Paralympian Zach Miller of the U.S. Para Snowboard Team has won an ESPY for “Best Athlete with a Disability” at the 2023 ESPY Awards in Los Angeles, California. 

The ESPY Awards, known as the Oscars of sports, celebrate the outstanding achievements of athletes from around the world each year. Miller was nominated alongside sled hockey player Erica McKee, wheelchair racing and cross country athlete Aaron Pile and wheelchair racer Susannah Scaroni. 

Miller’s stellar performance in the 2022-23 season played a pivotal role toward winning the ESPY, having brought home three medals in three different disciplines at the 2023 World Championships in Georgia: gold in banked slalom, silver in dual banked slalom and bronze in snowboardcross. He now has five World Championship medals in total and is at the top of his game going into the 2023-24 season. 

Miller, a snowboarder in the SB-LL2 classification who specializes in dual banked slalom, has been an elite Para rider for years. First named to the U.S. Para Snowboard Team in 2019-20, Miller may be one of the youngest members of the national team but has already made a name by podiuming on the World Cup, at the World Championships and attending the 2022 Paralympics. 

“We are so excited for Zach for taking home an ESPY Award tonight,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Just recently, we re-introduced Para under our wing at U.S. Ski & Snowboard and it’s athletes like Zach that make me so excited for the future. What an incredible win tonight for him and the team—I can’t wait to see what’s next!”

"It’s an honor to receive such a prestigious award, and to be among some of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen! I want to thank everyone that rallied and voted for me; I’m very fortunate to have so much support. Without it, I would never have been able to live my dream and pursue snowboarding" Miller said after accepting his award. "I’ve been snowboarding for over 15 years now, and it’s been so awesome to see my dedication and perseverance finally paying off. These past few years have been very good to me and I’m excited for what the future holds!"

Just a few weeks ago, Miller could not even put being nominated for an ESPY into words—now he is walking away as a winner. His remarkable journey to the stage at the Dolby Theatre is one of perseverance, determination and strength and serves as an inspiration to any athlete who is chasing their dreams. 

Fellow U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team athlete and Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Mikaela Shiffrin also walked away with the Best Athlete - Women's Sports ESPY Award. 

Congratulations, Zach!

The world of sports is filled with remarkable athletes who continuously push the boundaries of human performance. Among them are Mikaela Shiffrin of the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team and Zach Miller of the U.S. Para Snowboard Team. Formally announced on June 21, Shiffrin and Miller were both nominated for ESPYs, a testament to their outstanding athletic achievements. 

Shiffrin, who this season became the winningest alpine skier of all time, has been nominated for two ESPY Awards. The first nomination comes in the category of "Best Athlete in Women's Sports," a well-deserved recognition of Shiffrin's dominance in alpine skiing, including her 88 World Cup victories - this is her third nomination in the category. Shiffrin's second nomination comes in the category of "Best Record-Breaking Performance." Over the course of her career, she has shattered numerous records, leaving a lasting impact on the sport of skiing. From her remarkable amount of World Cup victories, World Championship medals, Olympic medals and dominance in every discipline in alpine skiing, Shiffrin's ability to push the limits and set new standards is nothing short of extraordinary.

On the other hand, Miller of the U.S. Para snowboard team has also been recognized for his remarkable talent and determination. Miller has been nominated for the coveted title of "Best Athlete with a Disability." Miller, who has won five World Championships medals (two gold, one silver, two bronze) is at the top of his game and last year represented the USA at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. 

"Being nominated for an ESPY is hard to put into words," said Miller. "I fell in love with snowboarding 15 years ago simply because I loved the freedom and the feeling that it gave me. To see my name now on the list of nominees, next to so many other great athletes is surreal, and something I’ll be proud of for the rest of my life!"

The ESPY Awards, known as the "Oscars of Sports," celebrate the best of the best in the world of athletics. Each year, athletes from various sports disciplines are recognized for their exceptional performances and contributions to the sporting world. This years' nominees include names like LeBron James, Patrick Mahomes, Candace Parker, Nikola Jokić and Lionel Messi, to name a few. The nominations for Shiffrin and Miller highlight their exceptional achievements and acknowledge the impact they have had on their respective sports.

Your vote helps decide the winners! Cast it now and tune in July 12, 2023 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. 

VOTE FOR SHIFFRIN AND MILLER

Here’s a breakdown of the events and the classifications featured in Para snowboarding.

By Luke Hanlon

Red Line Editorial

While you won’t see the halfpipe event at the Paralympics, Para snowboarding shares multiple events and a lot of the same skills that are showcased at the Winter Olympics every four years.

Snowboarding officially became a Paralympic sport for the Sochi Games in 2014. Now every four years, athletes from three different classifications compete in two different events to try to earn a spot on the podium.

Here’s a breakdown of the events and classifications that make up a Para snowboarding competition.

Events

Banked Slalom

The banked slalom is a race down a designed course that features one athlete competing at a time. Each snowboarder gets two runs on the course, with their best run being the time that is used to determine the winner.

Like the name implies, banked slalom courses feature wide, U-shaped turns, along with plenty of dips and bumps along the way.

While banked slalom is featured at the Paralympics, other variations of the race can be seen during the world cup circuit and at the world championships. Dual banked slalom follows almost the exact same structure as banked slalom except it features two athletes competing at the same time on adjacent courses. The competition acts as a bracket, as the winner of each race moves on until two are left to compete for the gold medal.

There is also a dual banked slalom team event, where two athletes from the same country compete together against a duo from another country. The times of the two athletes are combined to determine a winner.

Snowboardcross

The original Para snowboarding event, snowboardcross is a race that’s all about head-to-head racing, with no shortage of air, speed and exciting maneuvers as riders make their way to the bottom. The courses in snowboardcross feature ramps, bumps and turns that riders must navigate at high speeds — and against other competitors. During qualification, each snowboarder completes three runs down the course, with their best time determining their spot in the second round. From there, each heat features two to four snowboarders at a time.

The Paralympics includes the traditional snowboardcross event for individual athletes, but other competitions such as the world championships also feature a snowboardcross team event. In the team event, riders from opposing teams compete on the course at the same time. The rider who finishes first carries the amount of time they won by to the second rider on their team. The second rider then gets a head start based on that margin in the second run. Whoever crosses the finish line first wins. 

Classifications

To ensure that competitions are fair, each athlete is assigned a classification based on their level of impairment. There are three different classifications for Para snowboarding: UL, LL1 and LL2.

Athletes with any upper limb impairments compete in the UL classification. Two-time Paralympic medalist Mike Minor was born missing his right forearm, so he competes in the UL class.

LL1 is for athletes with slightly affected movement in the knees or legs, which can be caused by muscle deficiencies or nerve damage. Athletes with an above the knee amputation to one leg, or below the knee amputations to both legs, also compete in this classification. LL1 athletes have impairments that affect their balance and their ability to absorb the terrain they compete on. Three-time Paralympic gold medalist Brenna Huckaby regularly competes in the LL1 class because she had her right leg amputated. 

LL2 is designated for athletes with slight coordination impairment on one side of their body or in both of their legs. This classification is also for athletes with affected movement in one leg or both feet, as well as having one leg amputated below the leg. LL2 athletes can usually generate a lot of force onto the board to create speed, but their impairments can throw off the timing of their turns. Two-time Paralympic medalist Keith Gabel had his left leg amputated below the knee, so he competes in the LL2 class.

Luke Hanlon is a sportswriter and editor based in Minneapolis. He is a freelance contributor to USSkiandSnowboard.org courtesy of Red Line Editorial, Inc.