Cycling medalist Jones shifts focus to ski racing

Allison Jones of the U.S. disabled alpine team is once again focused on her winter sport of ski racing less than two months after pulling off a rare feat in sports: earning a medal in both the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games.
Allison Jones of the U.S. disabled alpine team is once again focused on her winter sport of ski racing less than two months after pulling off a rare feat in sports: earning a medal in both the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games.
    Jones, who won two silver medals in super G and giant slalom in 2002 in Salt Lake City, gold in slalom at the 2006 Paralympics and earned the silver medal in the 24-kilometer cycling event this past August in Beijing, the race was hard fought, and extremely hot.
    "It was 110 degrees on the dam where the race started and it was 105 degrees on the backside. We try to train for the heat but that was beyond what anyone expected," Jones says. "When the race started I knew it was my one shot to get a medal. It was the race where I knew I had to lay it all out on the line."
    Jones gave it her all in the two-lap event, and in the end, she said her result meant the most to her.
    "I ended up winning the race but they use the factor system to equalize the disabilities and as soon as that was applied I got second. So I couldn't have complained. I knew I won the race and that's what I went out to do," Jones said.
    "It's awesome knowing that I accomplished it," Jones said of her winter and summer Paralympic medals. "It's one of those goals that I set a while ago and it really didn't matter that it was two sports – I just wanted to medal in cycling and skiing."
    Following her medal performance, Jones took in the sights and sounds of China before heading back to the States, but looking back on her experience there, she says she couldn't have done it without the support from those around her.
    "I was just glad to have the support that we had. We had great coaches that are willing to work with me with the crazy schedules with two sports," Jones said. "I was grateful for everyone that supported me because unless I had that support there was no way I could have gotten that done."
    Now back from her Paralympic experience, Jones is again focused on skiing and has her sights set on Vancouver in 2010. Jones’ performance on the World Cup last season earned her the Ski Racing Disabled Skier of the Year award.
    "I'm excited to get back. I'm hearing about the snow falling in the mountains and I'm getting ready for it," Jones said. "Vancouver is really close and it's something where I'm excited to get there. I'm just going to keep going forward for Vancouver."
    When asked if she wants to medal again, Jones says, "Of course I want to medal. I always want to medal, but I know that if I get fourth place and I know I did everything I could possibly do, then I can't ask for much more than that. All I ask for is a good race and a fun time."
    Jones now takes up training with the U.S. disabled alpine team in preparation for the season's first competition in Breckenridge  with The Hartford Ski Spectacular Dec. 9-12.

    — USSA release