Evan Strong competes in banked slalom at the Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. (Photo: Mark Reis)
Every other week we scour the web for the latest going on in the world of U.S. Para Snowboarding. Here’s what you missed!
European Road Trip
A European trip in the winter isn’t always about finding snow. Sometimes life is a beach.
Three-time Paralympian Evan Strong and his family traveled through three countries in one day while on their trip, spanning France, Monaco and Italy. One of their stops while on this trek was a beach on the French Riviera.
“New chapter on the road in Europe with our @indie_campers,” Strong wrote on Instagram. “Driving and playing on the coast of the French Riviera today.”
The trip followed a world cup stop in Finland, where Strong posted sixth- and seventh-place finishes in snowboardcross. While Strong was in Paris, he got to watch another competition, as he and his family checked out the European IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
“What a awesome coincidence being in Paris during the European jujitsu championships,” he wrote. “What a pleasure to watch some high-level jujitsu while eating açai bowls with my daughter.”
Stoked For Skateboarding
Mike Minor, a two-time Paralympic medalist who also skateboards, knows both the joy and the pain of boarding on concrete.
And here’s the proof.
“I battled through dog poop, hard bails, an old guy threatening to call the police all for this one,” Minor posted on Instagram. “Stoked I seen it through though. Thanks to the boys for getting the clip for me.”
When Minor wasn’t bailing onto the pavement in Spain, he was spending time with his fiancé, Virpi, and their dog, Dinky.
Surfing To Snowboarding
Darian Haynes is finding quick success in just her second snowboarding season.
Haynes has won world cup medals this season in banked slalom at Landgraaf, Netherlands, and Big White, British Columbia, to rank third in the UL classification in the FIS world rankings. The 22-year-old is from Hawaii and got a lot of her snowboarding skills from surfing.
“I may have a long way to go,” Hayes told USParaSnowboarding.org. “But I’m showing up, and that’s half the battle.”
Read more about Haynes’ snowboarding and surfing journey here.
Proud Paralympian
Four-time Paralympic medalist Brenna Huckaby took to Instagram recently to clarify something for her followers.
“The medals aren’t the same but the hard work behind them and their value is,” she wrote. “We didn’t medal in the Olympics, we medaled in the Paralympics and we should be proud of that. The more we showcase our abilities…as Paralympic athletes the less stigma will be attached to it. I’m proud to be a Paralympic champion.”