click images to enlarge |
|
 Stacy Cook (Eric Teela photo) |  Jimmy Cochran (Eric Teela photo) |
|
Downhill racer tackles the course at Alyeska. |
 Ted Ligety completes his first place run in the Men’s Slalom. Ken Smith/Turnagain Times photo |
(Eric Teela photo) |
|
By Ken Smith
Turnagain Times
The U.S. Alpine Championships ended Tuesday, April 3 at Alyeska Resort, closing out an exciting week of competition, pitting the best skiers in the nation at Alyeska Resort. The last time the resort hosted the event was in 2004.
The sun was shining for most of the event, and the race conditions were excellent, although skiers said the courses were a little slow, but filled with a lot of terrain, and challenging jumps and turns especially in the downhill.
Bode Miller, the 2005 World Cup overall champion, and winner of two World Cup Super Gs this winter, followed a disappointing downhill, in which he finished 15th with a record-breaking victory in the Super G. The win tied the U.S. record for most men’s national championships at nine.
On the women’s side, two-time Olympian and gold medallist in the giant slalom, Julia Mancuso, won the Super G for her eighth national title. It capped a stellar year for Mancuso, who finished third overall in the World Cup this season, the best U.S. finish for a woman since 1984.
Locally, Girdwood skier John Love, broke into the top 15 overall in the men’s downhill. Love followed his silver medal performance in the FIS men’s downhill placing 13th overall in the U.S. downhill championship.
Love said his familiarity skiing on his hometown course was a slight advantage. “Everyone gets two training runs,” he said after completing his second downhill run. “So everyone has some experience on the hill.”
Love has skied seven years at the Alyeska Ski Club, and at 19-years of age, he’s still got a lot of skiing years ahead of him. But his ultimate goal is to make the U.S. ski team, and with his performance at this year’s U.S. Nationals, he’s taken one step closer to fulfilling that dream. “I’m going to try and ski fast times, and hopefully I’ll make the ski team next year,” he said. “I’m certainly shooting for it.”
In the giant slalom and slalom races, two names emerged at the top. For the men, Ted Ligety captured both the giant slalom and slalom victories, and Resi Stiegler won the Giant slalom and placed second in the slalom behind Kaylin Richardson, who also dominated the women’s competition with a victory in the downhill as well.
And in the men’s downhill race, Marco Sullivan emerged as the fastest man on skis.
The event was also a major boost to the local economy, bringing in an estimated $2 million in hard cash to local businesses. One place that certainly benefited was the Java Haus coffee shop on the boardwalk. Lines formed at the door throughout the mornings and early afternoons as skiers and locals alike waited for a hot cup of coffee or latte.
Two men sitting at a table in the middle of the Java Haus spoke highly of Alyeska’s courses, particularly the downhill.“It’s just as long as European courses, but here there’s bigger jumps,” said Rob Worrell, Rocky Mountain Central Regional coach. Worrell was also impressed with the conditions. “I’ve never been at an event this late where the snow and air temperature are this cold,” he said.
Parking was a problem for most of the event, but after Sunday’s races, skiers no longer in the competition headed out quickly, along with their family members. The Tuesday’s men’s slalom competition drew a smaller crowd than the other competitions ending the competition, and the ski season for most of the athletes.
But, overall, spectators were treated to America’s best skiers, where the athletes left it all on the mountain, turning in stunning performances and displaying true professionalism.
