Evan Strong (born November 13, 1986) is an American

Para Para, or PARA, may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Paramount Global, traded as PARA on the Nasdaq stock exchange * Para Group, the former name of CT Corp * Para Rubber, now Skellerup, a New Zealand manufacturer * Para USA, formerly ...

snowboard cross Snowboard cross, also known as boardercross, is a snowboard competition in which four to six competitors race down a course. Snowboard cross courses are typically quite narrow and include cambered turns, various types of jumps, berms, rollers, ...

racer who began his career in 2008. He is the gold medalist in para snowboard cross at the

2014 Winter Paralympics The 2014 Winter Paralympics (russian: Зимние Паралимпийские игры 2014, Zimniye Paralimpiyskiye igry 2014), the 11th Paralympic Winter Games, and also more generally known as the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, were an ...

Sochi, Russia Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...

and led the USA team to a sweep of the podium. He went on to represent Team USA in the

2018 Winter Paralympics ) , nations = 49 , athletes = 569 , events = 80 in 6 sports , opening = 9 March , closing = 18 March , opened_by = President Moon Jae-in , cauldron = Kim Eun-jung Seo Soon-seok , stadium = Pyeongchang Olympic ...

Pyeongchang, South Korea Pyeongchang (; in full, ''Pyeongchang-gun'' ; ) is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea, located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is home to several Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. It is about east southeast of Seou ...

and won a silver medal in the banked slalom event.

Career

Strong won the men's para-snowboard World Championship title in 2012. Strong is the winter X-Games 15 gold medalist in adaptive boarder cross. He has 29 podiums and ten world cup gold medals in para-snowboard cross WFS and IPC World Cup races. Strong is the gold medal winner in para snowboard cross at the 2014 Paralympics in Sochi, Russia and lead the USA team to a sweep of the podium. He is also competed in the 2018 Paralympic games in South Korea, placing 2nd in banked slalom and 4th in snowboard cross.

Personal life

Evan Strong was born in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, to Dr. Roger Edward Strong, of

Glastonbury, Connecticut Glastonbury ( ) is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, formally founded in 1693 and first settled in 1636. It was named after Glastonbury in Somerset, England. Glastonbury is on the banks of the Connecticut River, southeast o ...

, and Lisa Anne Rees Strong, of

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

. Strong is the second of the three children in his family, with an older sister, Stephanie (b. June 3, 1983) and younger sister, Arianna (b. Sept. 30, 1991). He moved to

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

in 1988 where he had his first introduction to snow. He moved to

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

in 1995, where he lived until 2006. While in Hawaii he pursued his interest in skateboarding with the desire to become a professional skateboarder. He married Mariah Fulcher (b. Dec. 7, 1991) also of Maui, Hawaii on Oct. 2, 2010 in Keanae, Maui. He and Mariah welcomed their first daughter, Indie Arrow, on January 27, 2015. On March 13, 2019 the family welcomed their second daughter Isla Sōl. Both of his daughters were born at home. The family splits their year between Maui and

Nevada City, California Nevada City (originally, ''Ustumah'', a Nisenan village; later, Nevada, Deer Creek Dry Diggins, and Caldwell's Upper Store) is the county seat of Nevada County, California, United States, northeast of Sacramento, southwest of Reno and northeas ...

Accident and recovery

On November 3, 2004, shortly before his eighteenth birthday, while riding a motorcycle Strong was hit by a speeding, oncoming car which resulted in the amputation of his left leg below the knee. p. 136. Strong was first fitted for a prosthetic leg by Mike Norell of Norell Prosthetics in

Mountain View, California Mountain View is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. Named for its views of the Santa Cruz Mountains, it has a population of 82,376. Mountain View was integral to the early history and growth of Silicon Valley, and is the ...

. Strong was helped in his recovery by organizations including

Challenged Athletes Foundation The Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), established in 1997, assists, supports, and provides opportunity to people with physical challenges, so that they can lead active lifestyles and compete in athletic events. It is founded in the belief th ...

and Adaptive Action Sports to relearn to skateboard, bicycle and snowboard. In January 2007 Strong attempted to

snowboard Snowboards are boards where the user places both feet, usually secured, to the same board. The board itself is wider than most skis, with the ability to glide on snow."snowboarding." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 17 Mar ...

for the first time at

Sun Valley, Idaho Sun Valley is a resort city in the western United States, in Blaine County, Idaho, adjacent to the city of Ketchum in the Wood River valley. The population was 1406 at the 2010 census, down from 1427 in 2000.Truckee, California Truckee is an incorporated town in Nevada County, California, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 16,180, reflecting an increase of 2,316 from the 13,864 counted in the 2000 Census and having the 316th highe ...

to work at Northstar-at-Tahoe resort and became very proficient at snowboarding with a prosthetic.

World cup adaptive and para snowboard competition

Strong began competing in adaptive snowboard competitions in April 2008 at the WSF adaptive snowboard world championships at

Copper Mountain, Colorado Copper Mountain is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Summit County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Breckenridge, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population of t ...

. On February 3 and 4, 2011 Evan joined para-snowboarders from seven countries to compete in two world cup races in Orcieres,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Strong won first place on both days. On 18 August 2011 Strong won first place at the para-snowboard world cup in Wanaka,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. On April 8 and 9, 2011 Strong won two world cup races at

Lake Louise Ski Resort The Lake Louise Ski Resort & Summer Gondola is a ski resort in western Canada, located in Banff National Park near the village of Lake Louise, Alberta. Located west of Banff, Lake Louise is one of three major ski resorts within Banff National ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. On February 3 and 4, 2012 Strong competed in the 2012 para-snowboard world championships at Orcieres, France and won first place. On April 2 and 3, 2012 Strong won two world cup races in

Nakiska Nakiska is a ski resort in western Canada, in the Kananaskis Country region of the province of Alberta. It is located from Calgary, west on Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) and south on Highway 40 (Kananaskis Trail). "Nakiska" is a Cree word me ...

finishing the season in first place for world cup races. In 2022, he won the bronze medal in the men's snowboard cross SB-LL2 event at the

2021 World Para Snow Sports Championships The 2021 World Para Snow Sports Championships was an international disability sport competition held in Lillehammer, Norway from 8 to 23 January 2022. It was the inaugural edition of the World Para Snow Sports Championships with para-alpine skiin ...

held in Lillehammer, Norway.

Paralympic career

Strongs first introduction to the

paralympics The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaired ...

came in 2010 when he was invited to perform a skateboard exhibition at the opening ceremonies of the 2010 paralympics in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. His hope at the time was that his sport could become a paralympic sport as well. On 2 May 2012 the

International Paralympic Committee The International Paralympic Committee (IPC; german: Internationales Paralympisches Komitee) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and fun ...

announced that para-snowboard would debut at the

opening up the opportunity for Strong to compete at the paralympic level. During the 2012–13 season Strong won IPC Noram qualifier races at

Sierra-at-Tahoe Sierra-at-Tahoe is a ski and snowboard resort in Twin Bridges, California south of Lake Tahoe. Sierra-at-Tahoe is approximately 16 miles (26 km) south of Stateline, Nevada and 12 miles south of South Lake Tahoe on U.S. Route 50 and is contai ...

, California on 27 January 2013, second at

on 3 February 2013. On 6 March 2013 Strong competed in the Paralympic test event in

with racers from eleven nations and won first place. In World Cup Competition Evan took third in

Maribor Maribor ( , , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is also the seat of the City Municipality of Maribor, th ...

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

8 March 2013, and a first and second at

Kelowna Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word ''ki� ...

on 28 & 29 March 2013. Strong finished the season tied for first place along with Carl Murphy of Wanaka, New Zealand. On 4 April 2013 Strong won the para-snowboard cross

USASA The United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) is a national organization for amateur soccer in the United States. It consists of 55 state organizations as well as national, regional and state leagues. The National Premier Soccer League, NISA ...

para-snowboard nationals at

. It was announced on 7 May 2013 that Strong was nominated to the USA paralympic snowboard team to compete at the

2014 Winter paralympic games The 2014 Winter Paralympics (russian: Зимние Паралимпийские игры 2014, Zimniye Paralimpiyskiye igry 2014), the 11th Paralympic Winter Games, and also more generally known as the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, were an ...

in Sochi, Russia. Strong kicked off the 2013-14 world cup season with a silver and gold at Copper Mountain, CO on January 18 & 19, 2014. Strong finished the 2013-14 World Cup season with two gold, there silver and one bronze place, finishing the world cup season in second place overall behind teammate Mike Shea. On March 14, 2014 Strong won the gold medal in para snowboard cross at the 2014 Paralympics in Sochi, Russia and lead the USA team of Mike Shea and Keith Gabel to a sweep of the podium.

Athletic interests

In addition to snowboarding Strong competes in downhill mountain bike racing. He won the sport division of the 6th annual Live Wire classic at Northstar-at-Tahoe, CA September 2, 2012. Strong also competed in

skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a ...

at the 2007

Extremity Games Extremities may refer to: Anatomy * The distal limb (forearm or lower leg) of a tetrapod animal, more specifically its distalmost portion, including: **Hand, a prehensile, multi- digited organ at the distal end of upper limb ( arm) of bipedal pr ...

, at the

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

Summer

X-Games The X Games are an annual extreme sports event organized, produced and broadcast by ESPN. Coverage is also shown on ESPN's sister network, ABC. The inaugural X Games were held during the summer of 1995 in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island ...

, and at the Life Rolls On "They Will Skate Again" in

Venice Beach Venice is a neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles within the Westside region of Los Angeles County, California. Venice was founded by Abbot Kinney in 1905 as a seaside resort town. It was an independent city until 1926, when it was annexed by ...

, CA taking second place in 2011 and 2012. In the summer of 2019 he competed in the Summer X-games for skateboarding at placed 4th. One of Strong's favorite training techniques is lifting

kettlebell In weight training, a kettlebell is a cast-iron or cast-steel ball with a handle attached to the top (resembling a cannonball with a handle). It is used to perform many types of exercises, including ballistic exercises that combine cardi ...

s. His coach is Eric Kenyon of Form Is Function. Strong also enjoys rock climbing, archery and slack lining. Evan is an avid big wave surfer. He surfed throughout his youth in Maui, HI. He has competed in multiple adaptive surf competitions in the between 2016 and 2019.

Food and lifestyle

Outside of sport, Strong owned a restaurant and worked as a raw food chef in an open teaching kitchen. In 2009, Strong along with his wife Mariah and sisters Stephanie and Arianna opened the restaurant THE FIX for foodies in

which was featured in the Tahoe Quarterly, July 18, 2013. The restaurant has hosted teachers which have helped Strong in his recovery and training including David Wolfe and Daniel Vitalis. Strong was featured in the film "The Raw Natural" which was released April 21, 2012 by Rachel Prince. The film highlights the use of nutrition by professional athletes for performance and recovery. The restaurant closed in Oct. of 2014.

Non-profit and charitable work

Evan works with non profit organizations to raise money to help other challenged athletes by participating in events such as the San Diego Triathlon Challenge and Million Dollar Challenge put on by

. He is also an advocate for Adaptive Action Sports of

Frisco, Colorado Frisco is a home rule municipality located in Summit County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 2,913 at the 2020 United States Census. Frisco is a part of the Breckenridge, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is a popular town amo ...

where he teaches at learn to skateboard and learn to snowboard clinics. Strong an AASI Adaptive snowboard instructor has taught snowboarding to injured veterans with

Disabled Sports USA Move United is an American non-profit organization devoted to the promotion of parasports among youths and adults with physical disabilities. The organization operates community parasports programs via over 150 local chapters across the country. M ...

The Hartford The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., usually known as The Hartford, is a United States-based investment and insurance company. The Hartford is a Fortune 500 company headquartered in its namesake city of Hartford, Connecticut. It was ranke ...

Ski Spectacular at

Breckenridge, Colorado The Town of Breckenridge is the home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Summit County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 5,078 at the 2020 United States Census. Breckenridge is the pr ...

in 2010.

Recognition and awards

In January 2013 Strong was nominated by the

for paralympic athlete of the month. He was narrowly defeated in the online voting by Kozo Kubo of Japan. Strong has been invited to USOC &

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

promotional shoots in Hollywood, CA and New York, NY for the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic games. On July 21, 2013 Strong was recognized at the

Institute of Noetic Sciences The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) is an American non-profit parapsychological research institute. It was co-founded in 1973 by former astronaut Edgar Mitchell,Pfeffer, Elizabeth''Stars aligned: Astronaut's mission seeks to answer life's b ...

15th international conference and received the Temple Award for creative altruism.

References

External links

Evan Strong
at

World Para Snowboard The International Paralympic Committee (IPC; german: Internationales Paralympisches Komitee) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and func ...

* * *
Official website

Facebook athlete page

Facebook personal page

Instagram Evan Strong

Twitter Evan Strong

Adaptive Action Sports Evan Strong advocate page

The Fix for foodies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strong, Evan 1986 births Living people American male snowboarders Paralympic snowboarders for the United States Paralympic medalists in snowboarding Paralympic gold medalists for the United States Paralympic silver medalists for the United States Snowboarders at the 2014 Winter Paralympics Snowboarders at the 2018 Winter Paralympics Medalists at the 2018 Winter Paralympics Sportspeople from San Francisco 20th-century American people 21st-century American people