Paralympic Champion Cook Retires
Will develop skiers at National Ability Center

Utah's Steve Cook wins his second gold at the 2006 Paralympics in men's 10K on March 15. Credit: Joe Kusumoto for USOC

PARK CITY, Utah (Oct. 12) - Paralympic and World Champion-ships gold medalist and former World Cup champion Steve Cook (standup; Salt Lake City), who was the cornerstone of the U.S. Disabled Cross Country Ski Team for the better part of a decade, has retired, announced U.S. Disabled Program Director Sandy Metzger. After losing his right leg below the knee in a 1988 farm accident, Cook started mountain bike racing in 1990, switched to road cycling in '93 and made the '96 Summer Paralympic Team (where he was fifth in Velodrome, seventh in the road race). As a cross-training device, he added cross country skiing to his quiver in '95 and rapidly surged to the top of the sport, garnering seven Paralympic medals, including double gold in 2006 with victories in both the 5K freestyle and 10K classic and a U.S.-record four medals (all silvers) at the 2002 Paralympics in his own backyard. In total, Cook earned 14 medals (five gold) at the last five major championships. He clinched the 2005 World Cup title at Fort Kent, ME, in the season-ending World Championships, which doubled as World Cup races, by winning two gold and a bronze. "He's been the backbone of this Team since '98," said Disabled Cross Country Head Coach Jon Kreamelmeyer. "Along with Willie [Stewart, retired '04] and Crenny [Mike Crenshaw, retired '06], 'Cookie' took the Team to a different level - they set the tone for what was going to take place over the next 10 years. He's certainly going to be missed." According to Kreamelmeyer, who coached Cook through his entire 11-year international ski career, the Team will miss his competitiveness, sense of humor and leadership in the standup discipline. "He was the model of a true competitor," he said, "Cook was a brown-bag guy who always showed up ready. He never offered excuses and always looked for the positives even if he had a horrible race." But even more so, Cook was a Team athlete who nearly always spoke in plurals when talking about his success, explained Kreamelmeyer. "He would always say, 'We, did a great job today' when he hit the podium. To me, that's a true indicator of what an outstanding character and competitor he was. As much as he deserved it, he hated the individual spotlight and never was comfortable talking about himself." Cook closed the 2006 season with four World Cup podiums, three of which were wins, good enough to finish runner-up in the overall title and earn him U.S. Disabled Athlete of the Year honors from his peers. Starting a new chapter in his athletic career, Cook has been hired by the National Ability Center in Park City, UT, and tasked with developing a disabled nordic program designed to help feed the U.S. development pipeline. He will also continue his longtime employment with Sage's Way, a low-water, sustainable landscape business in Utah. "I'm sure we'll see him around," said Kreamelmeyer, "I'll definitely utilize him as a coach whenever possible. He's certainly not leaving the sport."

"Baffin Island Expedition" Marks First Project of The Will Steger Foundation; Website To Allow Students and Others to Follow 1,200-Mile Expedition

Minneapolis, MN (February 9, 2007) - Capturing the profound changes for the environment and natives of the world's fifth largest island, located near the Arctic Circle, Will Steger has begun production on the timely documentary Global Warming 101 Expedition, Baffin Island '07: The Explorers, with Sir Richard Branson and his son Sam, and famed Mount Everest mountaineer Ed Viesturs. The project marks the launch of "Global Warming 101," the first environmental education initiative of the newly established Will Steger Foundation.

Richard Branson, joining the expedition as a world adventurer and outspoken environmentalist, will be accompanied by his son Sam as Steger lead a dog team across 1,200 miles of the island's breathtaking scenery to five remote villages: living among the Inuit natives, tracking weather patterns, and filming the profound changes that warming has wrought upon the local environment and wildlife. The expedition culminates in May 2007 in the town of Iglulik with a finale featuring "unplugged" performances by major musical artists, to be announced.

Adding an educational platform, millions of students will be able to follow the expedition as part of their K-12 curriculum via the Internet (www.globalwarming101.com). Two educators and Steger will upload their findings daily to the site to further their mission of inspiring young people to become leaders in solving the crisis of global warming.

Will Steger, known as "the Ernest Shackelton of our times," is the most preeminent Arctic and Antarctic explorer (www.willsteger.com). Spending over 40 years on the ice, Steger bears witness to the devastating effects that climate change is having on the Poles, and how that is affecting the entire planet in catastrophic ways.

"This film will be bold in its message - that climate change is real and causing irreparable harm to people and wildlife," explained Steger. "We want viewers to discover the truth for themselves about the effects of global warming and to involve them in the needed solutions."

Commenting on the journey, Virgin Founder, Sir Richard Branson, said, "My son, Sam, and I are very much looking forward to the project and will both learn a lot as well as having a fantastic adventure at the same time. Through our interest in the environment and space we have seen the frightening satellite images from NASA of the rapid decline in the arctic ice cover over the last decade and hope that the journey will contribute something to raising awareness of the uncertainties, risks and effects of climate change before it is too late to save something of our frozen heritage at the poles. On a personal level I have always dreamed of trekking across the frozen wastes of the ice sheet since sifting through the diaries of my ancestor "Scott of the Antarctic" who tragically died during his team's famous exploration of the South Polar region in 1912."

Executive producers include Lloyd Philips (Zorro, Racing Stripes, Beyond Borders, Vertical Limit) and Monica Ord (who has applied her skills in marrying finance with crucial global issues, from a revolutionary AIDS treatment to global warming). Diane Isaacs, the long-time producing partner of Antonio Banderas, will produce the Baffin Island project in tandem with South African director Mickey Madoda Dube. Original music is being written by South African hip-hop recording star Zola, top Thailand recording group Silly Fools and myriad others. The expedition is sponsored in part by Fagen, Inc., the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) as well as Shaklee Corporation and Gander Mountain.

The Will Steger Foundation (www.globalwarming101.com) seeks to promote change through education and advocacy. Established in January 2006, the Foundation is dedicated to creating programs which foster international leadership and cooperation through environmental education and policy. Its first initiative is "Global Warming 101," which aims to raise broad public awareness about global warming as witnessed through Steger's polar expeditions.

Expedition updates and educational information are available at www.globalwarming101.com

Alpina Sports has supplied 12 pair of Discovery backcountry skis for use during this expedition.