U.S. Olympic Athletes

Augusto Perez

  • Home:  East Syracuse, New York
  • Birthday:  November 9, 1972

In October of 2005, Augusto "Goose" Perez tried wheelchair curling for the first time. Just seven weeks later, he was trying out for the U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Curling Team. Perez said he would have been happy just to be selected as an alternate for the squad, but he ultimately made the team outright and went on to see a fair amount of time in shooting second for the U.S. in Torino. "I guess I picked up the sport faster than anybody expected," Perez now has the opportunity to represent the United States for a second time when he takes to the ice at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

Born in Madrid, Spain, Perez came to the U.S. in 1991 for his senior year of high school. He wound up staying when he was offered a scholarship from Paul Smith's College in upstate New York. He received his bachelor's degree from Le Moyne College (Syracuse, N.Y.) in Spanish with a minor in education.

Perez has had three bouts with a rare form of cancer, which have resulted in a hip disarticulation amputation of the left leg. Off the ice, he enjoys target shooting, soccer, table tennis, tennis, and competes in adaptive outrigger canoeing as well as adaptive sailing. He volunteers as both a Spanish tutor for high school and middle school students. He works with person with developmental disabilities and volunteers with disable kids and youth. He also helps with cancer fundraisers.

In 2009 Perez was both an athlete ambassador for The Hartford's Paralympic Athlete Program and for the United States Olympic Committee's (USOC) "Team for Tomorrow Humanitarian Relief Fund." Most recently he has become an athlete ambassador for the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) "I Compete Clean" campaign.

Perez and his wife Brenda are proud parents of 5 years old twins (a daughter Ainoa and a son Iker).

Major Achievements:

Wheelchair Curling:

  • 2009: Gold medal - Kathy Kerr Open, Ottawa Canada
  • 2009: Gold Medal - U.S. Open
  • 2009: Bronze medal - Kingross Invitational, Scotland
  • 2009: Forth place - World Wheelchair Championship, Vancouver, Canada
  • 2008: Nominated to 2010 U.S. Paralympic Wheelchair Curling Team
  • 2008: Gold medal -  U.S. Open
  • 2008: USA Curling Male Athlete of the Year (first ever for a wheelchair athlete)
  • 2008: Bronze medal - World Wheelchair Curling Championship, Sursee, Switzerland
  • 2007: Sportsmanship Award - World Wheelchair Curling Championship
  • 2007: Fifth place - World Wheelchair Curling Championship, Sollefteå, Sweden
  • 2006: Gold Medal - Kathy Kerr Open, Ottawa Canada
  • 2006: Eighth place - Paralympic Winter Games, Torino, Italy
  • 2005: Selected to U.S. Paralympics Wheelchair Curling National Team

Adaptive Outrigger Canoe:

  • 2009: Gold medal -  Adaptive Canoe OC 2 200 meters Sprints World Championship, Halifax Nova Scotia
  • 2008: Gold medal -  OC 1    500 meters sprints World champion, Sacramento CA
  • 2008: Silver medal -  OC 12  500 world championships, Sacramento CA
  • 2007: National OC 12 Champion, Eire Pa
  • 2007: Qualified for 2008 world championships in OC1

Adaptive Sailing:

  • 2009: Fifth place - North American Challenge Cup, Chicago Yacht Club, class Freedom 20
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