010 Paralympic Winter Games Highlights". U.S. Paralympics. March 9, 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  5. [5]
    "Paralympics categories explained". ABC. September 3, 2008. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  6. [6]
    "Making sense of the categories". BBC Sport. October 6, 2000. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
  7. [7]
    "Sport Profiles, Alpine Skiing". Australian Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on February 18, 2010. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
  8. [8]
    "Sport Profiles, Biathlon". Australian Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on January 18, 2010. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
  9. [9]
    "Medallists". Vancouver 2010 Official Website. 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  10. [10]
    Alpine Skiing Schedule and Results Archived March 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, The Official Website of the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver
  11. [11]
    U.S. Paralympics (March 15, 2010). "Army vet wins first U.S. medal in Paralympic Biathlon". Army News Service. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
  12. [12]
    George, Josh (March 14, 2010). "Soule's medal a historic feat". U.S. Paralympics. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
  13. [13]
    "Winter Sport Classification". Canadian Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on July 9, 2013. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
  14. [14]
    "USA Wins Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships A". International Paralympic Committee. May 18, 2009. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
  15. [15]
    Sweeney, Emily (March 11, 2010). "2010 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team nominated". The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
  16. [16]
    "2010 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team nominated". U.S. Paralympics. December 15, 2009. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
  17. [17]
    "U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team Wins Gold at the Paralympic Winter Games with 2–0 Shutout of Japan". USA Hockey. March 20, 2010. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
  18. [18]
    AFP (March 20, 2010). "Ice sledge hockey: Americans blank Japan to take sledge hockey gold". The Official Website of the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  19. [19]
    "Ice Sledge Hockey Schedule and Results". Vancouver 2010 official website. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
  20. [20]
    "Paralympic Qualification". World Curling Federation. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
  21. [21]
    "Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Games Wheelchair Curling Competition Teams – Confirmed" (PDF). World Curling Federation. January 19, 2010. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  22. [22]
    "Wheelchair Curling Schedule and Results". Vancouver 2010 official website. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
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