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American skier Gerald Hayden turns tightly around a gate Thursday during the men's Ski Spectacular slalom race in Breckenridge. The slalom marked the first Paralympic qualifying race of the season.
BRECKENRIDGE - The chair lift moved a little slower and stopped slightly more often than usual at Breckenridge on Thursday, but nobody seemed to mind.
With hundreds of disabled skiers and snowboarders in town for the Hartford Ski Spectacular, lift operators stayed busy assisting a steady stream of paraplegic mono-skiers.
Thursday was also race day as members of the U.S. Disabled Ski Team were on hand for the Ski Spectacular slalom. The slalom was the first Paralympic qualifying race of the season. Forty-eight racers competed in the event, which took place on the Peak 9 Sundown course.
In addition to the 18 men and women that make up the U.S. Disabled Team, a host of intermediate and beginner skiers also made up the slalom field.
According to United States Disabled Ski Team program director Sandy Metzger, the slalom featured paraplegic racers as well as athletes with visual impairments, Cerebral Palsy and missing arms or legs.
"We have the disabled team right down to people racing for the very first time," said Metzger, who lives in Breckenridge.
Granby's Allison Jones won the female standing-skiers division with a combined, adjusted time of 1 minute, 46.61 seconds. Laurie Stephens won the female sitting-skiers division with a total time of 1:48.73.
With hundreds of disabled skiers and snowboarders in town for the Hartford Ski Spectacular, lift operators stayed busy assisting a steady stream of paraplegic mono-skiers.
Thursday was also race day as members of the U.S. Disabled Ski Team were on hand for the Ski Spectacular slalom. The slalom was the first Paralympic qualifying race of the season. Forty-eight racers competed in the event, which took place on the Peak 9 Sundown course.
In addition to the 18 men and women that make up the U.S. Disabled Team, a host of intermediate and beginner skiers also made up the slalom field.
According to United States Disabled Ski Team program director Sandy Metzger, the slalom featured paraplegic racers as well as athletes with visual impairments, Cerebral Palsy and missing arms or legs.
"We have the disabled team right down to people racing for the very first time," said Metzger, who lives in Breckenridge.
Granby's Allison Jones won the female standing-skiers division with a combined, adjusted time of 1 minute, 46.61 seconds. Laurie Stephens won the female sitting-skiers division with a total time of 1:48.73.
On the men's side, Brad Washburn (1:36.06) won the standing-skiers division and Ronny Persson (1:38.10) took the sitting-skiers division.
Each athlete's race times were adjusted based on the degree of his or her disability.
"It's sort of like calculating a handicap in golf," Metzger said of the system.
The 21-year-old Jones is a hopeful for the Turin, Italy, Paralympics, which begin next March.
"I've been skiing and enjoying life ever since," said Jones, who made the U.S. team when she was 16 years old.
Jones was born with a deficiency in the growth of her right femur and had her foot amputated at a young age. She began skiing when she was 5 and now she is a full-scholarship student at Denver University.
As a five-year member of the U.S. team, Jones has become an advocate for disabled skiing.
"Even though we have disabilities, there's nothing different; we're still elite athletes," she said. "We still do more then they (non-disabled Olympians) would even dream of doing."
Each athlete's race times were adjusted based on the degree of his or her disability.
"It's sort of like calculating a handicap in golf," Metzger said of the system.
The 21-year-old Jones is a hopeful for the Turin, Italy, Paralympics, which begin next March.
"I've been skiing and enjoying life ever since," said Jones, who made the U.S. team when she was 16 years old.
Jones was born with a deficiency in the growth of her right femur and had her foot amputated at a young age. She began skiing when she was 5 and now she is a full-scholarship student at Denver University.
As a five-year member of the U.S. team, Jones has become an advocate for disabled skiing.
"Even though we have disabilities, there's nothing different; we're still elite athletes," she said. "We still do more then they (non-disabled Olympians) would even dream of doing."
Chris Devlin-Young was the first starter in the male sitting-skier division. Devlin-Young has been on the U.S. Disabled Team for 15 years and has twice struck gold at the Paralympics.
He won the slalom in Norway in 1994 and the super G in Utah in 2002.
Devlin-Young became a paraplegic after sustaining crushed vertebrae in a military plane crash.
The veteran from Waterville, N.H., learned how to ski nearly 20 years ago at a National Disabled Veterans winter sports clinic.
"I grew up on the beach in California," Devlin-Young said. "I had never skied a day in my life."
Now a seasoned veteran of the U.S. Disabled Team, Devlin-Young has grown close to his teammates.
"It's a good group of people. We're always helping each other out even though we're all competitive and we all want to kick each other's butts," he said with a smile.
He won the slalom in Norway in 1994 and the super G in Utah in 2002.
Devlin-Young became a paraplegic after sustaining crushed vertebrae in a military plane crash.
The veteran from Waterville, N.H., learned how to ski nearly 20 years ago at a National Disabled Veterans winter sports clinic.
"I grew up on the beach in California," Devlin-Young said. "I had never skied a day in my life."
Now a seasoned veteran of the U.S. Disabled Team, Devlin-Young has grown close to his teammates.
"It's a good group of people. We're always helping each other out even though we're all competitive and we all want to kick each other's butts," he said with a smile.
Devlin-Young took third in the male sitting-skiers division with a combined time of 1:39.22.
Thursday's slalom was one of many events taking place during the 18th annual Hartford Ski Spectacular, a large winter sports event for people with physical disabilities. The event, which began at Breckenridge on Dec. 4 and will run through Dec. 11, has attracted more than 600 disabled skiers and riders, according to a Hartford press release.
Paraplegic Joseph Worley traveled from Atlanta to learn how to ski this week at Breckenridge.
"I was injured on Sept. 17, 2004," Worley said. "I didn't get to go last year; I was just barely too messed up to go. When I knew the opportunity was coming back this year, I jumped on it.
"It's inspiring. Seeing all these other injured people out here recharges my battery to be able to go home and dive back in to physical therapy."
Today's GS will take place at 10 a.m. on the Peak 9 Sundown course.
Adam Boffey can be contacted at (970)668-3998, ext. 13631 or at aboffey@summitdaily.com.
Thursday's slalom was one of many events taking place during the 18th annual Hartford Ski Spectacular, a large winter sports event for people with physical disabilities. The event, which began at Breckenridge on Dec. 4 and will run through Dec. 11, has attracted more than 600 disabled skiers and riders, according to a Hartford press release.
Paraplegic Joseph Worley traveled from Atlanta to learn how to ski this week at Breckenridge.
"I was injured on Sept. 17, 2004," Worley said. "I didn't get to go last year; I was just barely too messed up to go. When I knew the opportunity was coming back this year, I jumped on it.
"It's inspiring. Seeing all these other injured people out here recharges my battery to be able to go home and dive back in to physical therapy."
Today's GS will take place at 10 a.m. on the Peak 9 Sundown course.
Adam Boffey can be contacted at (970)668-3998, ext. 13631 or at aboffey@summitdaily.com.
