Ski Racing - February 8, 2010

FORERUNNER

OUT OF THE GATE

All About VANCOUVER

U.S. adaptive alpiners weather tough
start, build on recent successes and look
to peak at 2010 Paralympic Games
BY BRYCE HUBNER

ERIC LEIRFALLOM (2)

“Our goal right now is not necessarily World Cup or Nation’s Cup suc-
cess,” U.S. Adaptive Team coach Erik Leirfallom says. “We’ve designed our
entire season around trying to make sure the athletes are at their best when
we get to Vancouver. From technical work to conditioning to experimenting
with equipment setups, they’re [working through whatever kinks necessary]
to make sure we’re ready to win medals at the Paralympics.”
Leirfallom’s plan seems to be working. Surviving rugged, bulletproof condi-
tions in what he describes as a disappointing start to the World Cup season at
tech events in Patscherkofel and Abtenau, Austria, Leirfallom’s athletes have
been honed in on the podium ever since.
“Our opening World Cups in Austria were tough — really tough conditions,
and we started a little slow,” Leirfallom says. “But we’ve had incredible re-
sults lately and we’ve seen a bunch of up-and-comers hit the scene. Visually
impaired skier Danelle Umstead has had a tons of top-10s and several po-
diums. Alana Nichols, who races women’s sitting, has been very strong, too
— especially in speed. This is Alana’s first year on the team and she’s rapidly
becoming one of our medal favorites. We also have Allison Jones, a veteran of
the team who’s always been really good on the tech side and who’s now finding
awesome speed in downhill and super G.”
The adaptive men are arcing into fine form, too. Battle-tested sit-skiers
Chris Devlin-Young and Tyler Walker have been leading the charge, as Dev-
lin-Young has collected a handful of World Cup podiums with Walker close
behind. On a bluebird day in Aspen, Colo., on Jan. 31, Walker also success-
fully defended his 2009 mono X title at ESPN’s Winter X Games, completely
dominating the terrain and his competitors in the final heat. (See pages 48 to
51 for the X Games report.)
“Like Umstead and Nichols on the ladies’ side, the men have also had some
new faces find success,” Leirfallom says. “Men’s sitting skier Heath Calhoun
has had a lot of top- 10 and top- 20 finishes on the World Cup this year, and it’s
only his first year on the development team.”

Monte Meier at Abtenau.

Leirfallom’s World Cuppers just came off a successful block of speed races
in Sestriere, Italy, and most of the athletes are now in the U.S. and focused
on a quality training and rest block before the final push to the Paralympics,
which run from March 12 to 21 at the exact same venues as the 2010 Olym-
pic Winter Games. “Next, we have a camp set up at Vail for all the athletes,”
Leirfallom says. “That’ll bring us right into our World Cup Finals at Aspen in
late February, and then from Aspen we go straight to processing and up to
Vancouver for the Games.”
Leirfallom says the U.S. Adaptive Ski Team will not announce its Paralym-
pic squad until late February, just before World Cup finals commence in As-
pen. He expects to name as
many as 30 or 35 athletes
across all categories in both
sexes.
“Again, the slow start
doesn’t really concern us
because our goal right now
is medals at the Paralym-
pics, and that’s all we’re
working towards,” Leirfal-
lom says. “We’ll take all of
our tough races along with
our good ones, learn from
those lessons, and then
carry that with us right to
Vancouver.” Allison Jones, third at Sestriere.