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**truebluefan** · 04-18-2008, 06:52 PM

World Cup overall and downhill champion Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) was named the Paul Robbins Outstanding Competitor of the Year by the North American Snowsports Journalists Association (NASJA).

For more than 40 years, the annual award has been voted on by NASJA members and given to North American skiers or snowboarders who have distinguished themselves in amateur or professional competition during the recent season. Formerly the Outstanding Competitor of the Year, the award was changed this season to honor legendary ski journalist Paul Robbins, who passed away in February after 30 years as the primary journalist for the U.S. Ski Team.

"There have been some really big names to win this award and it's really cool to join those names," said Vonn. "This is a special honor, Paul has done so much for ski racing and for my career. There is no guy who was more excited about our accomplishments and always did such an amazing job writing about them. He's the one who really deserves this and it's cool to know that he'll now be always remembered by it."

Vonn rewrote record books throughout the 2008 season, first by becoming only the second American to win the World Cup downhill title, a feat shared by childhood hero Picabo Street who captured the title during both the 1995 and '96 seasons. She later surpassed Street and Daron Rahlves for the most World Cup downhill wins by an American with her 10th victory to become the most successful speed skier in U.S. history.

She carried the overall lead into World Cup finals in Bormio, Italy, then produced a second place finish in super G along with her best results of the season in slalom and giant slalom. The effort secured the World Cup overall title and Vonn became only the second woman in U.S. history to hoist the coveted crystal globe. The victory was double sweet as Vonn shared the overall title with fellow American Bode Miller (Bretton Woods, NH). The pair are the first Americans to share the sports top prize together since Tamara McKinney and Phil Mahre in 1983, all one-time NASJA competitor of the year awardees.

Past award winners include distinguished champions like Jimmie Heuga, Bill Koch, Julie Parisien and Picabo Street.

Former Winners
2008 - Lindsey Vonn
2007 - Julia Mancuso
2006 - Shaun White
2005 - Bode Miller
2004 - Hannah Teter, Daron Rahlves
2003 - Bode Miller
2002 - Bode Miller
2001 - Daron Rahlves
2000 - U.S. Disabled Ski Team
1999 - Victor Roy
1998 - Sara Bilmeier
1997 - Canadian freestyle team
1996 - Picabo Street
1995 - Picabo Street
1994 - North American Olympic gold medalists (Myriam Bedard, Jean-Luc
Brassard, Tommy Moe, Diann Roffe)
1993 - Georgene Bihlman
1992 - Donna Weinbrecht
1991 - Julie Parisien
1990 - U.S. Disabled Ski Team
1989 - Jan Bucher
1988 - Pam Fletcher
1987 - Kerry Lynch
1986 - Diana Golden
1985 - Cindy Nelson
1984 - Bill Johnson
1983 - Tamara McKinney
1982 - U.S. Women's Alpine Ski Team
1981 - Phil Mahre
1980 - Phil Mahre
1979 - Phil Mahre
1978 - No award
1977 - Phil Mahre
1976 - Bill Koch
1975 - Hank Kashiwa
1974 - Martha Rockwell
1973 - Jean Claude Killy
1972 - Barbara Cochran
1971 - Cochran Family
1970 - Billy Kidd
1969 - No award
1968 - John Bower
1967 - Jimmie Heuga

The North American Snowsports Journalists Association (NASJA) is a professional group of more than 250 writers, authors, photographers, filmmakers and broadcasters who report ski- and snowboard-related news, information and features throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico, via the various media.

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