Shirley Bentgen of St. Ignace will travel to Vancouver, British Columbia, to watch her grandnephew, Tyler Walker, compete in the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. The games begin Friday, March 12, mirroring the international Olympics.

A downhill skier from Franconia, New Hampshire, Mr. Walker will compete in his second Winter Games in Vancouver. Already this year, he has placed fourth and sixth in World Cup competition in Sestriere, Italy, and won gold in the Mono Skier X division at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado. He was the overall World Cup Downhill Champion in 2009, the same year he also took gold in the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Italy and gold in the Mono Skier X division in Aspen.

Mr. Walker was born with part of his spine missing, leading to the amputation of both legs. In addition to skiing, he enjoys handcycling, skateboarding, canoeing, tennis, and hockey. He is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire with degrees in geography and international affairs.

A member of the United States Adaptive Ski Team, Mr. Walker also competed in the 2006 Winter Paralympics in Torino, Italy. His father, Jim Walker, is originally from St. Ignace, where he also has many uncles, aunts, and cousins.