DISABLED
ATHLETES OF THE YEAR 2005
Bill Furbish (MP1 - USA)
The MP1 category is for quadriplegics who ski the three events of slalom,
tricks and jump under rules very similar to tournament. However, since the
athletes do not have functioning hand grip muscles, they must hold the ski
handle with their wrists. These skiers use the inner course in slalom.
Bill won gold (slalom) and silver (tricks) medals at the recent World
Championships in his two events, was the only American skier to set a World
Record at worlds (in slalom) and contributed more team points than any other
skier to the
Adaline Fahey (MP3 - GBR)
The MP3 category is for paraplegics who ski the three events of slalom,
tricks and jump under rules very similar to tournament. The very elite athletes
such as Adaline are now slaloming on the outer,
able-body course.
In 2005, Adaline was undefeated in the MP3
category, and her performance at the World Championships was a fitting
culmination to her entire ski season. Skiing in the largest and most competitive
women's division, she was unbeatable and excelled all six times she hit the
water, garnering the top score each time. She won all three individual events
and overall, the only slalom skier in her division to complete a pass on the
outer course (versus the inner course still used by many in her division even
at the world level), and the only trick skier to exceed 1000 pts. As if that
were not enough, she was the only skier, male or female, to exceed the world
record standard in all three events. To achieve that, she set two world slalom
records and one world jump record, all three now approved, so that she now
holds the world record in all three events. She also ran two world trick record
scores in Schoten which were both downgraded to
scores below the record she currently holds.
Leading up to the Worlds, she skied in four tournaments. In two of them, she
equaled her then slalom world record, in a third she was a buoy below it and in
the fourth, she exceeded it by one. She also surpassed her current world record
in tricks twice while equaling it in a third tournament. Finally, she exceeded
the then world record in jump (not hers at the time) twice and equaled it once.
Unfortunately, most of her events were not homologated as world record so there
were few record submissions, and the one submitted in jump was reduced upon
review. However, leaving no doubt, she certainly proved that her summer of
victories was no fluke through her stellar, record setting and dominating
performance at the season ending World Championships.