2022 Douglas Grand Marshal

The Douglas 4th of July Committee is pleased to announce that Juneau resident Joe Tompkins – award-winning USA Paralympic Skier – will be the Grand Marshal of the 2022 Douglas parade.   

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Joe Tompkins was a recreational skier before becoming paralyzed in 1988 in an alcohol-related car accident near Auke Bay.  The accident inspired him to encourage young people to respect others and to live free from dangerous behaviors such as alcohol and drugs.  Inspirational speaking and involvement with the school program D.A.R.E. have become his focus. 

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After his accident, Joe enrolled in Winter Park, Colorado’s 1996 disabled skiers’ program and mono-ski classes taught by Paralympians. Tompkins was their first graduate to make the U. S. Disabled Alpine Men’s Ski Team in 1999, in time to win the downhill at the inaugural World Cup in Breckinridge, CO.

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The top U.S. racer in his class in the Salt Lake City Paralympic Games, he raced on the 2004 World Cup circuit, took home the gold in Super-G and earned another downhill medal in the 2005 World Cup Finals.  After the 2006 Torino Games, he was ranked 5th best mono-skier in the U.S. and 12th best in the world.

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Tompkins was named to the U.S. Paralympic Alpine Team for the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, the 2010 Vancouver Games, and the 2006 Turin Games. Joe worked out at Juneau’s Eaglecrest to prepare for Sochi.  Tompkins has been close to a medal, finishing sixth in the downhill and super-G in 2002.  Later he was in the gold-medal class before a crash took him out of competition.  

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Now retired from ski racing, Tompkins has served as Thunder Mountain High School’s Assistant Basketball Coach for the last eight years and has been Head Coach for TMHS boys’ baseball for the past three seasons.  Joe was named American Legion Baseball Coach and has had ten years of experience with the Gastineau Channel Little League.    

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Joe’s involvement in the Juneau community equals his Olympic accomplishments.  

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2014:  Team member, Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games; NorAm Aspen, 6th downhill; U.S. Paralympics Alpine Skiing National Championships, 6th downhill.

2012:  NorAm Copper Mountain, 8th super-G; NorAm Winter Park, 13thsuper-G.

2010:  Paralympic Winter Games competitor, downhill; IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup Finals, 1st overall downhill.

2006:  Paralympic Winter Games, 28th super-G, 37th giant slalom

2005:  IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup Finals, 1st downhill

2004:  World Cup, 1st super-G, 4th downhill

2002:  Paralympic Winter Games, 6th downhill and super-G

2000:  World Cup, 1st downhill, 7th super-G

1999:  World Cup Breckenridge, 1st downhill