NIE

03/15/2010

"Take your legs off and play:" Profile of a Paralympian

More than 1,300 elite athletes from 43 countries are competing this week in Vancouver in the Paralympic Games, Olympic-style competition for athletes with disabilities. Salamone is now one of the best sled hockey players in the world. He first began skating while wearing his prosthetic legs. It wasn't until 2002 when Joe Howard, a member of the U.S. Paralympics Sled Hockey National Team, convinced Salamone to play sled hockey - without his prosthetic legs - that he really became hooked on the sport.

■Class discussion: The Paralympics are smaller in scope than the Olympics, and get much less media attention. You won't find most of the competition covered on regular television, for example. Why do you think that is? Would you be interested in watching a sled hockey game? Do you know a disabled athlete?

Additional Resources:

More on Alexie Salamone

U.S. Paralympics Team website