What she lacks in physical size, Laurie Stephens produces in overpowering factors when she gets onto a race course. In 2004 she was the overall and giant slalom champ as a rookie, she took charge in the first races (two giant slaloms) at Steamboat and rolled through the 2005 season, winning races in every discipline (she didn't win the lone downhill but she did capture the super G crown, which included five SGs and a DH). "I just felt that I had to prove to myself that [2004] wasn't a fluke," she explained.
Stephens, born with spinal bifida, started skiing at age 12 when a disabled group went to Loon Mountain in New Hampshire. She turned to racing at about 15, joining Chris Devlin-Young's New England Disabled Ski Team. "I always end up competing in whatever sports I've started," according to Stephens. "I was really surprised [with winning the ‘03 DH title] and I just hope I can keep improving."
Stephens' dad is an electrical and instrumentation engineer, her mom is in the food service at a local school, and her younger brother is a snowboarder. She started wheelchair racing and swimming as a youngster and at the turn of the century, she held two U.S. records for disabled swimming, one in the 100-meter backstroke and one in the 200m back.
Major Achievements:
- 2010: Silver medal, women's sitting downhill, women's sitting super G, Bronze medal, women's sitting super combined - 2010 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships - Sestriere, Italy
- 2010: Silver medal, downhill; fifth place, slalom; fifth place, giant slalom; fourth place, super G – Paralympic Winter Games, Vancouver, Canada
- 2010: First place super G, second place downhill, third place slalom – World Cup, Sestriere, Italy
- 2006: Gold, downhill – 2006 Paralympic Winter Games, Torino, Italy
- 2006: Gold, super G – 2006 Paralympic Winter Games, Torino, Italy
- 2005: Swept all World Cup titles (Overall, SG, GS, SL)
- 2005: 10 wins in 16 World Cup races
- 2004: World Cup mono-ski overall and GS champion
- 2004: Won all six World Cup giant slaloms
- 2004: World Championships GS silver medalist
- 2004: U.S. downhill, super G gold medalist
- 2003: U.S. downhill champion