Chris Klebl and Monica Bascio each competed in their first Paralympic Winter Games in Torino.

Both athletes were involved in competitive handcycling before being introduced to Nordic skiing, when they were each looking for outdoor winter workouts. They each had their first World Cup Nordic ski race in 2004, and both have had Paralympic veterans to help them along in their training. For Bascio, it was five-time Winter Paralympian Candace Cable (Truckee, Calif.). For Klebl, it was three-time Winter Paralympian Bob Balk (Long Beach, Calif.)

“Candace has been a great mentor,” Bascio said. “She’s done so much for the sport, and she took me out on my very first Nordic ski. It was a great experience. Her genuine love for the sport definitely shows through when you talk about it or when you ski with her. I have nothing but the greatest respect for her as a competitor and a teammate.”

Klebl was also quick to heap praise on Balk, who has served as a great mentor and training partner.

“Bob has definitely been a huge asset,” Klebl said. “He and I tend to train at the same intensity levels. We have a really great dialogue between us.  I’m going to miss him a lot when he retires.”

Although handcycling gave each of them the benefit of being great endurance athletes before crossing over to Nordic skiing, Bascio and Klebl have had to adjust to one major fundamental difference that exists between their two sports.

“I think the biggest difference is that Nordic skiing is much more of a power sport,” Klebl said. “You have to be able to apply power at such a high level, repeatedly, whereas in cycling is a much smoother motion.”

The need for that extra power has meant that both athletes have needed to change some of the focus in their training, but both agreed that the discipline they gained through handcycling has helped them to make that adjustment.

In addition to making the switch to cross-country skiing, Bascio has added another element to her preparation: shooting. She began training with a shooting coach last November, which Bascio admitted wasn’t long enough, so that she could compete in the biathlon events in Torino. She finished fifth in the long-distance event and sixth in the short-distance race.

Bascio said that she still needs to improve on her shooting to become a strong medal contender.She shoots from a prone stance in competition, which means she has to tip over on her side and then twist, making it hard to get in good position to take her shots.

“You’re not really getting an equally prone stance, and your shooting hold is compromised, so that’s been really challenging to find a position that works,” Bascio said before the Games. “I have definitely been improving. My big-picture plan for biathlon is for Vancouver in 2010.”

When he isn’t training, Klebl works feverishly on designing his own sit-ski and finding the fastest skis available. After seeing the equipment from other skiers from around the world and watching as the sit-ski field has become more and more competitive, Klebl is constantly tinkering in an effort to gain every second he can.

“If you look at results, from even 2002, you could have been in seventh place then, and now you’d be in 25th,” Klebl said. “Ten seconds here, five seconds there, it all makes a big difference.”

Klebl is on his sixth sit-ski model, and Bascio has such confidence in it that she has begun using it herself.

“The fact that Monica has chosen to ski on my sit-ski is a good indication that I’m on the right track not only for myself but for other skiers,” Klebl said.

The two have had the opportunity to train together in the past, something both athletes said has been very helpful.

“Working out with him is such a great motivator,” Bascio said. “It’s a good gauge and it’s good for technique. It’s always good to see what another sit-skier is doing.”

“It’s being in the same location with someone else that can get you out for that second training session,” Klebl said. “There’s that friendly pushing that is there. It’s a community thing.”

Now, as each athlete looks ahead to Vancouver with Paralympic Winter Games experience under their belt, Bascio and Klebl will hope that the training and experience they gain between now and 2010 can bring their respective paths to another similar place: the Paralympic Winter Games medals podium.