Tyler Walker

Tyler will be one of eight team members representing the United States in this year’s world cup circuit.

The USSA's disabled ski team, one of the longest standing teams in the Paralympics, is changing its name to better reflect the high level of athleticism of its members. I am proud to announce that the team will now become the U.S. Adaptive Ski Team, and our formal sport program known as USSA Adaptive.

The athletes of the U.S. Adaptive Ski Team are anything but disabled. You are some of the most physically fit and technically skilled athletes in the world. You have adapted yourselves to your physical situation, and have become true world class athletes. The new name represents a much more accurate depiction of what you have accomplished.

Our program has a long history, dating back to 1986 when the USSA first named what was then called the U.S. Disabled Ski Team. The Team was showcased as a demonstration event at the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, then went on to become one of the leaders in the Paralympics, which began in 1992 in Albertville, France.

Similar to its able-bodied counterparts, the U.S. Adaptive Ski Team competes every year in a season long World Cup circuit for both alpine and cross country organized under the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The sport is also recognized by the International Ski Federation (FIS). Both alpine and cross country will have World Championships in the upcoming 2008-09 season, as well as Paralympics in Vancouver in 2010.

The change is taking place immediately and will be showcased when the U.S. Adaptive Alpine Ski Team will open its season Dec. 8-9 at The Hartford Ski Spectacular with races in Copper Mountain. The cross country team opens with the ConocoPhillips U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships in Anchorage in early January.

I'm proud of what the USSA has been able to do in supporting a world class adaptive skiing program as one of our six sports.

Tyler is one of 10 graduating students featured in the University of New Hampshire "Create Your Own Story" series about student success stories.
Download the pdf (516k)

Tyler is back on the US Disabled Team – fairly intense schedule of camps, Olympic Training Center, First US race at Breckenridge Ski Spectacular, Winter Park open in December, first World Cup Race in Spain in January.

Tyler travels to Qatar April 17 to a symposium with UNH on Disabled Sports in College Curriculums.

March 22, 2008. Tyler took first in the Slalom, Giant Slalom and Slalom in the Noreaster Disabled NorAm Race at Barker Lodge in Sunday River, Maine. more results.

Tyler took gold in the Slalom and Giant Slalom in this year's Hartford U.S. Disabled Alpine Championships at Soldier Mountain, Idaho. more results.

Tyler second in the Mono Skier XMono-Ski cross Final on January 27.
See the EXPN results page here. Semi-finals results here.

Mono-Ski cross training is on January 23, qualifier on th 24th, semis the 25th and finals will air live on ESPN on Sunday the 27th. See the entire Winter X 12 schedule.

Find out more about the Mono X event including photos and video of Tyler winning the event last year at ESPN.com

Online article about the Ski Spectacluar in Breckenridge, Colorado.
Read it here.

Tyler will try to ski the X-Games and all national races this year, but...
Schedule

Tyler is featured on an episode of NH Outlook of New Hampshire Public TV. The Segment on Tyler starts about 14 minutes in and runs for 10 minutes. For a short episode summary and link to online video of the episode, CLICK HERE.
Direct link to video HERE (Realplayer).

Tyler Walker won the gold at X-Games 11 held in Aspen, CO this past Saturday, January 27th in front of a crowd of more than 76,000 fans. This is the first time the X-Games had an official event for mono-ski racers and it made a prime time appearance on Saturday in the featured event from 2 to 4 PM.

Tyler made the finals in a timed qualifier run, then won both the semi-finals and finals competing against 3 other mono-skiers at the same time. On each run, Tyler was first out of the gate and held the lead over jumps, bumps and turns to the bottom.

ESPN aired the mono-skier event on Sunday, January 28th in their national X-Game coverage and included an interview with Tyler.

Yahoo News
EXPN.com
EXPN Video (Drop down list to WXG 11: Mono Skiers Race for Glory in Final)
Ski Racing
Aspen Daily News
Denver Post
Aspen Times
US Ski Team
ESPN 360 Video (Drop down list to Mono-Ski X)

Page 68 of the January issue of Rolling Stone (James Brown cover) has a great little feature (including an amazing action shot!) about Tyler and the X-Games. Download the article (180k pdf).

The Starz Entertainment Group has put together a great promo video about Tyler. Watch it here (wmv).

The Olympic and Paralympic athletes were invited to Washington DC May 15-17 for a luncheon hosted by Dennis Hastert followed by a black tie dinner Tuesday night attended by 1300 including athletes, VIPs and politicians. The visit ended with a visit to the White House where athletes were given the run of the first floor, then Bush gave a speech and personally congratulated each athlete. Tyler says Bush turned from the podium, looked directly at Tyler and said "would your last name happen to be Walker?" – when Tyler acknowledged that it was, he followed with "that’s my middle name". Tyler followed with – pretty good name, isn’t it? All things considered, Ty was wowed. Had a great time.

Full story and more pics on the US Ski Team site here

Eagle Tribune has a follow-up interview with Tyler about his Olympic experience. Read it here.

Tyler’s overall results (sit skiers):
Downhill 15th
Super G 11th
GS 6th
Slalom 14th

Tyler’s overall results (sit skiers):
3rd overall in combined WC points (11 races)
1st place in Giant Slalom (5 races)
10th place in Super G (3 races)
14th place in Slalom (3 races)

WMUR Channel 9 news profile of Tyler. Watch it online.

Beginning March 10, 2006. Watch over 100 hours of action live from the Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games on www.paralympicsport.tv

The Boston Globe has their interview with Tyler posted online.
Read it HERE.

A great profile of Tyler by Alan Siegel of The Eagle-Tribune in North Andover, MA.
Read it HERE.

From an article BY HABEAB KURDI Sports Writer The Caledonian Record. March 31, 2004.

FRANCONIA NH - Pressed against the gate with the seconds ticking away, knowing it could give at any moment to propel you down the mountain - that's not even the biggest rush of Franconia native Tyler Walker's past couple of days.

The U.S. Disabled Ski team member helped usher in a new era of monoskiing at the ESPN Winter X Games, placing second in the first ever Monoskier Cross Event at the games in Aspen, Colo. while expanding the sport in multiple ways.

"It feels awesome, it's a historical event, it's never been done before by monoskiers - to take part in the very first one and do well, it's an accomplishment," said Walker from his Franconia home. "I mean this is huge for the sport, not for me as just something I did - but to advance the sport that's more important, far more important."

The end of Walker's past 40 days of competing had him in an exhilarating photo finish with Campton native, former coach and current teammate Chris Devlin-Young. The nine men in competition flew down three at a time in three heats, all on different terrain from typical races. Four women also competed in the event in one heat.

"We went over jumps that are a different style than we're used to, they shoot you straight up," Walker said. "(Normally) we'll go 3 to 6 feet in the air at 70 miles an hour, that's just as harrowing as going off a 40- or 60-foot kicker at 20 miles an hour."

The stage is set for an even bigger year after getting initiated into what Walker called the "epicenter of skiing" in the X Games, where the event will become official next year.

"We're trying to broaden our sport and get recognition on a bigger level," Walker said. "To get to the X Games it's a huge step, (but) there's so many places our sport has yet to go that we haven't gone to."

Walker is currently second in the IPC (International Paralympic Committee) World Cup point list, with Young only 15 points behind in third as they head to Austria in just two weeks. The 18-year-old UNH freshman finished fifth overall last year after starting out just thrilled to be competing, and was influenced by his travels enough to change majors to political science.

And as a young ambassador for the sport, he's eager to learn more about those who are discovering the sport across the globe.

"Last year I surprised myself with results I didn't think I was capable of. This year I have so much more confidence - so much of racing is mental," he said. "I went to Europe really for the first time and I got to see France, Germany, Italy, Austria, and I got a good appreciation for different cultures and people. I mean, how can that not influence you."

There's a moment for rest, but Walker jets off to Austria in two weeks to resume competition that will rap up in Klosters, Switzerland in the beginning of March as he continues soak it all up with hopes to be in the thick of things at the 2006 Paralympic Games in Torino, Italy.

After a moment to let it sink in, of course.

"Today is for chilling to the max. (Then) I'm going to be doing a bunch of training, I just got a new mono ski," he said. "It's the best looking medal I have in my arsenal, and most important, so far."