Press Center
For Immediate Release
November 1, 2007
Media Contact:
John Dakin
(970) 949-1999
U.S. SKI TEAM’S “YOUNG GUNS” TAKE AIM AT BIRDS OF PREY
Charles Schwab World Cup Race Week November 27-December 2, 2008
Best-selling financial author Roger G. Allen once offered that “in case you’re worried about what’s going to become of the younger generation, it’s going to grow up and start worrying about the younger generation.”
Perhaps this may well be true for the vast majority, but the current crop of American ski racers, are squarely focused on the present, as the U.S. Ski Team’s “Young Guns” take aim at the annual Charles Schwab World Cup Race Week in Beaver Creek.
Take for instance 25-year-old Steven Nyman. The Utah native recorded a break out season last winter, claiming his inaugural career podium appearance with a third finish on the Birds of Prey racecourse, before climbing to the top step of the podium with his first World Cup Downhill victory in Val Gardena, Italy just two weeks later. Nyman, whose father ran the ski school for Sundance Resort, skied his way to a third place finish in the Downhill portion of the Super Combined at the 2007 World Alpine Ski Championships in Are, Sweden, and eventually finished ninth.
While Nyman’s on-hill exploits are impressive for a racer heading into only his third full season of World Cup competition, his off-season efforts are equally impressive. Nyman helped change people’s lives when he recently participated in the construction of an orphanage in Haiti, which currently serves as home to 32 children.
“We were all extremely excited to see Steve climb up on the podium last winter at Birds of Prey,” explained Ceil Folz, president of the Vail Valley Foundation, “and we were thrilled when we heard about his win in Val Gardena. He’s a guy that just loves skiing and going fast, and I think we’ve only begun to see his true potential, both on and off the racecourse.”
Another young American looking to take his game to the next level is 23-year-old Ted Ligety, the Olympic gold medalist from the 2006 Torino Olympics. Primarily considered a Slalom specialist, Ligety’s first World Cup victory ironically came in Giant Slalom the week following the Torino Games, while he ended the season with a fourth place Downhill showing at the World Cup Finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.
“Ted truly shocked the world in Torino,” Folz continued, “and it has been great to watch him progress from his first World Cup podium (a third place finish in the 2005 Birds of Prey Giant Slalom) to his Olympic gold and first World Cup win. It’s only a matter of time until he puts everything together and becomes a force to be reckoned with week in and week out.”
A broken bone in his right index finger hampered Ligety’s results during the 2006-07 campaign, although the Park City resident still managed a third place showing in the Birds of Prey Giant Slalom and a second place finish in Slalom at the World Cup in Alta Badia, Italy.
Other “young guns” to keep an eye on during the 2007 Birds of Prey races may well include 20-year-old Will Brandenburg, the 2007 U.S. National champion in Giant Slalom and 22-year-old Erik Fisher, the reigning NorAm Downhill and Super-G champ. Older hands such as Marco Sullivan (10th in the 2006 Birds of Prey Downhill), Scott Macartney (8th in the 2006 Birds of Prey Downhill) and Jimmy Cochran (27th in the 2006 Birds of Prey Super Combined) will add valuable experience to the overall U.S. roster.
“Birds of Prey has been a great venue for American success over the past four years,” concluded Folz. “We have been fortunate enough to witness historic performances from U.S. Ski Team veterans, along with serving as the springboard to bigger things for some of the younger racers. We look forward to that trend continuing in 2007.”
If that trend does continue, the current crop of U.S. skiers will leave some mighty big ski boots to fill for future generations of American racers.
For more information, contact the Vail Valley Foundation at 888.883.VAIL (8245) vvf.org
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