Born in San Diego, Young was paralyzed in a plane crash in Alaska while serving in the United States Coast Guard in 1982. He learned to ski at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in 1986 as a "four-tracker," standing on two skis while using outriggers. He was named to the U.S. Disabled Ski Team in 1989 and competed in the 1990 Disabled Skiing World Championships in Winter Park, Colorado, winning a silver medal and two bronzes in the LW-1 class. Young missed the 1992 Winter Paralympic team but qualified for the 1994 Games in Lillehammer, Norway, where he won gold in the slalom.