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| The team poses with their silver medal trophy. |
Two USA Hockey members, Dan Sangiorgio, Howell, New Jersey; and Chris Smith, South Jordan, Utah, have been recognized as Starter All-American Teens. Smith was named the state winner from Utah, and Sangiorgio was selected as one of three runners-up from New Jersey. The Starter All-American Teen program is part of Sports Illustrated's yearlong, nationwide 50th Anniversary celebration. The Starter All-American Teen program is honoring one outstanding teen per state between July 2003 and July 2004. Honorees must be between 13 and 19years old, participate in organized athletics, and be exemplary role models for their peers and community. A panel of celebrity judges, including Bob Costas, Spike Lee, Howie Long, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Shaquille O'Neal, selects each state winner who will be profiled in a Sports Illustrated special advertising feature. For more information, visit www.SI.com/50. Profiles of the state winner and runners-up are also posted on www.SI.com/allamericanteen.
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| Chris Smith focuses on taking on the Canadian team. |
Smith, the state winner from Utah, is featured in the October 13 issue of Sports Illustrated. In 2001, at age 16, Smith underwent amputation of his leg after a street luging accident. Smith resumed skating only three months after surgery and rejoined his Bingham High School ice hockey team that winter. He is currently working full-time to save money for college where he hopes to study engineering and play hockey. He also enjoys rock climbing.
Sangiorgio, a runner-up from New Jersey, was born without a fibula in his left leg. Due to irregular growth, doctors amputated below the knee when he was two years old. An active child, Sangiorgio played soccer, basketball, baseball, and hockey. In high school, he made the Red Bank Catholic High School varsity ice hockey team as a junior, and this past season, as the senior tri-captain, he skated on the first line.
Both Smith and Sangiorgio were selected to the roster of the 2003 US National Amputee Hockey Team that participated in the inaugural World Standing Amputee Ice Hockey Championships, held from April 25-May 3, 2003, in Helsinki, Finland. The team, chosen and organized by the American Amputee Hockey Association (AAHA), defeated host Finland, 7-1, and Russia, 4-2, en route to the silver medal. Smith and Sangiorgio were two of the youngest members of the squad.
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| Dan Sangiorgio dons his prosthetic leg. |
"We are very proud of Chris and Dan's accomplishments both on and off the ice," said David Crandell, MD, Needham, Massachusetts, AAHA president. "We're looking forward to their continued outstanding team efforts this season as the National Amputee Team prepares for the 2004 World Standing Amputee Championship."
The AAHA is a nonprofit sports organization founded in 2000 to develop opportunities for amputees and other disabled athletes to learn and play competitive hockey. Based in Stoughton, Massachusetts, the AAHA is a member of the Disabled Sports Section of USA Hockey and is working to promote a fun and safe environment for the growth of hockey in the United States.
For more information, contact: Heather Ahearn, USA Hockey, 719. 576.8724, ext. 169; David Crandell, AAHA, 781.297.1393; Sheryl Spain, Sports Illustrated, 212.522.6905; or visit www.aaha.com and www.usahockey.com.
