SALT LAKE CITY -- A shoulder injury will keep bobsled driver Shauna Rohbock from deploying to Iraq with her Utah National Guard unit, but she expects to be able to compete in World Cup competition.

The injury was detected by doctors examining members of the 115th Engineer Group, Utah Guard spokesman Brad Blackner said Monday. The unit has orders to report to Fort Carson, Colo., this weekend for final preparations before a yearlong deployment to the Persian Gulf.

"She has been pulled off the list of available troops because of her injury and is being replaced by someone else," said Blackner. "She is a soldier first and an athlete second. She was ready to go."

The torn rotator cuff will not prevent her from joining the U.S. bobsled team in Germany for World Cup competitions in February and she probably will undergo surgery in the spring.

"I can still compete," said Rohbock, 26. "It's not like I have to lift the sled over my head. It's more of a leg sport."

Rotator cuff injuries may result from a single accident or repetitive damage.

"Athletes feel ailments from training all the time," U.S. women's coach Bill Tavares told The Salt Lake Tribune. "I don't think anyone realized how bad her shoulder was."

Rohbock said the soldiers in her unit were supportive when learning she would not be deployed.

"They're a great group of people," she added. "If I were going, they'd be the people I would want to be with. I'm putting their logo on my sled."

Rohbock's mobilization earlier this month forced her to miss two of four World Cup competitions, which has harmed her standings in the world rankings, said her father, Charles Rohbock of Orem.

The rankings are important because they determine the best slots in future races.

"I'm just excited to get her back," said Tavares. "If she continues to progress the way she has, she's a definite medals contender for the 2006 Olympics."

Rohbock formerly played on the Brigham Young University women's soccer team and now plays with the San Diego Spirit.