Tompkins continues his dream

SNOW BASIN, Utah -- With a disappointed shake of his head, Joe Tompkins entered the finish area of Sunday's Super G race held at Snow Basin, Utah.

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As in Saturday's downhill, Tompkins placed sixth in his final chance for a medal at the 2002 Winter Paralympic Games.

But Tompkins' disappointment didn't last long. Soon he was barely visible amidst the crowd of admiring fans who surrounded him asking for autographs on everything from tickets to t-shirts. Tompkins' broad smile and obvious pleasure from living his dream returned.

Several factors contributed to today's sixth place finish, including a shorter course, flat lighting, and softer snow conditions.

The Super G is a "quicker course, not as fast as the downhill," the 33-year-old athlete explained, adding that he was pleased with his performance considering how many mistakes he made.

Joe's biggest mistake took place when he took the "drop," a jump halfway down the course.

"I landed off the jump, aimed right at the next gate and had to make a quick move or go out. And I wasn't going to go out," said Tompkins.

In fact, 15 of Sunday's 45 mono-skiers, including three teammates, didn't finish the course because of crashes in the uneven snow conditions.

After making a quick correction, Tompkins tried to make up speed in the second half of the course. But instead of making up time, Tompkins made more mistakes.

"I was hitting so close to the gates it was crazy," he said. "I've never really done it like that."

As with Saturday's finish, Tompkins said he felt fine placing sixth, noting that he placed as the top U.S. racer in his class, beating teammates and contenders Ken Lacome and Carl Burnett.

Tompkins' real time of 1 minute, 36.37 seconds, adjusted to 1:19.80 for his disability level, was 6.04 seconds behind the winning adjusted time of 1:13.76 posted by LW-11 Class gold medalist Fabrizio Zardini of Italy. Andreas Schiestl of Austria, who took the gold in Saturday's race, placed second with an adjusted time of 1:14.56, and Denis Barbet of France won the bronze with an adjusted time of 1:15.15.

Teammate Chris Devlin-Young, who took the silver in the Saturday's race, won the Gold in his LW-12/1 class with an adjusted time of 1:11.29, beating second-place finisher Daniel Wesley of Canada by 1.20 seconds.

With his Paralympic races over for now, Tompkins plans to spend the rest of the week golfing and skiing with his family before preparing for the upcoming U.S. Nationals being held in Big Sky, Mont. He'll also be cheering on his teammates as they compete in the slalom and giant slalom beginning Wednesday.

Tompkins plans to continue ski racing through the 2006 Winter Paralympics in Torino, Italy, but otherwise says he has no definite plans.

He is considering training to ride his handcycle in the Midnight Sun Ultra Challenge, a six-day 236 mile stage race from Fairbanks to Anchorage created by Don Brandon of Juneau. But his obvious focus remains on ski racing.

The wheelchair/handcycle race would be a "good way to get into shape for next year," Tompkins said.

Having accomplished his dream of being in the 2002 Paralympics, Tompkins can spend a few days relaxing.

"I'm going to enjoy myself," he said.

Lori Batcheller is the author of "Alpine Achievement: A Chronicle of the United States Ski Team," which features the remarkable stories of Tompkins and his teammates and includes the history of disabled skiing and information on becoming involved. To order, call 1-888-280-7715 or visit the Web site at http://www.Lbcreative.com/aa.