Valley Paralympian plans return after injury knocks him out of Sochi games

PALMER — A broken back has not shattered Andrew Kurka’s desire to one day represent the United States in the Paralympics Games.

Kurka, a member of Team USA’s men’s downhill skiing team in Sochi, Russia, saw his 2014 games end prematurely. The Palmer 22-year-old suffered the broken back during his first training run March 6, and returned home two days later. He’s in recovery mode now, but Kurka can’t wait to continue his racing career. He already has his sights set on the 2018 Paralympics Games in South Korea.

“It’s not going to slow me down,” Kurka said recently. “Next thing you know, I’ll be racing.”

Kurka, an adaptive skier and veteran on the monoski, was one of two Alaskans and 26 athletes slated to compete in the 2014 games, which started March 7 in Sochi. On March 6, during his first training run, Kurka took a jump and launched himself about 180 feet into the air. Kurka landed on the back of his ski, and rolled down the slope like a tomahawk flying through the air for a distance.

Kurka said he approached the training run just like any other.

“I underestimated a jump substantially,” Kurka said.

When he finally stopped, Kurka said, he knew exactly what happened.

“When I stopped rolling my back hurt,” Kurka said, “I knew right away that I had broken my back.”

This is the third time Kurka has broken his back. When he was 13, Kurka was in a four-wheeler accident at Jim Creek near Palmer. The ATV flipped and Kurka landed on his head. The impact compressed his spine and cracked his skull. He was medevaced from Jim Creek to Providence Medical Center in Anchorage to recover from the injuries that left him partially paralyzed.

Kurka broke his back a second time training for the Winter X Games earlier in his adaptive skiing career.

“I know what to expect,” Kurka said of the recovery.

He’s taken that as a positive. Right now, it’s just rest for Kurka. He’s also wearing a back brace. He may need surgery, and will consult with a surgeon later this month.

“It’s a possibility, but pretty doubtful,” Kurka said of surgery.

He saw doctors in Russia before he returned home.

“They did say it looks stable, but I need to talk to a doctor in Alaska,” Kurka said.

A neurosurgeon will make the final call. As he waits for that decision, Kurka continues to maintain a positive outlook.

“Honestly, if I’m going to be injured, this is a good time to be injured,” Kurka said. “I have all summer to relax and get better. I’ll come back stronger next year and get after it.”