The world is watching the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, but what you might not realise, is that the city is about to host a second world-class competition. And a Quad City native is getting ready to head north hoping to go for the gold.

Andy Yohe, 31, loves the game of hockey. But the Bettendorf native's dreams of playing competitively ended in a life-changing instant - or so he thought.

When Andy was a teenager, he tried to jump onto a train near the Mississippi River - and missed. The train ran over him and he lost both his legs. Years later, he realised his love of hockey wasn't lost.

Now he's part of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, and he's hoping to win the big prise at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.

"Instead of skates, you have the sled." Andy says that's about the only difference between sled hockey and ice hockey. But that doesn't make the game easier. "Sled hockey is a little bit harder than stand-up hockey because you're using your arms to push and to handle the puck at the same time." Players use spikes on the end of 2, 3-foot sticks to push themselves around the rink. The other ends are used for passing and shooting.

Andy's been playing sled hockey for about seven years. He's home in the QC this week visiting family and training before heading to Vancouver for the Paralympic Games. The Paralympics is a multi-sport competition for athletes with physical disabilities. It's held every 4 years, after the regular Olympics.

This will be Andy's second trip to the games. "In Torino we got a bronze medal. Torino was a great experience for me, I learned a ton. I learned about all the different pressures that come along with the Paralympics - just as an Olympics."

His team has come a long way since then, competing in tournaments around the world. Now their sights are set even higher. "We've won our last 3 tournaments in a row, so we'll be pretty disappointed if we don't come home with a gold medal."

A gold medal isn't the only thing Andy's looking forward to. The Paralympics has all the pomp and circumstance of the regular Olympics. "The opening ceremonies is gonna be amazing - it's in the same venue as the regular Olympics. The games will all be sold out. It's hard to get big crowds for disabled sports, so when the Paralympics comes around and you can sell venues out; it's awesome to play there."

For a boy from Bettendorf, who always wanted to play competitive hockey, awesome is a word Andy uses a lot. "After I became disabled, I still wanted to stay competitive in hockey. I love the sport so much, it's great being on the ice. I love team sports and so being able to come out and still play the game is awesome."

Andy's not just a member of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, he's also the captain.

The Paralympic Winter Games run March 12-21 in Vancouver. (The End)