Home » Sports
Franconia's Walker up for an ESPY
Tyler Walker is the answer to a great trivia question:
Which alpine skier from Franconia has won a World Cup title, national championships in giant slalom and slalom and also a Winter X Games gold medal? No, it's not Bode Miller.
Walker, a member off the 2012 U.S. Paralympics Alpine national team, might have as many trophies and medals as Miller. And with help from online voters, Walker could win an ESPY on July 11 when ESPN celebrates the best athletes and moments during a live ceremony at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. The 26-year-old earned three medals during the 2011-12 World Cup season, earning an ESPY nomination for Best Male Athlete with a Disability.
He posted his first World Cup win in 2004 and won the giant slalom overall title in 2006. At the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver, Walker placed 10th in slalom. He has won multiple X Games gold medals in mono-skier X. During the 2007-08 season, Walker had four podium finishes and capped the year with national titles in giant slalom and slalom.
Walker, who grew up in Franconia, was born with an incomplete spine and had both legs amputated at the knee at age 4 because he had no control over his legs. He joined the adaptive ski programs at Waterville Valley and Loon Mountain and continued to excel with the New England Disabled Ski Team. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire with degrees in geography and international affairs and minors in German and political science.
He is among five nominees for the ESPY, including 2004 Male Athlete with a Disability winner Kyle Maynard, who climbed to the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro, becoming the first quadruple amputee to reach the summit without assistance. Fans can vote on 2012 ESPY awards at http://espn.go.com/espys/voting.
- No curbside collections in Manchester on Monday - 0
- Suit: Claremont's North Country Smokehouse claims $606,011 spent on diamond, SUV, more - 9
- Winnipesaukee watershed association looking to raise its profile - 0
- New Ipswich cemetery’s future is anybody guess after state objects to graves - 1
- Goffstown artisan gives new face to Wolfeboro tower - 0
- Town may have to fix grave error - 3
- Updated: Winning Powerball ticket sold in Fla.; 2, $1M tickets sold in NH - 0
- No more Winni whoppers: Fishing Derby winner will have to take lie detector test - 11
- Learning the way of the gun in Wakefield - 2
Nashua librarian reports E-books flying off virtual shelves
READER COMMENTS: 0- Manchester Market clerk robbed by man armed with knife - 0
- McCafferty nominated to federal bench to succeed McAuliffe - 0
- Man who spent days under Salem woman's trailer recording sentenced to prison - 0
- Mother cow lures wayward steer back to Epping farm - 2
- Wanted: Shaun Springer - 0
- Man sought for attempting to lure girl into white van near Nashua school - 0
- NCAA finals a first for most FPU Ravens - 0
- The casino vote: The House did its duty - 5
- Just say it: Our fight is with radical Islam - 27
Portsmouth drug raid nets four arrests for sale of heroin
READER COMMENTS: 0- Which of the following prospective candidates do you think the Red Sox should hire to replace Bobby Valentine as the team's manager?
- Sandy Alomar Jr.
- 2%
- Brad Ausmus
- 2%
- John Farrell
- 15%
- DeMarlo Hale
- 2%
- Torey Lovullo
- 1%
- Dave Martinez
- 2%
- Tony Pena
- 5%
- Ryne Sandberg
- 4%
- Joe Torre
- 25%
- Jason Varitek
- 35%
- Other
- 8%
- Total Votes: 1840




