Andy Bor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Andy Bor

Bor in 2014
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Andy
Nationality	Australia
Born	(1963-04-14) 14 April 1963 (age 62)
Sport
Country	Australia
Sport	Para-alpine skiing
Event(s)	Downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, super combined
Medal record Guide for women's para-alpine skiing Representing  Australia World Championships Silver 2011 Sestriere Women's downhill VI Bronze 2011 Sestriere Women's super-G Bronze 2011 Sestriere Women's super combined New Zealand Winter Games Gold 2011 Queenstown Giant slalom visually impaired Gold 2011 Queenstown Slalom visually impaired Gold 2011 Queenstown Super G visually impaired

Andy Bor (born 14 April 1963) is an Australian former ski coach and a special kind of skier called a sighted guide. He helped visually impaired skiers compete. He was a coach at the 2006 Winter Paralympics in Torino, Italy. Later, he became the guide for Melissa Perrine, a visually impaired skier. He guided her at the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver, Canada, and the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia.

What is a Sighted Guide?

A sighted guide in para-alpine skiing is a very important role. The guide skis just in front of the visually impaired athlete. They use speakers and a microphone to give directions. This helps the athlete know where to go on the course. It's like being the eyes for the skier behind them.

Andy Bor's Skiing Career

Andy Bor started guiding Melissa Perrine in 2009. Their first competition together was the IPC North America Cup in Colorado. They finished second in the super-G event. As Melissa's guide, Andy competed in many events. These included downhill, super-G, super combined, giant slalom, and slalom.

World Championships Success

In 2011, Andy and Melissa had great success at the 2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in Sestriere, Italy. They won a silver medal in the downhill event. They also earned two bronze medals in the super-G and super combined events. This showed how well they worked together as a team.

Later in August 2011, they competed at the Winter Games IPC event in New Zealand. They finished first in the women's slalom for visually impaired skiers.

Paralympic Games

Andy Bor was officially named to the Australian team for the 2010 Winter Paralympics in November 2009. He and Melissa Perrine competed in several events. They worked hard to navigate the challenging courses.

At the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Andy was again Melissa Perrine's guide. They finished fourth in the women's downhill event. This was a strong performance, just missing out on a medal. In another event, the super combined, they faced a challenge. They were disqualified because of a technical rule about a visor Melissa was wearing. It was an honest mistake to keep rain out of her goggles.

Andy Bor has now retired from competitive skiing. He lives in Gold Coast, Australia, with his wife. She was also a Paralympian from Canada.

Melissa Perrine and her guide Andy Bor in the women's downhill at the 2014 Winter Paralympics