"They have a challenging hill and our athletes are really excited to go back there because it's something different," said USSA Adaptive Program Director Sandy Metzger. "We race on a lot of the same venues, so this is fun for our athletes. They get to compete on some other hills. They definitely have challenging hills that will be good for all of our athletes."
The athletes will be heading to Championships following the Paralympics. Adaptive Alpine Team member Stephani Victor (sit-ski; Park City, UT) is excited about ending the season at Big Sky.
"We raced there several years ago, two years in a row," says Victor. "It'll be fun to go back there."
Big Sky is teaming with the local adaptive program to host the event, utilizing the small mountain feel. The U.S. Adaptive Championships is the main attraction while at the resort.
"What's great about Big Sky is it's a smaller resort so the whole community knows the event is going on," states Metzger.
Although the Paralympics are the main focus this season, the athletes are excited for the event. U.S. Championships are always fun and exciting with members of the team such as Chris Devlin-Young (sit-ski; Campton, NH) and Tyler Walker (sit-ski; Franconia, NH) predicted to battle for gold in the downhill, while Victor and Paralympic gold medalist Allison Jones (Colorado Springs, CO) look to shine.
"It's nice to come home to the U.S. and finish up the season with a competition and a lot of support from the USSA," states Victor. "I always love the Championships. For me it's like the prom, it's a great way to finish up the year."
The U.S. Adaptive Alpine Championships is scheduled for March 28 – April 2. The speed events will kick-off the event starting with the downhill training and race then the super G race. The tech events follow consecutively with GS and slalom.
