January 25, 2007
Volume 1, Issue 4

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Meet Our Athletes for Deaflypmics

Darrick De La O, originally from Huntington Beach, CA, learned how to skateboard at the age of eight, taught by his father. Two years later, his father also taught him to surf, which quickly became another passion for Darrick. "When I was 13 years old, I went on a skiing trip with my mom at Lake Tahoe. My brother and I were skiing, and we saw a couple of guys riding snowboards," he remembers. "My brother and I were stoked to see that, because the boards were just like skateboarding and surfing boards. So we begged our mom to let us exchange our skis for snowboards at the rental shop." By the end of the day, they were already pulling air, making dazzling moves.

Darrick graduated from the California School for the Deaf, Riverside, and two years later headed to Gallaudet University. He then decided to participate in the Deaflympics snowboarding tryouts in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and landed a spot on the team. "I moved to Colorado to train full time for my first Deaflympics in Davos, Switzerland in 1999. I won the gold for snowboarding in the half-pipe competition," he says. He then participated in the 2003 Deaflympics in Sweden, even though he separated his shoulder about a month before the games and wasn't able to train fully. He still captured silver in the half-pipe category despite that injury.

The upcoming Deaflympics will be Darrick's third; he brings valuable experience and enhanced skills to the competition. He currently studies business at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, where he skates and surfs almost every day.



Keith Doane was born and raised in Minnesota for almost all of his life. When he was a sophomore at Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf, he transferred to California School for the Deaf, Fremont, and graduated in 2004. He headed to Gallaudet University and is currently in his third year, double-majoring in Education/History and Deaf Studies.

Keith began alpine skiing when he was seven, and was competitively racing by the age of 10. He has participated in the U.S. Deaf Skiing and Snowboarding Association (USDSSA) bicentennial races every year, except for 2004. "When I was young, I won several races, including USDSSA's races and development/U.S. Skiing Association races, competing against hearing people, around the state of Minnesota when I was younger," Keith says. "After experiencing these races, I began to dream of competing in the Deaflympics. That dream was achieved when I got a spot on the U.S. Deaf skiing team for the 15th Winter Deaflympics in Sundsvall, Sweden."

The Winter Deaflympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, will be Keith's second Deaflympics. "I'm really looking forward to it," Keith adds. "My hope is to get the gold, but I'll be trying my best to at least medal."