The Craftsbury Outdoor Center hosted the U.S. Paralympic Nationals earlier this month. Twenty athletes from the U.S. and Canada participated in four days of racing at the Northeast Kingdom cross-country ski center.
There were two broad groups of adaptive competitors: sitting and standing. Sit-ski athletes have decreased use of their legs and different levels of core and trunk function. The standing divisions include athletes with leg, arm and visual impairments. Athletes are classified according to their injury and physical ability, in order to group similarly abled athletes together and keep the playing field even.
The series kicked off with the Mid-Distance Freestyle race, 7.5 kilometer for men and 5 kilometer for women. U.S. National Team members Andy Soule and Oksana Masters won the sit-ski categories, while Logan Aldridge and Mia Zutter won the standing events. Sean Halsted and Oksana Masters won the sit-ski Short-Distance 2.5 kilometer freestyle event. Mia Zutter and Kenneth Butler won the standing races.
The athletes also participated in biathlon races in which athletes ski short distances and then shoot targets. Sighted athletes used air rifles and visually impaired athletes used audio rifles. Sit-ski winners were Soule and Masters, while Butler and Zutter won the standing races.
The photo gallery features images taken by John Lazenby.
