December 30, 2009 News Release
Sprints Open U.S. National Adaptive Ski Championships on Saturday
ANCHORAGE - America’s best adaptive cross country ski racers are coming to Kincaid Park to compete at the 2010 Conoco Phillips U.S. National Cross Country Ski Championships. Paralympians and Paralympic hopefuls will be in Anchorage for a week of races, starting with sprints on Saturday, Jan. 2.
Racing begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday with a sprint prologue, held alongside the able-bodied skier qualifying round. Adaptive skiers will cover a 0.7-kilometer loop, one at a time. Each time will then be adjusted using a mathematical formula that translates into a time differential for athletes, based on their level of disability. The next round, known to some as a “hunting start,” is similar to a pursuit only it is in reverse. The most disabled skier class goes first with a calculated head start—based on the prologue—and they are chased down. The first skier across the finish line is the winner.
Adaptive athletes will continue competing on Monday, Jan. 4, at 10 a.m. with a 10-K for women and 15-K for men. The final day for adaptive athletes in Anchorage will be Wednesday, Jan. 6, with a classic individual race (5 to 10-K) starting at 12:45 p.m.
U.S. Ski Team adaptive athletes competing in Anchorage:
Sean Halstead http://www.usskiteam.com/adaptive/athletes/athlete?athleteId=1089
Monica Bascio http://www.usskiteam.com/adaptive/athletes/athlete?athleteId=1087
Chris Klebl http://www.usparalympics.org/athletes/chris-klebl
Greg Mallory http://www.usskiteam.com/adaptive/athletes/athlete?athleteId=1091
Andrew Soule http://www.usskiteam.com/adaptive/athletes/athlete?athleteId=1092
Kelly Underkofler http://www.usparalympics.org/athletes/kelly-underkofler
About Paralympic Cross Country Skiing:
In adaptive cross country skiing, athletes compete on distances ranging from 0.7 to 20-kilometers using various assistive devices, including sit-skis. Visually impaired athletes compete with a ski guide. More information on Paralympic skiing can be found at:
http://www.ussa.org/magnoliaPublic/ussa/en/sports/adaptive.html
http://www.paralympic.org/Sport/IPC_Sports/Nordic_Skiing/index.html
Race descriptions and other information is at http://www.anchoragenordicski.com/nationals10/
EDITOR’S NOTES:
** Media credential application forms are on-line at
http://www.anchoragenordicski.com/nationals10/press.htm
** Schedule details for all races, Jan. 2-8, are at
http://www.anchoragenordicski.com/nationals10/schedule.htm
** Media information will also be available at the Kincaid Chalet.
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