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U.S. women dominate

By Ray Grass
Deseret News Paralympics specialist

      SNOWBASIN — The story as the Paralympics hit the midway point in alpine skiing is, hands down, the women of the U.S. Disabled Ski Team.
      They have dominated these Games. This is especially so in the sit-ski or mono-ski division. The women swept the medals in both the downhill and super-G earlier in the week.
      The question Thursday morning was : Can they continue at this pace?
      "Our goal is to get USA women one-two-three in all four events. Right now we're two for four. Not bad," said Muffy Davis of Park City, herself a double silver winner.
      Her teammate, Sarah Will of Vail, has won two golds in the mono-ski division and Sarah Billmeier of Yarmouth, Maine, has won two golds in the stand-up class.
      Thus far the only American to double up, and the only American to medal in the men's super-G, is Chris Devlin-Young.
      Chris Waddell of Park City won golds in both the slalom and giant slalom in Lillehammer, Norway, in 1994. Wednesday he came in third in the giant slalom. Jason Lalla of Bradford, N.H., won a silver Wednesday.
      This past summer, Waddell launched into a new training program he said has made him quicker and stronger.
      He trained anywhere from two to six hours a day and underwent training as technical, demanding and advanced as for any able-bodied skier.
      He lifted, pushed, pulled, threw and balanced on just about every piece of equipment other skiers do, even in the use of the inflatable ball. It's the latest in developing balance and strength.
      Of the four disciplines, the giant slalom is his favorite. It is, for him, demanding both technically and tactically, "so when I do well, I get a real sense of accomplishment."
      It is also an event he feels looks as graceful and as easy as able-bodied skiers make it look. Waddell was injured in a skiing accident while competing for Middlebury.
      Lalla was the defending gold medalist in the GS. "I started letting my skiing happen. I wasn't as caught-up in how my skiing looked," he said.
      Can the U.S. men pick up the pace and put some more skiers on the podium? Slalom events Friday and Saturday will tell.