Retired disabled alpiner Dukat to climb Kilimanjaro

Multiple Paralympic and World Championships medalist Sandy Dukat has retired from competition following a seven-year career with the U.S. disabled alpine team.
MULTIPLE PARALYMPIC and World Championships medalist Sandy Dukat has retired from competition following a seven-year career with the U.S. disabled alpine team.
    Born without a right femur, Dukat, 35, was first a member of the U.S. Disabled Swimming Team. It wasn't until after until after the 1998 World Swimming Championships that at the age of 25, she was introduced to skiing through the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NCSD) in Winter Park, Colorado.
    After being named to the team in 2000, she won bronze medals in both super G and slalom at the 2002 Paralympics, took third in downhill, SG and giant slalom at the 2004 World Championships and capped her career with bronze in SL at the 2006 Paralympics.
    "Winning medals is always a highlight,” said Dukat, whose family took their first international trip to see her compete in Italy. "But what I'll miss and what I'll remember the most is the sense of family that we have as a team. Regardless of how my day went, my teammates would always be there. It's riding the chairlift, sitting in a café and just being with them on the World Cup that I'll miss the most.”

Next stop Kilimanjaro
Not one to rest, Dukat has teamed with former teammate Hannah Pennington, Liz Miller of Britain and Katja Saarinen, a two-time Paralympic skier for Finland to climb Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro. The journey dubbed Disablities Without Boundaries is designed to raise awareness about women athletes with physical disabilities. In doing so, the team hopes to raise $38,000, enough to pay the way for two female athletes to race and train with NCSD for a year.
    "It's time for me to step back and help that next person take a step forward. It's not just about getting to the summit of Kilimanjaro, we're going to visit a teachers college and a school for children with disabilities. This is what I see as my next step – my goal is to expose as many young people as possible to skiing. Whether they make it to the elite level or not, just getting them involved will be as good as getting a medal.”
    While visiting the Butimba's Teachers College, the only college in Tanzania that offers physical education, Dukat will attend a seminar and speak about how to remain active in sport despite physical disabilities.
    "There were so many people who have helped me along the way and without them, I never would have been introduced to the freedom that skiing provides. While my body may be telling me that it's time to step away from heavy training and competitive skiing, everything is telling me to stay involved in the sport.”

Coach Watkins: "Dukat was a mentor"
Disabled alpine team head Coach Ray Watkins doesn't deny that he'll miss Dukat's ability to perform in big events, but he says it's her leadership role that will truly be missed.
    "She's become such a mentor to all the women on this team,” he said. "I'm really happy that these doors have opened for her and that she's taking advantage of them, but I have no doubt we'll still see her around quite a bit. I'd love to have her as guest coach for some events and camps. In my mind, she'll always be a part of this program.”
    According to Dukat, the skier to keep an eye on is 19-year-old Elitsa Storey. The native of Ketchum, Idaho, has been nominated to the C team for the 2008 season. While managing her first year of college and sponsorships, Storey landed multiple World Cup top 10 finishes last winter en route to capturing both the U.S. GS and slalom titles.
    "I always get more excited for other peoples successes more than I do my own, but Elitsa is really the one to watch as Vancouver gets closer. She's already such an incredible technical skier, but it will be amazing to see what she can do in three years.”
    Dukat also praised the strides the U.S. Ski Team is making to help the development of athletes by providing more resources. She noted that the recent groundbreaking for the Center of Excellence, a state-of-the-art facility for athletes from all disciplines that will open in March 2009, is a big stride for the team.
    "Part of me thought the news was a little tough to take because it makes me want to ski longer just to take advantage of such a great facility, but the other part of me is really looking forward to less training and more powder days.”
    Dukat will remain living in Vail and departs for Tanzania on Sept. 8. To learn more about Disabilities Without Boundaries and to follow along with the journey, log on to https://disabilitieswithoutborders.blogspot.com/.