KETCHUM, Idaho — Athletes from across the country are in the Wood River Valley this weekend to test their Nordic ski abilities in the 49th annual Zions Bank Boulder Mountain Tour. While some skiers have trained all year for this weekend's competition, this was several athletes' last stop before the race of their lifetime; the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games.
"I am so excited to represent my community in Boise and represent the United States every time I get to wear a team USA jersey when I compete," Eagle native Dani Aravich - who will make her Winter Paralympic Games debut in Nordic skiing, said.
Aravich was born without her left hand and forearm, but it has never stopped her from being active and competing athletically. She grew up playing softball, basketball and track and field at Bishop Kelly High School in Boise. Aravich then went on to become a NCAA Division I track athlete at Butler University.
She is no stranger to the Paralympic games. Aravich competed in the 400-meter in the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokoyo this past summer.
"It's really exciting and it's kind of crazy I get to go to the same continent as I just was in six months ago," Aravich said. "The opportunity to compete in both summer and winter despite a global pandemic going on, I feel really lucky."
Joining Aravich at the Boulder Mountain Tour and on this year's USA Paralympic team is another familiar face to the games, Josh Sweeney of Boise.
"I'm super excited to be able to go back and represent my country, that was always the biggest part of me going to the games in the first place," Sweeney said.
According to the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), Sweeney lost both of his legs in 2009 while deployed to Afghanistan as part of the Marine Corps. He credits athletics for helping rehabilitate him after his injury.
Sweeney previously won gold for ice sled hockey in the 2014 Sochi Paralympic Winter Games. He is now taking a break from the ice and taking part in Nordic skiing at this year's games in Beijing, a sport Sweeney said he's only been training in for a little more than a year.
"I had the opportunity to go to a couple of international races and next thing I know, I was named to the team," Sweeney said.
Both Idaho Paralympians credit the CAF for getting them involved in skiing. They said the organization helped them get equipment, training and travel through grants to help make this Paralympic dream come true.
"It was something I had always thought about doing, but never really had access to or a way to do it, but they gave me the opportunity and I just stuck with it and now here I am," Sweeney said.
Aravich added that a big piece of her success and a major motivating factor in her athletic endeavors is showing her peers the positives of competing in Paralympic events.
"I think my favorite part of competing now is not only showing people with disabilities they're capable of being high-performance athletes, but I think it's been really great to educate my able-bodied peers about what the Paralympic movement is all about," Aravich said.
Aravich and Sweeney both competed in the 'Half Boulder' race, where they finished first and fifth overall, respectively.
The Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games begin March 4.
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