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Friday, February 28, 2014
Downhill from here
Sayonara Sochi, salut South Korea
Whistler launchpad: Duncan man living the Winter Olympic dream
Duncan skier: Luscombe primed and ready for the Sochi Paralympics
Don Bodger
News Leader Pictorial
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Peter W. Rusland
News Leader Pictorial
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aralympic skier Braydon Luscombe aims to follow his team’s slogan and “put the metal to the carpet” — and land on the podium in Sochi, Russia. Slalom may be Luscombe’s best shot at gold in the March 11 to 18 Games, he explained sitting at home near North Cowichan’s Art Mann Park with faithful dachshund, Lola, snoozing on his lap. If that sounds like a lofty goal, it’s not without reason. Olympic athletes can test courses in countries set to host the games one year earlier. Luscombe liked what he saw. “I placed fifth in test event for slalom last year,” he said of runs at Sochi. “Really, I’ll just do my best and see what that can give me, but I’m aiming for fifth or better in slalom.” But to standing-skier Luscombe, 21, there definitely is no ‘I’ in teamwork. “Our team’s attitude is that we’re really adaptable,” he said, citing his four committed Que-
Braydon’s best • First World Cup season: 2012 • Six top-10 finishes on the IPC World Cup circuit • 2013 Canadian champion in giant slalom • Ninth in downhill at the IPC 2013 Alpine Skiing World Championships, Spain • Hobby: drawing • Possible career: RCMP
BC, WE LOVE YOU. With the Winter Olympics leaving a warm afterglow in Sochi, local Paralympic skier Braydon Luscombe takes aim to follow them AND APPARENTLY, IT'S MUTUAL. on to the Sochi podium. Andrew Leong
becois coaches — one of whom inspired his racers “put the pedal to the carpet” philosophy. “Dealing with different disabilities, our team have a good way of finding different solutions to problems; we carry on and give it another go.” Going to Sochi with 13 other male and female athletes — blind, sitting or standing skiers #— is a dream come true for 1 Luscombe. The former Duncan Christian School and Cowichan Secondary student started on a single plank at age six after healing from losing his right leg, across the knee, a year earlier to flesh-eating necrotizing fasciitis. But being in a skiing family — dad Scott, mom Charmaine, brothers Jordan and Tyler, plus sister Hannah — Luscombe came to love the thrill of going down hills.
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“I like the speed of racing; getthe national team in 2011. He ting to the bottom and thinking also carried the International ‘That was a good run’,CIVIC or ‘You Paralympic Committee flag dur# 2014 DX 1 can do better.’” ing the opening of Vancouver’s Lease for 2.99 Not having losing 2010 Games. $ skied before 0 down his leg, he didn’t miss$his limb. Luscombe’s method sees him It was compensated by variuse the edges of one of his ous prosthetic legs from NaRossignol boards, balanced by naimo maker Bryan Mitchell; two outriggers — metal arms he techniques perfected at Mount holds, with little skis attached. Washington and elsewhere; The idea is to use the outriggers plus a super-positive 2014 mental CR-V LX as little as possible to reduce Lease for attitude. snow drag. 1.99 Charmaine said “I just use them to touch down $ sulking wasn’t $ 0 down part of Luscombe’s ken. when I feel a moment of imbal“He was never found cryance. We practise without outriging ‘Poor me’. We encouraged gers, or with ski poles.” his ability, which is huge. We Practice doesn’t always make couldn’t hold Braydon back from perfect. Charmaine was horrified anything — you’d never know seeing her son wipe out in Sochi # 1has an artifi2014 he cial legACCORD from hisLX on TV. for behaviour Lease or attitude.” “It’s really hard on a mom 2.99 Years of $ tuning the mechanwatching a crash like that, and $ 0 down wait, crying until 1 a.m. for call, ics of downhill, slalom, giant slalom, super-G, and supersaying ‘I’m OK mom.’” more on page 16 combined events saw him make
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uncan’s Paul Francisty ventured to Sochi, Russia to work at the Olympic Winter Games, but you know what they say about all work and no play. Francisty found plenty of time for play and to enjoy the atmosphere of the Games while doing his part as a course worker for alpine skiing events at the Rosa Khutor Resort. Francisty’s responsibilities were to “maintain a course and the gate you’re attached to,’’ he explained. Francisty experienced first-hand the inner workings of the Games, just as he did at Whistler during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and will do again in Don Bodger four years’ time in Korea. Paul Francisty and his green bib. “I got excited about Sochi because it’s a different country, same thing with Korea,’’ Francisty said. The only thing is the travel to that part of the world from here can be rather arduous. It was a 43-hour ordeal from start to finish for Francisty before he returned home to the valley Monday night. “The connections are not the best,’’ he understated. Now just how did Francisty attain such as prime assignment? Well, he’s been around the slopes of Mount Washington and beyond for a long time, for starters. “I’ve been involved with alpine racing for 20 years now,’’ he said. “I do all the World Cups. This was a no-brainer.’’ The invitations went out to apply for placement at the Olympics two years ago and Francisty jumped at it. The process got bogged down in the later stages leading up to the Games. “Russians like their paperwork and you follow it,’’ Francisty said. It took a while to sort everything out, and he didn’t actually book his trip until mid-January. Francisty said it took some 27,000 volunteers to run the Olympics compared to 10,000 in Vancouver. “The Russians wanted to run the Olympics themselves,’’ he said. “They didn’t want international workers.’’ more on page 14 bchonda.com
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