Whether supporting downhill (“alpine”) or cross-country (“Nordic”) skiing, the U.S. Disabled Ski Team (USDST) has been a leading player in the disability sports world since disabled Vietnam veteran Jack Benedick was hired by the U.S. Ski Association in 1986 to create a program for skiers with disabilities.

Now retired, Benedick graciously consented to talk to Catie Briggs, Team Manager for the U.S. Disabled Ski Team, about the early days of USDST, and the events that led up to its founding.

Catie Briggs:  How did you get involved in disabled skiing?
Jack Benedick:  Back in 1969, when I lost my legs in a land-mine explosion during my second tour of duty, all the military hospitals followed the lead of Germany. That is, using skiing as a rehab tool for vets.  I learned to ski at Arapahoe Basin in Colorado during my rehab.  The "injury of the day" was amputations due to the land mines and booby traps.

The disabled sports movement was started by Vietnam vets in the early '70s.  It went through many name changes and in the meantime military hospitals closed and were replaced by VA hospitals. Due to this change, disabled skiing lost some steam.

Eventually, the individual ski areas started their own disabled programs.  They formed chapters of the national organization called Disabled Sports USA (DSUSA). Many of the chapters were in Colorado. For example, Challenge Aspen, the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) in Winter Park, and Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center in Breckenridge. These groups have both recreational and competitive programs for disabled veterans and disabled civilians to this day.

During the 80s, sports-related companies began to see the market opportunity.  Chapstick sponsored a program to teach disabled people to ski. They put on 15-16 races a year through DSUSA.

Then, in 1986, the U.S. Ski Team hired me as a volunteer to do the disabled program.  USDST was born!  In 1990, I took a full-time paid position and moved to Park City, Utah. Park City had offered the organization a sweet deal to move headquarters from Colorado Springs, CO to their city.  I was director of the USDST from 1986 through 1995.

CB:  What chain of events led to the USDST competitive program?
JB:  In 1974, a group of vets attended the first international competition in France. Basically, if an athlete could buy a plane ticket, he was allowed to go and compete. All the American vets did poorly.  Then in 1980, the first Winter Paralympic Games were held in Norway. Again, the U.S. did poorly.

In 1982, the U.S. team hired coaches and we were finally competitive at the World Disabled Alpine Championships against Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.  Their mission was to "kick everyone's ___!" and we got a lot closer to that goal.

Things got better in 1984, when the USDST competed in the Paralympics in Austria.  We were hugely successful in that we tied with Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.  As a result of these medals, disabled skiers raced demo in the Olympics in the former Yugoslavia that year.

1986, however, was the year it all came together.  USDST won 59 medals at the World Championships, twice as many as the Germans! Also that year, USDST became licensed and logoed.

Two years later, when the 1988 Winter Paralympic Games were held in Austria, the U.S. team, both men and women, won four of six medals in the [alpine ski discipline] giant slalom. By the time the 1990 World Championships were held in Winter Park, Colorado, the USDST alpine squad was unstoppable, and won 85 medals. That same year, the USDST Nordic team won five medals at the World Championships in Jackson, NH.

Then in 1992, the Paralympics were held in France, this time using the same location and venue as the able-bodied Games. The alpine team won 42 medals, while Germany won 22, for a distant second place finish overall!  The Nordic team won three medals, two of which were gold.

Since then, the sport has grown steadily, as has the success of the USDST teams.

CB: What is the relationship between the USDST and the Paralympic ski team?
JB:  The USDST exists to promote and develop the best skiers in the world. It fields a national team each year to compete around the world. In addition, every Olympic year, athletes compete from all of the sports disciplines to earn a spot on the Paralympic team in their sport and represent the US at the winter or summer Paralympic Games.

CB:  What is the relationship between USDST and Disabled Sports USA (DSUSA)?
JB:   DSUSA’s main goal is to improve the quality of life for people with physical disabilities through sport rehab and recreational activities, and as part of that mission aids in the development of disabled skiing. Essentially DSUSA and USDST work closely together, as DSUSA functions as a “pipeline” to introduce potential team members to the national disabled teams.

CB:  What is the relationship between USDST, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and FIS?
JB:   Disabled skiing is governed by the IPC.  The goal of the IPC is to have all sports governed by an appropriate international federation by 2016.  For skiing, the best fit is the FIS (Fédération Internationale de Ski, abbreviated in all languages as FIS), which is the global governing body for competitive skiing.  In the winter of 1998-99, the federation incorporated the disabled alpine sport events, and there is now a subcommittee for disabled skiing within FIS.

CB:  What is SkiTAM?
JB:   It's the major annual USDST fundraising event, providing about 50 percent of the USDST yearly budget. It has been held at various ski resorts throughout the country. A gentleman named Bob Meserve attended college with Steve Raymond and introduced him to disabled skiing. Bob was a member of the U.S. Disabled Ski Team and now serves as president of DSUSA (Disabled Sports USA).

Steve Raymond is the Senior Vice President of National Accounts for Disney ESPN Media Group.  Steve spent countless hours recruiting the support of the cable industry through the organization known as CTAM (Cable Television Advertising and Marketing). SkiTam is hosted and sponsored by CTAM every year.  Approximately one million dollars is raised every year to enable the alpine and Nordic disabled athletes to travel, train and compete worldwide.

Jack Benedick’s Legacy
In the more than 20 years since Jack Benedick first laid the groundwork for what was to become the internationally-recognized US Disabled Ski Team, the program has expanded to encompass alpine, freestyle, and cross-country skiing as well as snowboarding, jumping (Nordic) and masters skiing.

With the ongoing support, both financial and logistical, of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA), USDST members, in events throughout the United States as well as in international competitions, continue to distinguish themselves by their athleticism, determination, and competitive drive. 

For more information about the USDST, or to follow team events and results, check out the USSA site.