After winning four silver medals at the 2002 Paralympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Steve Cook (Salt Lake City, Utah) was the golden boy for the U.S. team in 2006.  Cook won gold in his first race of the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games, the men’s standing 5K freestyle race.  It was the first Paralympic gold medal of his career and the first gold medal in 14 years for the U.S. Disabled Nordic Ski Team.  He continued his dominance in the men’s 10K classic race, earning another trip atop the podium.   Cook donned his third medal of the Games in his final race, the 20K classic, where he claimed bronze. 

“This has been an incredible Games,” Cook said. “I had a pretty difficult year leading up to Torino, and honestly, wasn’t expecting too much.  Winning that first race definitely relieved a lot of the pressure I put on myself, and I just went out and skied from that point on.  I feel incredibly honored to be able to compete at this level.  The 2006 Paralympic Games will always be special to me.  I’m never going to forget this feeling.”

The medals won by Cook were the highlight of the week for the entire Nordic Ski squad. 

“I am extremely proud of Cook and the way he competed this week,” said Jon Kreamelmeyer (Frisco, Colo.), the head coach of the Nordic squad.  “He skied his heart out in every one of his races and it was so nice to see him win the gold medals.  He is a fantastic competitor and a role model for all of the athletes on this team. 

Standing Skiers:

In addition to his three medal-winning races, Cook also took part in the men’s relay, where the U.S. squad finished in sixth place.

Mike Crenshaw (Boulder, Colo.), competing in his fourth Paralympic Games, completed his events with a sixth place finish in the men’s relay, a seventh place finish in the men’s standing 10K, a 16th place finish in the men’s standing 20K, and a 28th place finish in the men’s standing 5K race.  A gritty competitor with a fun-loving attitude, Crenshaw has plans to keep skiing, but retire from international and Paralympic competition.

Dan Perkins (Syracuse, N.Y.), a Paralympic Games newcomer, showed promise throughout of the week.  Perkins placed 26th in the men’s 5K, was 20th in the men’s 7.5K standing biathlon, 16th in the 10K, and 19th in the 20K.   He heads back to upstate New York with valuable Paralympic Games experience that he will certainly benefit from.  A third-grade school teacher, Perkins is showing the cross-country skiing ropes to his teenage son, who also shows great promise in the sport.

Kelly Underkofler (St. Paul, Minn.), at 21, was the youngest member of the U.S. Nordic squad competing in Torino.  She competed in every event that she was eligible for, two biathlon races and four cross-country races.  She started out with a bang, finishing fourth in the 12.5K women’s standing biathlon.  Missing the podium by a mere 33 seconds, it was her highest finish of the Games.  Underkofler took eighth in the 5K cross-country race, seventh in the 7.5K biathlon, 11th in the 10K cross-country race, seventh in the women’s really, and 10th in the 15K cross-country race.

Sitting Skiers:

Candace Cable (Truckee, Calif.) came into the 2006 Paralympic Games with a mission to have fun, race hard, and finish with a smile.  She did all three.  Competing in the 10th Paralympic Games of her career (five summer, five winter), Cable, 51, raced in four events.  She finished eighth in the women’s sitting 2.5K, 10th in the 10K, was a member of the women’s relay team that took seventh place, and placed eighth in the 10K race.

When she returns to the U.S., she has plans to retire from racing and turn her focus to creating awareness for wheelchair/disabled sports and work with her non-profit organization called Turning Point Tahoe.

Monica Bascio (Evergreen, Colo.) came to Torino as a Paralympic Games newcomer after years of experience as a world champion hand cyclist.  She competed in six events during the eight days of competition in Torino; two biathlon races and four cross-country races.  She finished sixth in the women’s 10K sitting biathlon event, ninth in the 2.5K cross-country race, sixth in the 7.5K biathlon, seventh in the 5K cross-country race, was a member of the women’s relay team that took seventh place, and placed fifth in the 10K cross-country race.  With her hard work and the experience she received in Torino, Bascio will be one athlete to keep an eye on in the years ahead.

Bob Balk (Long Beach, Calif.) competed in the sixth Paralympic Games of his career at at the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games in Torino.  With his experience and determination, Balk is a great athlete and a valuable team member.  He raced in three cross-country events in Torino, taking 11th in the sitting 5K, 15th in the sitting 15K, and 20th in the sitting 10K.

Chris Klebl (Heber City, Utah) gained valuable experience in Torino. Competing in his first Paralympic Games, Klebl raced in four cross-country events.  He was a member of the men’s relay that took sixth place, and individually, was 11th in the sitting 15K, 18th in the sitting 10K, and 23rd in the 5K.

Greg Mallory (Portland, Ore.) also competed in the first Paralympic Games of his career.  He came to Torino with little international experience, but came up with a trio of top-25 finishes.  Mallory was 22nd in the sitting 10K, 23rd in sitting 15K, and 24th in the sitting 5K.  Mallory, 38, works as an attorney at the legal firm Schwabe, Williamson and Wyatt in Portland.

Though the Paralympic Games are complete, the U.S. Nordic Ski Team will relish in its memories from Torino.

“This team did a fantastic job,” Kreamelmeyer said.  “We continue to improve, and that is so encouraging.  They are a terrific group of athletes who worked their tails off all week.  The competition here was very, very tough and we certainly held our own.  Everyone on this team should be very proud of themselves. It was a great success.”