FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 26, 2010

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Today the U.S. Olympic Committee announced the 50 athletes of the U.S. Team that will compete at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C., March 12-21, 2010.

The U.S. Team, made up of athletes from 20 U.S. states, will compete in five sports (alpine skiing, biathlon, cross country skiing, sled hockey and wheelchair curling). A projected 600 elite athletes with a physical disability from more than 40 countries are expected to compete at the Games.

The following roster is comprised of the 50 athletes who will represent Team USA at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.

2010 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team (15)
Joe Howard (Kingston, Mass.), forward
Steve Cash (Overland, Mo.), goaltender 
Taylor Chace (Hampton Falls, N.H.), defense 
Jimmy Connelly (Galloway, N.J.), defense 
Andy Yohe (Bettendorf, Iowa), forward
Brad Emmerson (Amherst, N.Y.), forward 
Tim Jones (Mt. Ephraim, N.J.), defense 
Taylor Lipsett (Mesquite, Texas), forward 
Alexi Salamone (Grand Island, N.Y.), forward 
Mike Blabac (Buffalo, N.Y.), goaltender 
Nikko Landeros (Berthoud, Colo.), defense 
Adam Page (Lancaster, N.Y.), defense 
Josh Pauls (South Plainfield, N.J.), defense 
Greg Shaw (Park City, Utah), forward 
Bubba Torres (Riverside, N.J.), forward

2010 U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Curling Team (5)
Augusto “Goose” Perez (East Syracuse, N.Y.), skip

James Pierce (North Syracuse, N.Y.), vice skip 
James “Jimmy Jam” Joseph (New Hartford, N.Y.), second

Jacqueline Kapinowski (Point Pleasant, N.J.), lead

Patrick McDonald (Orangevale, Calif.), alternate

2010 U.S. Paralympic Alpine Skiing Team (24 athletes, 3 guides)

MEN (14)

Mark Bathum (Seattle, Wash.), visually impaired

Carl Burnett (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Bend, Ore.), sitting

Heath Calhoun (Grundy, Va./Aspen, Colo.), sitting

Nick Catanzarite (Winter Park, Colo.), sitting

Chris Devlin-Young (San Diego, Calif./ Campton, N.H.), sitting

Ralph Green (Brooklyn, N.Y./ Vail, Colo.), standing

Gerald Hayden (Winter Park, Colo.), sitting

Ian Jansing (St. Louis, Mo./Winter Park, Colo.), standing

Monte Meier (Park City, Utah), standing

George Sansonetis (Fraser, Colo.), standing

Joe Tompkins (Juneau, Alaska), sitting

Tyler Walker (Franconia, N.H.), sitting

Brad Washburn (Winter Park, Colo.), standing

John Whitney (Towson, Md.), standing

WOMEN (10)

Allison Jones (Colorado Springs, Colo.), standing

Ricci Kilgore (Reno, Nev.), sitting

Luba Lowery (Cumberland Foreside, Maine/Denver, Colo.), sitting

Alana Nichols (Farmington, N.M.), sitting

Hannah Pennington (Winter Park, Colo.), standing

Caitlin Sarubbi (Brooklyn, N.Y.), visually impaired

Laurie Stephens (Wenham, Mass.), sitting

Elitsa Storey (Sun Valley, Idaho), sitting

Danielle Umstead (Taos, N.M.), visually impaired

Stephani Victor (Park City, Utah), sitting

GUIDES (3)

Slater Storey (Sun Valley, Idaho) – guide for Mark Bathum

Rob Umstead (Taos, N.M.) – guide for wife, Danelle Umstead

Gwynn Watkins (Mt. Shasta, Calif.) – guide for Caitlin Sarubbi

2010 U.S. Paralympic Cross Country Skiing Team (6)

MEN (4)

Greg Mallory (Portland, Ore.), sitting

Chris Klebl (Heber City, Utah), sitting

Sean Halsted (Spokane, Wash.)/Twin Lakes, Idaho), sitting

Andy Soule (Pearland, Texas), sitting

WOMEN (1)

Monica Bascio (Evergreen, Colo.), sitting

Kelly Underkofler (St. Paul, Minn.), standing

2010 U.S. Paralympic Biathlon Team

Note:  These athletes will also compete in cross country skiing events.

MEN (1)

Andy Soule (Pearland, Texas), sitting

WOMEN (1)

Kelly Underkofler (St. Paul, Minn.), standing

Of the 50 U.S. athletes, 33 have competed in a prior Paralympic Games; 17 athletes will be making their Paralympic Winter Games debut. Vancouver will mark five Paralympic Games competitions for dual sport athlete (alpine skiing & cycling) Allison Jones and alpine skier Monte Meier.

Among the 50 athletes, five are U.S. military veterans:

Heath Calhoun (Grundy, Va.), alpine skiing – retired U.S. Army (Iraq War Veteran)

Chris Devlin-Young (Campton, N.H.), alpine skiing – retired U.S. Coast Guard

Sean Halsted (Spokane, Wash.), cross country skiing – retired U.S. Air Force

Patrick McDonald (Orangevale, Calif.), wheelchair curling – retired U.S. Army

Andy Soule (Pearland, Texas), cross country skiing & biathlon – retired U.S. Army (Veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom)

For more information, please contact Beth Bourgeois, U.S. Paralympics at (719)866-2039 or  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .