Outlook Healthy for Meno and Sand

Jenni Meno and Todd Sand decided to prepare for the Winter Olympics the old-fashioned way.

Practice, practice, practice.

The Aliso Viejo couple could have hit the road, skating in far-flung competitions (which seem to be on television every weekend). Instead, they moved down the mountain from last season’s training venue at Lake Arrowhead, returned to Orange County and limited their Olympic tuneup to one international competition.

“We felt like last year we traveled too much,” Meno said. “In the end, we had the back injury [Sand’s], which really hindered our training for the World Championships. We decided last spring we would stay home and train very hard and keep ourselves strong and healthy.

“Going into the national championships, we were probably skating better than we have. “

Said Sand: “This year, we planned the year out to peak for nationals and Olympics and to stay healthy. Ironically, Jenni was the one that had the problem, unfortunately.”

Meno fell in practice the day of the long program at nationals in Philadelphia and injured her right ankle, a deep bone bruise. The pair withdrew and returned home for low-impact training and therapy. Tuesday, Meno and Sand were declared fit for the Olympics.

It will be their third Olympics. In 1994, they finished fifth in Lillehammer, Norway. They competed with other partners at Albertville, France, in the 1992 Games.

The three-time national champions and two-time world bronze medalists are hardly overconfident. They lost their hold on the national title in 1997 to Kyoko Ina and Jason Dungjen and the national competition at Philadelphia represented a chance to recapture the crown.

But the international outlook is not set in stone. There have been five different pairs at the top the last five World Championships. And Meno, 27, and Sand, 34, have established reputations internationally.

“We feel very strongly there are perhaps six pairs, any one of which can win a title,” said John Nicks, who is the coach of Meno and Sand. “Things have been going up and down all year.”

* Did you know? The last time Meno and Sand competed in the Olympics, at Lillehammer, Sand proposed to her a few hours before their short program. They were married in 1995.

A quick look at some other Southern California residents competing in the Winter Olympics at Nagano, Japan.

* Cara-Beth Burnside, 29, Orange, Snowboarding: Probably the best thing that could have happened was that Burnside crashed and burned when she first took up snowboarding in 1990. “I was so mad that I decided I would have to get good at snowboarding,” she said.

She placed second at the 1995 International Snowboard Federation (ISF) World Championships in halfpipe and seventh in 1997.

* Did you know? She was named 1996 female skateboarder of the year by Thrasher magazine.

* Matt Grosjean, 27, Aliso Viejo, Alpine skiing: Grosjean, who will be competing in his third Olympics, mulled retirement last spring but decided against it.

He is the top-ranked American slalom skier and placed fourth, seventh and ninth in slalom events last season. As of last week, he is 32nd in the slalom and 61st overall in the World Cup rankings this season.

* Did you know? Grosjean plans on a career in the securities business after he quits world-class skiing, but says: “Driving down the freeway, jacket and necktie, cup of coffee . . . it’s not the Matt Grosjean I know.”

* Derek Parra, 27, San Bernardino, Speedskating (long track): Parra was an in-line roller skating world champion before moving to ice. He placed fourth at the 1997 U.S. All-Around Championships after only one week on ice. In Japan, he will be competing in the 5,000 meters.

* Did you know? Parra, in his roller speedskating days, was hit by an officials’ car during the men’s marathon at the Pan American Games in 1995 in Argentina. He rolled several times, got up, and won the race.

* Rusty Smith, 18, Sunset Beach, Speedskating (short track): Smith has survived several major injuries in his young career and a lack of sponsorship to become one of the best in the United States. In Japan, he’ll compete in solo races in the 500 meters and 1,000 meters, as well as the 5,000-meter relay team.

* Did you know? Smith is named after former major league baseball player Rusty Staub.