U.S. ALPINE SKI TEAM NEWS

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Tracy Leaving as Women's Alpine Coach

PARK CITY, UT (April 2) - After two successful seasons that included four Olympic medals and multiple Audi FIS World Cup titles, veteran U.S. Ski Team coach Jim Tracy will step down as the team's women's alpine head coach.

The former women's head speed coach from 1996-2004, Tracy returned to lead the U.S. women's alpine program following the 2008 season. Tracy's career with the U.S. Team spans over two decades, including working with the men's downhill team for 10 years.

"Jim was brought back two years ago to lead the team to a great performance at the Olympics in Vancouver. He leaves knowing that he accomplished that mission," U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Vice President, Athletics Luke Bodensteiner said. "He has been an amazing coach for the women's team, leading them through some of the greatest landmarks in U.S. skiing history."

"I'm stepping aside having been a part of something very special with the women's team over the last two years," said Tracy, who came back to the Team two years ago when then head coach Patrick Riml left to take a position in Canada. "I have had many great friendships and great times and I wish all the best for the athletes as they move forward."

During his recent tenure, Tracy led alpine heroes Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) and Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA), who marked the 2010 Olympic Games with success for the U.S. alpine program. Mancuso pulled in two silver medals. Vonn, who also took the 2010 super G, super combined, downhill and overall Audi FIS World Cup titles, took the Olympic downhill gold, and bronze in super G.

"We all strive to be the best and especially through the recent few years the economy has provided many challenges," said Tracy. "Through it all we have shown that we are resilient, driven and can achieve our athletic goals."

Tracy, who grew up in Mammoth ski racing, started skiing around the age of 10. He made the move from California to Vail where he spent 24 years of his life. While in Vail, he also raced masters and won the national downhill title for the 25-35 age group. He coached for Ski Club Vail from 1976 to 1986 before joining the coaching staff at the U.S. Ski Team where he worked with the men's and women's speed programs and the development and Europa Cup teams. Tracy has also coached through six Olympics and nine World Championships in his career.

Tracy remained optimistic for the future, with a large contingent of young athletes who have started making their way towards the top.

Behind him Tracy leaves a fruitful group of women's alpiners who are led by Vonn and Mancuso, as well as Sarah Schleper (Vail, CO), and will soon be joined by up and comers Alice McKennis (Glenwood Springs, CO), Megan McJames (Park City, UT), Leanne Smith (Conway, NH), Chelsea Marshall (Pittsfield, VT) and many more.

"The opening of the Center of Excellence provided an inspirational boost for the athletes and staff with it," he added. "I will carry many good memories with me as I move forward."

Vail Hosts Homecoming for Vonn

VAIL, CO (April 1) - A huge crowd turned out as Vail Resorts hosted a homecoming celebration for Lindsey Vonn on Wednesday. The Vail resident recently won Olympic gold and bronze medals in Vancouver and captured her third consecutive Audi FIS World Cup overall title, making her the winningest U.S. female skier of all time with 33 World Cup wins, including a U.S. record 11 this season.

Vonn was greeted at the celebration by gondola cars with her name on them, as well as many children from all over the country - and other countries - who were clamoring to see her.

"We could not be more proud to welcome Lindsey home to Vail after a season of unprecedented success on both the World Cup and Olympic stages," said John Garnsey, co-president of Vail Resorts' Mountain Division and chief operating officer of Beaver Creek Resort. "Lindsey's unwavering work ethic and poised representation of our country, our community and alpine skiing continues to be an inspiration to all of us at Vail Resorts and particularly to the next generation of young athletes following in her tracks."

The homecoming festivities kicked off in Lionshead where supporters were greeted with Lindsey Vonn commemorative pins and memorabilia as well as complimentary cookies, hot cocoa and entertainment including a DJ and jumbo screen videos of Vonn's racing career highlights to date.

Following the warmup, guest speakers including Garnsey, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail Executive Director Aldo Radamus, Town of Vail Mayor Dick Cleveland and former Olympian Chad Fleischer took the stage to introduce Vonn

Vonn's address was followed by a special children's press conference where attendees could chat with the ski racing champion.

Vonn fans can follow Lindsey's past season via

www.LindseyIsEpic.com. The site provides the most detailed background and insider's view of Vonn's endeavors this ski season including 27 webisodes and interviews with Vonn chronicling her successful ski career and season to date on the World Cup circuit. The webisodes give fans an insightful perspective on Vonn's dedication and drive to becoming a World Champion from preparing and training for World Cup events in her hometown Vail to pre-season ski fitness sessions in the gym and World Cup race footage as well other unique surprises about Lindsey, including being an owner of three cows and a goat.

Vail Mountain has supported Vonn throughout her ski racing career and Vonn now represents all five of Vail Resorts' world-class mountain resorts-Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly - as well as the revolutionary Epic Pass.

Scotty Mac Retires After 12 Seasons

PARK CITY, UT (March 26) - Two-time Olympian Scott Macartney (Crystal Mountain, WA) announced his retirement from the U.S. Ski Team leaving a legacy of leadership at every level of the U.S. alpine program. In 12 years with the Team, 'Mac' amassed World Cup podiums, top-10 finishes at Olympics and World Championships and a record of World Cup points at every downhill venue he raced.

"There's a lot of things that I'm proud of in ski racing, but some of my greatest memories are fairly recent," said Macartney. "Our speed team's trip to Moab mountain biking last summer was pretty amazing for our group. It was cool to get together and be competitive in something else other than ski racing. There are bonds I've built with these guys I'll hold my entire life."

A skier from birth, Macartney's volunteer Ski Patrol parents had him on boards at age three. By seven he had started racing at Crystal Mountain and in 1998 made his break through with a bronze medal and the Junior World Championships in Megeve, France. Through racing, he continued his education through Dartmouth College and received a degree in 2004.

His rise through the U.S. Ski Team program was something that Head Speed Coach Chris Brigham lived through every training camp, every race start and every injury.

"Mac has always been a leader in this program," said Brigham, who has been with the U.S. Ski Team since 1997. "As a young guy he was pushing the veterans then it was him getting pushed and responding with outstanding performances. He's battled through a lot of injuries and came back charging and smiling. As a team, we're all bummed he's leaving. He's been a fantastic teammate and a friend for a long time. We'll miss him."

His most notable injury, both personally and across the ski racing community was at the 2008 Hahnenkamm downhill in Kitzbuehel, Austria. After finishing on the podium earlier that year in Val Gardena, Italy, Macartney was on laser point to what would have been a top 10 at ski racings biggest and most treacherous event when a crash off the finish jump sent him through the finish line unconscious. It was his 30th birthday.

After completing an incredible recovery, he returned to the World Cup circuit the following season and was producing some of the best skiing of his career when another crash in Wengen, Switzerland - the week before Kitzbuehel - knocked him out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury. The result was another year of waiting before returning to Kitzbuehel.

"I was ready to charge it again in at Kitz last year. I had just come off an incredible race in Bormio, which is one of the gnarliest tracks in all of ski racing and then I blew my ACL at Wengen. It was pretty heartbreaking, but I'd been there before," Macartney said.

It was heartbreaking to his coaches too. Brigham, more than anyone, was fired up to see him conquer the Hahnenkamm and knew that his skiing was in a place where he could, then the crash at Wengen. It hit teammate Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, CA) especially hard.

"That December, he was skiing better than ever," said Sullivan. "He basically came back from something that no one would have thought possible. He was super focused and then he blew out his knee, but he still came back to race at Kitz the next year. That showed a lot about his character. He has a unique passion for the sport and for him to put that out there is pretty inspiring."

"To see him cross the finish line at Kitzbuehel, two years after that crash - as a coach - was one of the coolest things of my career. I couldn't have been more proud," added Brigham

Yet it wasn't the mark Macartney wanted to leave.

"I never had just a check box next to Kitzbuehel," he said. "It wasn't that I just wanted to finish again, I wanted a top 10, I wanted a top 5, but by the time I got back there it became more about how my body felt. My back was hurting, my hip was hurting. I wanted to charge, but being in the finish again and on my feet, that was pretty special."

In addition to his role as a racer, Macartney remains an active athlete member of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Board of Directors. His role as part of the USSA Athletes' Council allowed him to work more closely with his fellow athletes and to learn more about the inner workings of the organization.

"It was really educational. If you have ideas or are complaining about something, it's good to be in a position where you change them or work on them from a global perspective," Macartney said. "It was really healthy for me to see the inside of a business that has a relationship like we do with trustees and sponsors. The support structure is so deep and interesting and it's important to see how it all comes together."

The knowledge is something he'll take with him into his next career. Macartney has begun the process of starting a database for coaching education and has also thought about helping bridge the link for athletes to the next step of their lives after ski racing.

"He was a leader off the hill too," added Sullivan. "When it came to Team meetings and when we had to work through things with the various levels at the U.S. Ski Team, he was the one doing the talking. He busted out that Dartmouth education and made things so easy for everyone. No one is worried about him."

While Sullivan's worries end when it comes to Macartney's next career, he does have some competitive fire left for the snow and plans to go head-to-head with Macartney in one more race this season.

The friends plan to meet early April in Alaska for the Arctic Man Ski and Sno-Go Classic, a unique event deep in the Hoodoo Mountains that opens with a downhill, before the skier is intersected by a snowmobile and towed at 90 mph through a canyon then whipped down to the finish line. From the start, the course drops 1,700 feet to "hook-up" then climbs 1,200 feet to "release" before dropping 1,200 feet to the finish line.

Both Macartney and Sullivan have Arctic Man victories on their resume, with Macartney, along with driver Tyler Johnson, holding the event record. On this line this year is a guaranteed purse of $25,000.

"I've only been there once with Marco and I took that one, but whenever we haven't been their together, we've won individually, so it's definitely a bit of a grudge match between us and our drivers, especially between our drivers," said Macartney. "It's going to be fun and it's a way for me to keep doing something to fuel my love of speed and my love of skiing. I'll always love skiing."

Two-time Olympian Richardson Retires

PARK CITY, UT (March 26) - Two-time Olympian Kaylin Richardson (Edina, MN), winner of four U.S. Alpine Championships, is retiring after seven seasons of racing at the elite level with the U.S. Ski Team.

She capped her career in style by kicking out of the start for her final two runs at the 2010 Visa U.S. Alpine Championships wearing a red and purple circa 1980s one-piece ski suit. Her parents Steve and Linda made the trip from Minnesota to Lake Placid, NY just to see their daughter's final race.

"Ski racing for me has always been about having fun," Richardson beamed in the Whiteface Mountain finish area following her last run. "My family is here and I'm not just talking about my Mom and Dad. I've spent some of the best years of my life traveling around the world with these amazing athletes. It's going to be sad, but I'm ready for the next step."

After following her brothers Chris and Tom into skiing at age five, Richardson began racing at nine under her first coach Niel Atkinson with Team Gilboa out of Hyland Hills. By 1999 she had scored medals at the J3 Junior Olympics and added more hardware at the J1 and J2 levels the next season before landing a spot on the U.S. Development Team in 2001. She was 15.

"I've known her since she was six or seven and even though she made it to the highest level, she always had a clear picture of who she was as a person," said Atkinson, who started the Team Gilboa program. "She traveled the world, but whenever she was home, she was always the first one on the hill to ski with the team she grew up with and that wasn't because she needed the extra training. She's always been an incredible ambassador to grassroots programs like ours and I can't ever see that changing."

Later she won three consecutive NorAm slalom titles, a U.S. slalom and combined title, plus two downhill titles. She also went to the 2006 and 2010 Olympics, 2007 World Championships and scored World Cup points in slalom, super G and super combined including a career best slalom eighth in 2007 at Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.

"She started lighting it up in 2007," said former U.S. Ski Team technician Aaron Haffey, who shared a special bond with Richardson after she scored World Cup points in 11 races that season. "We called it the Kaylin and Haffey show. Since she was doing both tech and speed events, but didn't have a factory serviceman, we basically started bouncing around Europe in a little van together."

After a short break from the tour in 2008, Richardson returned to the Team in 2009 with her sights set on Vancouver. But she did more than just return to the U.S. Ski Team, she returned to a program that missed her electricity.

"It was awesome being on the team with her," said Hailey Duke. "I feel like I wasn't around her enough. She has that up-beat 'smile and go for it' attitude that you sometimes need. She raced here in a one-piece 80's old school suit and beat me in an 80's old school suit. That says it right there. It's been a pleasure to be a part of her career and for her to be a part of mine."

"She was always more than just a ski racer," added Haffey. "Skiing is a part of her, but it's just one part. She is a spark for everyone's life. If you've had just one conversation with Kaylin, you remember her the rest of your life."

In her final season, Richardson produced some incredible finishes, including skiing from 70th start position in the season opening slalom to 23rd. She then went on to score points at the Val d'Isere, France super combined and make her second Olympic Team.

"Going to the Olympics this year was the big goal and I was able to reach it," said Richardson, "It's a huge honor and I definitely have a lot of pride in that. I could go into the desert and start up a conversation with someone that might not be able to even fathom what ski racing is, but if I were to mention that I made the Olympics, it's something everyone can understand; it transcends cultural differences. I feel very special knowing that I've been a part of a phenomenon that unites us so globally."

Richardson plans to take her communication skills into the next step of her career by pursuing a career in broadcast journalism and perhaps land at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia as a part of a new team.

"I've always loved conversation, whether it's a relaxed talk over coffee or doing a TV interview," she said. "A dream goal for me would be to do something with broadcast in Sochi. I'll always love skiing and I don't think I'll ever be that far removed from it - I could definitely see myself continuing to participate and promote this sport through broadcasting.

"I remember the day when I first understood what racing was and I will also remember the day when I decided I was ready for the next step in my life. I'm ready, and I'm excited about it," she said. "I may be done with competing at the World Cup level, but I will never stop being an advocate of the sport and I will never hang my skis up for good. Skiing is just too much fun."

Kaylin is embodying that passion this weekend as a pacesetter at the Nature Valley NASTAR National Championships in Winter Park, CO sharing her love of ski racing with contagious enthusiasm and an easy smile.

Mancuso Closes Champs With Win

LAKE PLACID, NY (March 23) - Three-time Olympic medalist Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA) captured the 11th U.S. title of her career with a victory in the women's giant slalom to close the 2010 Visa U.S. Alpine Championships at Whiteface Mountain Tuesday.

"I actually haven't skied giant slalom since the Olympics, so it was nice to get back on my GS skis," Mancuso said.

Mancuso was also the giant slalom champion in '09, '05, and '03. With 11 titles, she now moves past U.S. great Andrea Mead Lawrence for the most titles of any American male or female, breaking a record that has stood for 55 years.

The weekend brought some closure to a season in which Mancuso had long worked hard .

"Coming back from a back injury I always had the goal of getting ready for the Olympics. Even going into last season it hurt. I wanted to keep trying. Just being able to see the reward of the plan paying off was really amazing," Mancuso said.

Second place for the day went to Laurenne Ross (Klamath Falls, OR) who produced the fastest second run. Ross was also third in the super G and second in the combined at Whiteface.

Malin Hemmingson of Sweden was third followed by U.S. downhill champion Leanne Smith (Conway, NH).

The top U.S. junior was Julia Ford (Plymouth, NH) out of U.S. Development Team, though the fastest junior was Erin Mielzynski of Canada. J-2 Foreste Peterson (Berkeley, CA) of the Squaw Valley Ski Team was the next fastest U.S. junior followed by Abby Ghent (Edwards, CO) of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail.

The USSA Western Region took the 2010 Tom Garner Regions Cup with 2,903 points, followed by the East with1,869 and Rocky/Central with 986.

Tuesday also marked the final race for Kaylin Richardson (Edina, MN), a two-time Olympian and seven-year member of the U.S. Ski Team. She ran both runs of giant slalom in a puffy red one piece ski suit circa 1980, with her parents making the trip from Minnesota just to see their daughter's last event.

Numerous athletes, including Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) now move directly to Cochran's Ski Area in Richmond, VT for the annual charity slalom hosted by two-time Olympian Jimmy Cochran tomorrow.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2010 Visa U.S. Alpine Championships
Lake Placid, NY - March 22, 2010
Women's Giant Slalom

1. Julia Mancuso, Olympic Valley, CA, 2:07.52
2. Laurenne Ross, Klamath Falls, OR, 2:08.11
3. Malin Hemmingsson, Sweden, 2:08.25
4. Leanne Smith, Conway, NH, 2:08.98
5. Megan McJames, Park City, UT, 2:09.17

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HOME SKI AREA LINKS SKI CLUBS ADVERTISING EMPLOYMENT SKI AREA EVENTS SKI TIPS WANT ADS GREAT SKIERS ARCHIVED FEATURE ARTICLES LODGING