September 17, 2008 – The U.S. Disabled Alpine Ski Team’s Chris Devlin-Young (sit-ski; Campton, NH) may be well known for having Paralympic medals, national titles and being the current World Cup super G champion. But, throw an appreciation of Shakespearian set design and guitar making in the mix and you’ll have an idea of what the master of the mono ski has been up to all summer.

What are you looking forward to most about the upcoming season
Chris Devlin-Young: Because if an injury to my legs, it’s been six months since I have been on snow, so I’m really excited. My first day back is going to be down in Portillo, Chile and for me that place really turned my season around last year. I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for that place. I’m also looking forward to racing on the Olympic hill for the first time in Vancouver.

What have you been up to this summer
CDY: I have been working for a Shakespearian summer festival and working on my guitar. I’m building my first guitar right now in the hope of some day into a business of building musical instruments.

Let’s talk about this Shakespeare thing. What are you doing with the festival
CDY: I’ve been volunteering my time to build their set. So, imagine a set as big as a house all built from a wheelchair. It took about a month. I also had a couple of college students helping me.

Do you have a favorite play by Shakespeare
CDY: I don’t know most of them, but my favorite so far is The Taming of the Shrew.

Any particular reason for that choice
CDY: Ha ha yeah! The guy wins! No. It’s just the story line. The sacrifices that the two of them had to make to come together in that time when women were supposed to be subservient to men. In the end they say the shrew, Kate, has been tamed, but she won the battle on her own terms as opposed to anybody else’s. It’s a testament to the human spirit of endurance and perseverance.

So, on this guitar building, what got you into that
CDY: It started when I met this guy John McCain – no relation to the candidate – and he builds wooden instruments. Being a woodworker really fascinated me. The prospect of building something that comes to life like a musical instrument was really appealing to me. In Chile last year, meeting Bryon Friedman and talking to him about music really cemented the deal for me.

What are you going to do with the rest of your summer before you head back in to the daily grind of being a competitor
All two days of it? Well, I’m going to try to relax and get a nice bike ride in. My hope is to just continue to enjoy the fact that I am still here, I’m still alive and I’m still having fun. I have what looks to be a very promising season ahead of me and I am excited to get back.