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03/12 13:10 CDT Visually impaired skier racer Meg Gustafson chases Paralympic
medals with her brother as guide
Visually impaired skier racer Meg Gustafson chases Paralympic medals with her
brother as guide
By TALES AZZONI and PAT GRAHAM
AP Sports Writers
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) --- As kids, Para ski racer Meg Gustafson
followed the lead of her older brother as they explored the mountains on family
vacations.
Now, he's paving the way for a chance at Paralympic medals. As a visually
impaired athlete, the 16-year-old Gustafson relies on her sibling, Spenser, to
guide her through the course at the Milan Cortina Games.
It's a bond forged by years of skiing together in Minnesota and Colorado, and
strengthened by honesty --- they're not afraid to share their true thoughts ---
and, above all, trust. Because they inspect the course together, go over a game
plan together and then Meg follows the orange blur --- Spenser wears that color
of snow pants and jacket to stand out --- down the hill.
"We try to keep the brother-sister rivalry out of the relationship before and
during the race. But after the race, sometimes it comes out," the 18-year-old
Spenser said with a laugh. "We're very close on and off the slopes, and this
has only made us closer."
On Thursday, the duo turned in their best performance yet --- taking fifth in
the giant slalom in the visually impaired classification. They close out their
Paralympics with a slalom on Saturday, which is Meg's best event and one where
she could bring home a medal. She was also sixth in the downhill, seventh in
the Alpine combined and eighth in the super-G.
For them, it's all about communication. She listens to his instructions on the
course via their Bluetooth headsets.
In fact, his words are all she hears.
"Just blocking everything out except for your guide and the snow underneath
your feet is definitely a big part," Meg explained. "I think that being brother
and sister helps our relationship because I'm not afraid to criticize our
dynamics. But I'm also open to him and all of his suggestions."
Genetic disorder affects the ligaments in her eyes Meg was born with a genetic disorder that affected the ligaments in her eyes and gives her tunnel vision. She had a fully detached retina at 12, which required four surgeries, and another two operations on the other eye. She said she has seven degrees of vision, which is why their guide-athlete tandem is a little different. "I prefer him straight in the line of where I'm going to ski because I can only either focus on him or the gate. I cannot see both at the same time," Meg explained. What that means is Spenser skis about a gate ahead of her. He hollers instructions, too, simple cues like, "left-footed hairpin," to signify a challenging set of upcoming slalom gates. "I'll remind her to stand tall and get her hips up, stuff like that," Spenser said. His mission is simple: Don't mess up. Because if he gets too far ahead, they can be disqualified. And if he falls, her run is over as well. "I can't crash. I can't lose a ski," Spenser said. "I have my bindings probably turned up way too high, because I'm too scared of losing a ski." Laughed Meg: "Yeah, I think that's when the sibling rivalry would really come out."
How it began They grew up skiing at Hyland Hills Ski Area in Minnesota. For vacations, they frequently went West to the slopes of Colorado. She'd always try to keep up with Spenser. The family eventually moved to Colorado, with both taking part in ski racing and both members of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail. Meg competed against able-bodied racers. They were introduced to the Para skiing community through Erik Petersen, the competition center director at the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Winter Park. From there, the tandem quickly ascended. Meg won seven FIS races in the lead-up to the Paralympics. Her brother has been helping guide the way. "It's definitely a collaboration," Meg said. "Ultimately, if he skis a different line than I take, I'm typically going to follow him. I rely heavily on his line. So if he says this is the fastest line, I am going to trust him on that and follow his line." Although they listen to each other, they're not afraid to voice their opinions. You know, like siblings do. "Definitely can be antagonistic," Spenser cracked about their relationship. "But I think the sibling combo is one of the more effective combos of (visually impaired) guide-to-athletes. You're not afraid to tell the other person what you think, which is important. And they also know the athlete. They know what's going to push them too far and what's not going to be the best for their performance." Spenser has ski-racing ambitions one day, too. He'd like to compete in college. But this has been a "super-cool experience to be here," he said. Same for Meg. "It's incredible that I get to compete with my big brother," Meg said. "It's a great experience." ___ Graham contributed from Denver. ___ AP Winter Paralympics: https://apnews.com/hub/paralympic-games
Genetic disorder affects the ligaments in her eyes Meg was born with a genetic disorder that affected the ligaments in her eyes and gives her tunnel vision. She had a fully detached retina at 12, which required four surgeries, and another two operations on the other eye. She said she has seven degrees of vision, which is why their guide-athlete tandem is a little different. "I prefer him straight in the line of where I'm going to ski because I can only either focus on him or the gate. I cannot see both at the same time," Meg explained. What that means is Spenser skis about a gate ahead of her. He hollers instructions, too, simple cues like, "left-footed hairpin," to signify a challenging set of upcoming slalom gates. "I'll remind her to stand tall and get her hips up, stuff like that," Spenser said. His mission is simple: Don't mess up. Because if he gets too far ahead, they can be disqualified. And if he falls, her run is over as well. "I can't crash. I can't lose a ski," Spenser said. "I have my bindings probably turned up way too high, because I'm too scared of losing a ski." Laughed Meg: "Yeah, I think that's when the sibling rivalry would really come out."
How it began They grew up skiing at Hyland Hills Ski Area in Minnesota. For vacations, they frequently went West to the slopes of Colorado. She'd always try to keep up with Spenser. The family eventually moved to Colorado, with both taking part in ski racing and both members of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail. Meg competed against able-bodied racers. They were introduced to the Para skiing community through Erik Petersen, the competition center director at the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Winter Park. From there, the tandem quickly ascended. Meg won seven FIS races in the lead-up to the Paralympics. Her brother has been helping guide the way. "It's definitely a collaboration," Meg said. "Ultimately, if he skis a different line than I take, I'm typically going to follow him. I rely heavily on his line. So if he says this is the fastest line, I am going to trust him on that and follow his line." Although they listen to each other, they're not afraid to voice their opinions. You know, like siblings do. "Definitely can be antagonistic," Spenser cracked about their relationship. "But I think the sibling combo is one of the more effective combos of (visually impaired) guide-to-athletes. You're not afraid to tell the other person what you think, which is important. And they also know the athlete. They know what's going to push them too far and what's not going to be the best for their performance." Spenser has ski-racing ambitions one day, too. He'd like to compete in college. But this has been a "super-cool experience to be here," he said. Same for Meg. "It's incredible that I get to compete with my big brother," Meg said. "It's a great experience." ___ Graham contributed from Denver. ___ AP Winter Paralympics: https://apnews.com/hub/paralympic-games
