82% of Team USA Athletes That Competed in the 2018 Winter Paralympic Games Have Some Connection to Move United

Sports make us more—more determined, more powerful, more ourselves. And the power of sport pushes what’s possible for people with disabilities.

Founded in 1956, Move United is shifting the narrative from disabled to this abled through sport. Through its programs as well as its national network of over 200 member organizations in 43 states and the District of Columbia, Move United serves over 100,000 youth, wounded warriors and adults each year.

There are many benefits derived from sport, whether you participate recreationally or competitively. Athletes that compete at the highest level have an opportunity to compete internationally at the Paralympic Games. As we approach the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing, we want to reflect back on the athletes that wore the Red, White, and Blue four years ago.

Of the 74 athletes that represented the United States at the 2018 Winter Paralympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, 61 of them had participated in Move United programs or been involved in one of Move United’s 203 member organizations across the country.

MOVE UNITED WARFIGHTERS PROGRAM

Move United Warfighters program serves approximately 1,900 severely injured warriors and their families annually. Since 2003, over 16,000 severely injured veterans and their families have been provided access to more than 70 adaptive sports at no cost to them. Thirteen athletes that competed in PyeongChang have participated in the Move United Warfighters activities, including alpine and Nordic skiers Kevin Burton, Josh Elliott, Andrew Soule, and Bryan Price, as well as snowboarders Jimmy Sides and Michael Spivey.

Several players on the U.S. Sled Hockey Team are also former military members and also got involved in Move United Warfighters activities, including Rico Roman, Ralph DeQuebec, Jen Lee, Travis Dodson, Luke McDermott, Josh Misiewicz, as well as Wheelchair Curler Kirk Black.

Para Alpine Skier Josh Elliott hopes to represent his country with pride as an athlete, just as he did as a United States Marine. The retired Marine Sergeant started monoskiing in December 2011 through Move United. Just eight months earlier, Elliott was in a medically-induced coma and had lost both of his legs by stepping on an IED (improvised explosive device) during a combat tour in Afghanistan. “Monoskiing quickly became one of my biggest therapies,” he said. “Competitive alpine ski racing made me realize my full potential and gave me the drive to continue to live.”

MOVE UNITED ELITE TEAM

Move United’s Elite Team is designed to support and empower emerging youth athletes with disabilities, between 13-24 years of age, who are training competitively in sports featured in the Paralympic Games.

Ten members of Team USA are alumni of the Move United Elite Team, including alpine skiers Andrew Kurka, Tyler Carter, Jamie Stanton, Andrew Haraghey, Connor Hogan, and Allison Kunkel; snowboarders Brenna Huckaby and Noah Elliott; and Nordic athletes Grace Miller and Ruslan Reiter.

MOVE UNITED TRAINING AND COMPETITION EVENTS

Twenty-four of the 2018 Paralympians have been a part of events hosted and organized by Move United. Those athletes include alpine skiers Mark Bathum, Spencer Wood, Stephanie Jallen, Tyler Walker, Laurie Stephens, Danielle Umstead, Rob Umstead, Stephen Lawler, Staci Mannella, Jasmin Bambur, Melanie Schwartz and Thomas Walsh; snowboarders Nicole Roundy, Mike Shea, Jr., Keith Gabel, Arlene Cohen, Mike Minor, Mike Schultz, Amy Purdy, Brittani Coury, and Evan Strong; Nordic skiers Oksana Masters and Sean Halstead; and sled hockey player Jack Wallace. Roundy currently serves on Move United’s board of directors.

MOVE UNITED MEMBER NETWORK

And finally, fourteen members of Team USA have participated with one or more Move United member organizations, including Nordic skiers Dan Cnossen and Joy Rondeau (National Sports Center For The Disabled in Colorado) and Kendall Gretsch (Dare2Tri in Illinois).

Several members of the Sled Hockey team have played with teams associated with the Move United member network, including Steve Cash, Josh Pauls, and Billy Hannings from Disabled Athlete Sports Association (Missouri), Brody Roybal and Kevin McKee from Shirley Ryan Ability Lab (Illinois), Noah Grove (Kennedy Krieger Institute in Maryland and Northeast Passage in New Hampshire), and Declan Farmer (Steamboat Adaptive Recreational Sports in Colorado).

In addition, the entire U.S. Wheelchair Curling Team, which includes Black as well as Meghan Lino, Penny Greely, Justin Marshall, and Steve Emt, trained and participated in activities at STRIDE (Rensselaer, NY) leading up to the 2018 Winter Games

Move United is a proud affiliate of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. We can’t wait to see who will be representing the United States in 2022. Like many, we will be rooting for these Team USA athletes at the next Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing, which takes place March 4-13.