U.S. Air Force veteran Sean Halsted was injured after falling 40 feet out of a helicopter, while on a fast rope during a search and rescue training exercise in 1998. An active guy, he couldn't bare to lose sports and found Nordic skiing after attending a Veterans Administration Winter Sports Clinic in 2001.
After a breakthrough at the 2007 National Championships, Halsted found a home on the World Cup circuit in 2008 when he finished 16th in the overall standings in only his first full year on the team.
Halsted's sporting interest is not limited to Nordic skiing. He enjoys sled hockey, handcycling, swimming and downhill skiing. In high school he lettered in track and cross country and in college was an all Pac-10 athlete in rowing. He says, "it's better to be active than not to be active at all," and lives by the quote from J.R.R. Tolkien, "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." Halsted would someday like to get a multi-engine pilot's license, but says that being a good dad to twins Rileigh (girl) and Ethan (boy), is his top priority. He and wife Sarah also welcomed daughter Keelie in August.
Major Achievements:
- 2010: Seventh place, 10k; ninth place, 15k – Paralympic Games, Vancouver, Canada
- 2010: Fourth place, 1k, sixth place, 10k—World Cup, Bessan, France IPC
- 2009: Second place, 10k, 1k – U.S. Cross Country Championships, Anchorage, Alaska
- 2008: 16th place overall – IPC Cross Country World Cup standings
- 2008: Third place, 15k and 9k - U.S. Cross Country Championships, Houghton, Michigan
- 2007: Seventh place, 16k; Fifth place, sprint – IPC World Cup, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
- 2007: 11th place overall – IPC Cross Country World Cup standings
- 2006: Fourth place, 10k and 15k – U.S. Cross Country Championships, Soldier Hollow, Utah