A member of the Army World Class Athlete Program and ranked second in 2004 in the United States for Biathlon, Teela is currently competing over in Sweden and took a moment to participate in the first-ever Interactive Interview for usolympicteam.com.

Lacey Heward, a disabled skier for Team USA, was just 16-months old when a 100-pound barbell fell on her back pinching her spine and paralyzing her from the waist down.

A two-time mono-skier Paralympian who placed third in both the Giant Slalom and Slalom events in the 2002 Games and who was the 2003 World Cup mono-ski champion, World Cup overall champ, Giant Slalom runner-up, two-time super G champion and Down Hill champ all in 2004 placed second last weekend (Dec. 11) at the annual Hartford Ski Spectacular. She too took time out of her busy schedule to chat on-line from her hometown of Boise, Idaho.

usolympicteam: hey Jeremy
JeremyT: hi
usolympicteam:how are you today?
JeremyT: good a little tired
usolympicteam:i haven’t heard from Lacey, so it looks like you'll be doing a solo, hopefully we’ll hear from her soon
JeremyT: great I hope I can spell
usolympicteam:how long have you been in norway
JeremyT: one month
usolympicteam:and are you over there training?
JeremyT: Yes and racing too
usolympicteam:how is the racing going?
JeremyT: started off slow but I'm getting my form back. today I was 28th out of 115 with two penalties. jay hakkinen my teammate was 7th
JeremyT: I am in Sweden racing for the rest of the week
usolympicteam: okay
usolympicteam:an important factor in biathlon is controlling your heart beat and staying calm and relaxed... how do you accomplish something that seems so hard to do?
JeremyT: Conditioning, Conditioning!
JeremyT:Lots of repetition
usolympicteam: are there special exercises that you do to get your breathing under control, like yoga?
JeremyT: I've tried yoga and I liked it but no, otherwise dry firing between trainings and imagery
usolympicteam:dry firing? is that like shooting blanks or something?
JeremyT: yes and no. you draw some dots on a paper put it on the wall and stand there looking at it. All alone by yourself. Sounds fun huh.
usolympicteam: buckets 'o fun!
usolympicteam:how did you and denise (his wife) meet?
JeremyT: Well I knew her from High school BUT
usolympicteam:she was dating someone else?
JeremyT: I didn't really get to know her until a couple of years later when I came back for christmas break and she also came back for the break from school and thats when we started hanging out
usolympicteam:gotcha. so not really high school sweethearts then?
JeremyT:no she was too squacky then
usolympicteam: oh man, i'm sure she'll be happy to see that.
JeremyT: oh she knows I thought that
usolympicteam:ha. do y'all exchange tips and pointers and such?
JeremyT: more than I wish we did
usolympicteam:at the dinner table, is it all biathlon talk?
JeremyT: It's true don't help your wife or husband in the same sport!
usolympicteam:do little tiffs arise from these conversations?
JeremyT: No its not bad all the time but it can be rough some times
usolympicteam:so is living in alaska as cold as most people actually think it is?
JeremyT: Yes
usolympicteam:have you lived there your entire life?
JeremyT: no I was 6 when we moved there and I left around age 19
JeremyT: Anchorage is not bad but farther up north it can get chilly
usolympicteam: what do you consider chilly? i'm from texas and chilly to me is like 50 degrees
JeremyT: -10 F
usolympicteam: holy cow!!!! i think i'll stay in the southern area of our country
JeremyT: ok
usolympicteam: how do you sleep when the sun shines most of the day... and night
JeremyT: I shut my eyes tighter
usolympicteam: good idea
usolympicteam: hey Jeremy, Lacey just joined us online so we'll get her involved too
usolympicteam: welcome lacey
JeremyT: Hi Lacey we met in DC I think
extremeskigirl: Hi There...
usolympicteam: well, i'll save myself from introducing you two
extremeskigirl: Right on! Cool!
usolympicteam: so lacey, where'd you just come back from
extremeskigirl: Colorado Springs, OTC (Olympic Training Center) actually
extremeskigirl: We skied in Breck (Breckenridge) 9 days then headed down there.
usolympicteam: i'm here at the OTC myself
extremeskigirl: cool
usolympicteam: jeremy, have you ever been to colorado springs?
JeremyT: yes I'm part of World Class Athlete program out of Fort Carson CO
usolympicteam: alrighty, lacey, a few questions for you...
usolympicteam: how was it growing up with five siblings?
extremeskigirl: It was awesome! They are all very athletic and out going...I really had to keep up with them if I wanted to hang out with them.
usolympicteam: do you have a favorite family memory?
extremeskigirl: Some of the best are when we went camping with my dad.
usolympicteam: i love camping.
extremeskigirl: We'd saddle up the horses and go to places and see no one for weeks.
usolympicteam: what would you say has been your biggest challenge being a mono-skier?
extremeskigirl: Mono skiing has definitely been challenging.
usolympicteam: in what aspect?
extremeskigirl: You cant get away with much. If you’re off balance you fall over...you really have to work the muscles that most people that are paralyzed dont have. And its mentally challenging as well. I'd say 80% of it is mental.
usolympicteam: i see.
usolympicteam: so jeremy, you mentioned that you met lacey in DC, what were y'all there for?
JeremyT: a good time
JeremyT: We got to go the White house
extremeskigirl: J
usolympicteam: ah.... after the '02 Olympics?
extremeskigirl: Yes. To meet the PRES.
usolympicteam: how was he?
extremeskigirl: He did a nice job at meeting the athletes.
usolympicteam: jeremy? any thoughts on the pres?
JeremyT: Oh you know
JeremyT: He's fine
extremeskigirl: ha ha!
JeremyT: I didn't get to meet him at the white house but he spoke on my cell phone once
usolympicteam: oooo
extremeskigirl: nice one.
usolympicteam: who was the lucky recipient of his call
JeremyT: my wife
usolympicteam: awe
JeremyT: awe I like that AWE
JeremyT: he was sitting behind me
usolympicteam: but you didn't meet him and he was RIGHT BEHIND you?
JeremyT: yes
usolympicteam: that's a bummer
JeremyT: not really
usolympicteam: lacey, i was asking jeremy about his wife, do you have a significant other?
extremeskigirl: I have a boyfriend that lives in New Hampshire. He's pretty awesome.
usolympicteam: how'd y'all meet?
extremeskigirl: At my little sisters wedding in Warren, NH. Thats where she lives.
usolympicteam: love must've been in the air huh?
extremeskigirl: I guess... I wasnt feelin' it!
extremeskigirl: It took me awhile to come around to him.
usolympicteam: ha.  sounds like jeremy's situation. was he squaky?
extremeskigirl: umm...not sure.
extremeskigirl: He was just a little too over the top.
usolympicteam: alrighty, so what are you guys looking forward to the most this season?
extremeskigirl: I'm looking forward to the X Games!
extremeskigirl: They are holding the first ever mono skier Cross in Aspen during the X Games this year.
usolympicteam: that's so cool. and will it be televised as well?
extremeskigirl: This year it probably wont. Since it's a new event they are testing it this year. Next year will be prize money, TV the whole 9 yards.
usolympicteam: Jeremy, anything you're looking forward to this season?
JeremyT: getting on poduim for the first time! SOON
JeremyT: I can feel it
usolympicteam: so can i!
extremeskigirl: Right on!
JeremyT: Well, I gotta run to a team meeting. It was nice to talk with you guys
extremeskigirl: Cool! Take care! Good luck this season!
usolympicteam: jeremy, thanks for joining us today
usolympicteam: and good luck to you
JeremyT: Good luck Lacey this season kick some butt
extremeskigirl: Thanks!
usolympicteam: lacey, where are you headed next?
extremeskigirl: Huntsman Cup in Park City, UT.
usolympicteam: when is that
extremeskigirl: Beginning of January!
usolympicteam: well good luck with that!
usolympicteam: that wraps up our interview
extremeskigirl: Thank you.
usolympicteam: thank you for joining us this morning!
extremeskigirl: Nice chatting with you. Take care!
usolympicteam: have a great day and good luck this season!