ADVENTURE SPORTS BY WINA STURGEON 12/18/07

HOLCOMB UNBEATABLE IN BOBSLED

Steve Holcomb is more than making up for being kicked out of teammate Todd Hays' sled and being left to watch his home town 2002 Olympics on television. Hays never had a year like Holcomb is having. So far this season, Holcomb has podiumed in every race in which he has competed. Most recently, in the December 15-16 World Cups in Lake Placid, he took silver in the four man and bronze in the two man.

The U. S. women's top sled of Shauna Rohbock and Valerie Fleming, who finished second in the World Cup last season, have been pulling in 5th and 6th places all season long.

In skeleton, the near-unbeatable Zach Lund had to move over for teammate Eric Bernotas, who won the Lake Placid World Cup and smashed the track record for the fastest push by three tenths of a second---an eternity in sliding sports. Lund was third. Last season's woman's world champion, Katie Uhlaender, took the win on both days in the Lake Placid World Cup.

TRY A SPECIALTY CLINIC FOR A THRILL

The high mountains of Utah offer something more than the best snow on earth: specialty ski clinics. Snowbird is holding clinics and four-day camps by big mountain skier Dean Cummings. The daily clinics offer instruction on backcountry techniques, route selection, and discerning avalanche risk. Two scheduled four-day "Big Mountain" camps include helicopter and backcountry skiing. They are scheduled for Jan. 9-12 and Feb. 6-9. for more info, call the 'Bird at (801) 531-6040.

The Canyons offers women's workshops hosted by Olympian Holly Flanders. The workshops help women ski better in a supportive, fun atmosphere. After a morning breakfast, with stretching and nutrition information, small groups of similar abilities split off and go skiing, meeting at mid-day for an elegant lunch. The afternoon session is followed by a clinic apre ski with video analysis and snacks. For more info, call Holly Flanders at (435) 649-0426.

THERE'S THIS MUCH MONEY IN CURLING?

Curling, like luge, gets respect in America only every four years, during the Olympics. Which may be the way elite curlers like it. After all, if everyone knew how much money there was in the sport, there would be a lot more competition.

In the recent Continental Cup, in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, skip Debbie McCormick and her team won the match and received a cash purse of $52,000. The second place team, from Europe, got $36,400. That's for one match, folks!

SUPPORT THE TROOPER

Andrew Soule is a cross country skier on the U. S. disabled team, the newest member of the team, who in his rookie year, won a silver medal at the U. S. Nationals. But the 28-year-old Afghanistan vet is also a rookie at being disabled.

In 2003, while Soule was a soldier in Afghanistan, an IED blew off both his legs above the knee. At the time, he had never skied. But in spring of 2006, he heard about the annual National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, which was taking place in Snowmass, Co. He flew from his care hospital in Texas to take part.

Soule realized that this was something he could do. He turned all his passion and frustration into learning cross country skiing in a monoski. Less than a year later, he made the U. S. disabled team.

There's always an Olympic star, but it's never yet been a disabled athlete. In Vancouver's 2010 Games, the vet who got his legs blown off a few years ago might be the first. Andrew Soule--remember his name.

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