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Steve Cook, the 2005 World Cup overall champion, won four silver medals at the 2002 Paralympic Games.

“This is the strongest team I’ve been associated with,” said Kreamelmeyer, who has been with the team for 12 years.

The team is led by Steve Cook (Salt Lake City, Utah), the 2005 World Cup overall standing champion and four-time Paralympic silver medalist. A model of consistency, Cook finished in the top three in every race in 2005, and he carried that momentum into the World Championships, where he won two gold medals and a silver. He’ll go into Torino in search of his first Paralympic gold.

Bob Balk (Long Beach, Calif.) will be competing in his sixth Paralympic Games (his fourth Winter Games) in Torino. He won two silver medals in Salt Lake City and will face a tough challenge if he wishes to duplicate that feat in 2006.

Kelly Underkofler (St. Paul, Minn.), who grabbed a biathlon podium and three top-10 cross-country finishes at the 2005 World Championships, will look to continue to improve as she heads into her second Paralympic Games. Underkofler graduated from college this spring and recently moved to Colorado, meaning she’s now able to train full-time at altitude, which Kreamelmeyer believes will benefit her at the Games, since the venue in Pragelato is at altitude, as well.

Monica Bascio (Evergreen, Colo.), the former handcycling world champion, is looking toward the Paralympics with a fifth-place finish in the World Championships (10k) under her belt. Kreamelmeyer thinks her work ethic could translate to success in Torino.

“She’s very serious about what she’s doing,” Kreamelmeyer said. “She’s definitely been improving over the last couple years.”

Kreamelmeyer sees a couple potential “sleepers” on his team in first-year team member Chris Klebl (Heber City, Utah) and veteran Mike Crenshaw (Boulder, Colo.). Crenshaw’s specialties – classic skiing technique, long-distance skiing – could translate to a top-five finish in a long distance event in Torino, where the classic style will be used.

Like alpine skiing, Nordic skiing has moved to a three-class system (standing, sitting, and blind) that reduces the number of available medals, meaning fans can expect more intense competition, with more athletes chasing fewer medals.

The U.S. won five medals at the Paralympic Games in 2002 and four at the most recent World Championships. Kreamelmeyer said he’s looking for similar production in Torino.

“If we could walk out of there with four to five medals, I’d be extremely happy,” Kreamelmeyer said.