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**truebluefan** · 11-30-2007, 08:47 AM

Talk about the event in here

**truebluefan** · 12-07-2007, 04:56 PM

ASPEN, Colo. (Dec. 5) - Over 700 Aspen students received a personal invitation from the U.S. Women's Alpine Ski Team to "cheer as loud as possible" this week leading up to the Audi Aspen Winternational opening Friday on Ruthie's Run.

"The kids were so cute and so loud," said Olympian Stacey Cook (Mammoth, CA). Cook, along with Olympian Resi Stiegler (Jackson, WY) and World Cup rookie Leanne Smith (Conway, NH), fielded questions from kindergarten through fourth graders in the Aspen Elementary School theatre during the first session on Tuesday.

Following the high-energy session, the Team handed out U.S. Ski Team pins, signed autographs and even hugs to their waist-high fans - but not before asking them for a little something. "I'd like to see hundreds of 'Go Cookie' signs in the crowd this weekend," added Cook, who constantly engaged the enthusiastic kids throughout the 45-minute session.

"I have never been in front of that many kids at one time," said two-time Olympian Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO), a panelist to the second group of the day. "I was nervous, but they were really excited. The cheering was deafening."

The nervousness came from a young woman who won a World Cup downhill for the fourth consecutive year last weekend in frigid Lake Louise, this time by a commanding 0.78 seconds. Even before Vonn, along with fellow 2006 Olympians Kaylin Richardson (Edina, MN) and Libby Ludlow (Bellevue, WA), moved onto the stage in a packed auditorium of middle school students, the stomping and clapping had already begun.

A short highlight film pumped up the students. And, with the help of Aspen Vice President of Sales and Events John Rigney, the athletes answered questions on topics ranging from the basics of how did they got into skiing to their favorite World Cup venues.

For Ludlow, the "best venue?" question's answer was Aspen.

"I'm not just trying to butter you up," she said, "but I love racing in Aspen and being able to have a downhill in the U.S. is going to be awesome. So you'd better get out there and scream real loud for the U.S. Ski Team because we're here to go fast for you."

The kids couldn't wait that long to scream.

AUDI ASPEN WINTERNATIONAL TV
(times Eastern Standard)

Saturday, Dec. 8
1 p.m., WCSN.com, LIVE super G

Sunday, Dec. 9
Noon/3 p.m., WCSN.com, LIVE slalom
2 p.m., NBC, downhill

Sunday, Dec. 16
5 p.m., Versus, downhill
6 p.m., Versus, slalom

Sunday, Dec. 30
4 p.m., Versus, super G

**truebluefan** · 12-07-2007, 04:56 PM

ASPEN, Colo. (Dec. 6) - Lindsey (Kildow) Vonn (Vail, CO) led both runs of training to further boost confidence leading into Friday's downhill - the first women's World Cup DH in Aspen in 20 years - and the start of the Audi Aspen Winternational. "The girls are skiing well and excited about the chance to show they're good downhill skiers," Head Coach Patrick Riml said.

NBC will televise downhill coverage Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.

Heavy snow, starting during the night, was predicted for race time.

Vonn, silver medalist in downhill at the 2007 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships last February in Sweden, won the opening downhill of the season last Saturday at Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies. Over the past four seasons, the two-time Olympian has won six World Cup downhills; she contended for the '07 World Cup DH title until she injured a knee in training.

"Obviously, Lindsey's got great confidence these days and all of this is playing out in her skiing and making the others confident. The girls are skiing well and they're excited about the chance to show they're good downhill skiers," Riml said. Thursday, Vonn led the training by 0.09 seconds after posting the fastest time Wednesday by 0.35.

The downhill will be the first women's DH in Aspen since Swiss racer Brigitte Oertli won March 5, 1988. Early season scheduling difficulties prevented bringing the race back until this season.

"It's great we can do it now," Riml said. "I hope we can get the women's downhill back on the schedule for Aspen. This is a great downhill run with turns and jumps and rollers. It goes under the chairlift and will be a challenge for all the women."

The schedule for the Audi Aspen Winternational:

Friday - downhill (on NBC Sunday at 2 p.m. ET; re-air Dec. 23 on Versus at 4 p.m. ET)
Saturday - super G (on Versus Dec. 30 at 4 p.m. ET)
Sunday - slalom (on Versus Dec. 23 at 5 p.m. ET)

WCSN will webstream each race. The super G will be live Saturday at 1 p.m. ET and both runs of slalom live Sunday (noon and 3 p.m. ET). Friday's DH will be webcast Sunday at 9 p.m. ET.

Vonn heads a group of seven U.S. women, who will race Friday. Also competing: Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA), Stacey Cook (Mammoth Mountain, CA), Kaylin Richardson (Edina, MN), Libby Ludlow (Bellevue, WA), Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, WY) and World Cup rookie Leanne Smith (Conway, NH). Last weekend at Lake Louise, Smith made an auspicious World Cup debut, finishing 23rd in the downhill for her first race and 19th Sunday in SG for her second result.

"Leanne's improving every day. It's great to have her with us...really, great to have a new face on the World Cup. She's making quite an impression," Riml said.

**truebluefan** · 12-07-2007, 04:58 PM

ASPEN, Colo. (Dec. 7) - It's not exactly the Sharks vs. the Jets face-off from "West Side Story," but a popular poster this season from U.S. alpine equipment suppliers spotlights some faux "bad girls" from the U.S. Ski Team. And as the U.S. Women's Alpine Team descends on Aspen this week for World Cup races during the Audi Aspen Winternational, the bad girls have turned in some good early season results. After six races, U.S. women have a victory and another top-3 result plus a couple of top-5s.

The photo is a print ad and poster from partners Volkl, Tecnica and Marker showing athletes who use their respective skis, boots and/or bindings. Olympian Kaylin Richardson (Edina, MN), wearing a military-style cap, is the leader of the pack with six teammates flanking her.

With Tecnica ski boots draped over their right shoulder, the "bad girls" look like they're spoiling for a fight, perhaps on some World Cup ski hill. Wearing rugby style shirts and jeans, each athlete is in dark sunglasses and has a solemn, determined look on her face. There's an edge to them.

Members of the men's Team watch the proceedings, some hanging out of a mini-school bus repainted with Volkl on the side while others watch from a sidewalk. Check it out (left to right, the women are Hailey Duke (Boise, ID), Lauren Ross (Stowe, VT), Libby Ludlow (Bellevue, WA), Richardson, Caitlin Ciccone (Bethlehem, NH), Katie Hitchcock (Carmichael, CA) and Laurel Carter (Norwich, VT).

"Me, the head of the gang? I'm not sure how I wound up as the leader," Richardson said. "I just felt like wearing a hat. It wasn't premeditated, but they seemed to like it. It looked a little militaristic, but I think it looks cool. And the photo empowers women, I think. It looks like we're taking over the road."

Richardson, a three-time U.S. champion, added, "There's some attitude there, a certain of, for lack of a better word, some bad-assness - like, it's all girl. I kinda feel bad for the guys, who are off to the side, but we girls were psyched for the photo. Any sport, it seems, almost revolves around the men. But in this one, we're cool and there's no muy macho with the guys."

The photo, with U.S. Route 26 through Government Camp, OR, serving as Main Street, was taken during a preseason training camp at Mt. Hood, OR. Things had to be done early, before normal traffic built during the day. "We got up at 5:45, but we had really good energy, and it was done in about an hour. Then we all went to breakfast," she said.

The ad has been running in ski publications, including Ski Racing Magazine, with the poster available in leading ski shops. And the girls will be signing them in Aspen!

**truebluefan** · 12-07-2007, 04:59 PM

Heavy Snowfall Postpones Aspen DH

ASPEN, Colo. (Dec. 7) - Heavy snowfall forced postponement Friday of a women's World Cup downhill at the Audi Aspen Winternational. Organizers were to meet at mid-morning to discuss the weekend's racing schedule.

**truebluefan** · 12-09-2007, 03:44 PM

ASPEN, Colo. (Dec. 8) - Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) skied to fourth Saturday in the first women's World Cup downhill in Aspen in 20 years. Postponed a day because of heavy snow, the Audi Aspen Winternational race eventually was halted by the jury after 37 racers because of fog on the course. Canadian Britt Janyk won. WCSN.com will provide webcasting Sunday night at 9 ET.

"We had very challenging conditions, and I'm really pleased with Lindsey, for sure, but the way all of our girls raced. They stuck their nose in there and skied well," U.S. Head Coach Patrick Riml said. "To be fourth in these conditions was excellent."

More than a foot of snow Friday forced the 24-hour pushback in the downhill, the first in this fabled ski community since March 5, 1988. Overall, Aspen was walloped by nearly three feet of snow from Thursday night until predawn Saturday. Because of the snow, organizers dropped the scheduled start to what normally would be a super G start for the 2.6K run.

Janyk's winning time was 1:14.17 with Austrian Marlies Schild second in 1:14.59. Renate Goetschl, who was second to Vonn a week ago at Lake Louise in the first DH of the season, took third (1:14.63), five-hundredths of a second up on Vonn.

The abbreviated race found three other U.S. women in the top 30: Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA) was 16th, Stacey Cook (Mammoth Mountain, CA) 20th and Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, WY) 24th. The race was halted because of fog after 37 racers.

According to World Cup Tour Manager Atle Skaardal, the competition jury has the responsibility of determining if a race should continue and if the results should be official. The jury made the call to stop based on fog and low visibility, but that the results should be official. Two racers crashed during the race. Skaardal reviewed the TV tapes and determined they were well outside the standard race line.

Vonn had led the two downhill training runs during the week. But it was a different course she faced on Saturday.

"The Aspen workers did an awesome job in working on the course to make it happen, but it was really tough. There was just so much snow. I had a pretty bumpy ride because there was a lot of deep snow off to the side. It was just a totally different course than what we trained."

Riml echoed Vonn. "It definitely was not easy. The organizers did a helluva job to try to make this work under such challenging conditions. Truthfully, I was a little surprised - happy but surprised - they were able to get the race in. It was so difficult to get the snow removed and there was so much in the flats."

The women are scheduled for a slalom Sunday. The U.S. Ski Team will have five starters - Vonn, Mancuso, Stiegler, Kaylin Richardson (Edina, MN) and Hailey Duke (Boise, ID). WCSN.com will provide live webcasting, starting at noon ET.

After the slalom, the women return to Europe. They are scheduled for a downhill and super G Dec. 15-16 in St. Moritz, Switzerland - two races which were moved from Val d'Isere, France.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
AUDI FIS ALPINE WORLD CUP
Audi Aspen Winternational
Aspen, CO - Dec. 8 2007
Women's Downhill (Stopped after 37 by fog)
1. Britt Janyk, Canada, 1:14.17
2. Marlies Schild, Austria, 1:14.59
3. Renate Goetschl, Austria, 1:14.63
4. Lindsey Vonn, Vail, CO, 1:14.68
5. Martina Schild, Switzerland, 1:14.70
-
16. Julia Mancuso, Olympic Valley, CA, 1:15.63
20. Stacey Cook, Mammoth Mountain, CA, 1:15.81
24. Resi Stiegler, Jackson Hole, WY, 1:16.35

**truebluefan** · 12-09-2007, 03:56 PM

ASPEN, Colo. (Dec. 9) - Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, WY) finished eighth Sunday in a World Cup slalom, leading four Americans into the top 30 as the Audi Aspen Winternational concluded. Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA) was 19th, Lindsey Von (Vail, CO) 27th and Kaylin Richardson (Edina, MN) 28th. WCSN.com webcast the second run live and will have a second webcast tonight at 9 ET - of Saturday's downhill.

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