Chris Waddell

Last season, despite injuries, Chris earned three gold medals: one in giant slalom at the World Disabled Alpine Championships, one in slalom at the Worlds...and a mythical gold in juggling. Waddell, paralyzed below the waist in a 1988 skiing accident, balanced ski training and wheelchair race training as he prepped for the World Championships last January and then the '96 Paralympics, shortly after the Summer Olympics left Atlanta.

Chris showed his mental and physical toughness, though, collecting the gate-running titles in Lech, Austria and then coming home to qualify for four individual events at the Summer Paralympics. He planned a break after the Paralympics until at least mid-October.

"I've got some decisions to make. This sport requires a full time commitment and I'm not sure I can do that any more. Last season was a little frustrating -- I had my eye on a couple of things and that affected my performance. I tried to do too much on snow and didn't ski to my potential [in Lech]. As the week progressed, things started coming together but it still wasn't up to the standard I expect....It's been tough being

Chris started skiing at three and made a quick cross-over to mono-skiing after his mishap. Waddell was the unquestioned No. 1 mono-skier during the '93 and '94 seasons -- he captured 12 races in '93 -- and showed last winter that a summer of wheelchair track can boost your ski conditioning too.