OREM, Utah — Sitting at the top of the luge run at Torino, Italy, last November, Michelle Despain knew it was her last chance. With three runs to qualify for the 2006 Winter Olympics, she had missed the mark on the previous two.
Then a scripture popped into her head.
"Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith.
"Nevertheless — whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people." (Mosiah 23:21-22.)
After that thought, she prayed, "Heavenly Father, I'm trusting you. If I qualify and make it to the Olympics, that would be good. But I don't have to. Just help me to be safe."
Being safe was important to her because two days earlier she had injured herself during a practice run and was still hurting, she said during a Church News telephone interview. Another crash could make it worse, she knew.
After her prayer, she decided if she had a bad feeling, she would just stop. "But I felt all right," said Michelle, a member of the Lindon 22nd (YSA) Ward, Lindon Utah Stake.
The run went well and her time put her within 7 percent of the fastest time, the requirement for Olympic qualifying.
Now she is in Italy where she will compete under the Argentine flag in the women's luge Feb. 13 and 14. Her father, Richard, is from the United States; her mother, Susana Carbajal Despain, is from Argentina and Michelle was born there during a family visit, giving her dual citizenship.
Michelle, who has been sliding for less than three years, traveled to Torino in November for a World Cup event in conjunction with the Olympic qualifying opportunity. Her faith was tested following the crash on curve 18 during a practice run.
The previous winter, she had also been there where part of the track was open for practice. Curve 18 was the site of several accidents at that time including, Michelle said, one which put a slider in a coma; the worst accident she had ever seen.
The real problem, she pointed out, is curve 17. A mistake there makes the luger vulnerable on the next curve, and that's what happened to her.
She described her crash: "The curve took me up and spit me back, and picked me up and spit me out again." Riding her 50-pound sled, she hit a wall going about 70 miles per hour, jamming her entire body. At first, she felt only a pain in her knee. But later, she felt excruciating pain in her back. She couldn't even think of lifting her sled, let alone make another run.
Her coach, Ioan Apostol of Romania, told her if she was in too much pain to compete the next day, he wouldn't dare let her attempt to qualify for the Olympics. That night, she prayed a lot and read her scriptures. She received a priesthood blessing from family friend Werner Hoeger who is from Idaho and competing for Venezuela in the Olympics luge races. (Racers competing for several small countries traveled together as a team, Michelle said.)
She woke up the next morning still hurting too bad to slide. "I guess that's it," she thought.
She spent the day in the hotel. When teammates returned in the evening, they told Michelle the coach was willing to let her try to qualify the next day if she felt well enough.
That night, she called her family and asked them to pray for her. She said she prayed herself, and read her scriptures, including the passage in Mosiah that would inspire her the next day.
She still struggled with the pain the next morning, but she could move and bend, "and I could actually pick up my sled." She was confident that Lord was with her and helped her accomplish what she set out to do once she put her trust in Him.
Best of all, she will compete in the Olympics fully recovered from her crash, just as Brother Hoeger promised her through the priesthood blessing.
E-mail to: ghill@desnews.com
