For the week of April 3 - 9 , 2002

Spring Series lures some of America’s best

Howard Dean Memorial races on Baldy

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This week’s Howard Dean Memorial Western Region Spring Series on Baldy is a good opportunity to watch top-level U.S. alpine hopefuls climbing the ladder to success.

Some of the best examples of tomorrow’s stars arriving today are three of this week’s 246 racers—Steven Nyman, T.J. Lanning and Julia Mancuso.

Leading the 109-racer women’s field is Mancuso, 18, of Olympic Valley, Ca.

She won three bronze medals at the 2002 U.S. Nationals and dominated at the World Junior Alpine Championships earlier in March in Norway.

Locals Laura Durkheimer, Hailey Duke, Charlotte Gourlay and Jessica Hamilton are looking to move up this week.

Darkhorse racer Nyman, 20, of Sundance, Utah, and U.S. Development Team racer Lanning, 18, of Park City, made their moves during the 2002 alpine nationals at Sugar Bowl.

"Ski Racing" Junior Skier of the Year Nyman won the bronze in super giant slalom and was the second junior in combined behind Lanning, national SG silver medalist.

Other rising stars on Baldy this week are reigning national SG king Marco Sullivan, world junior downhill winner Adam Cole, plus U.S. Ski Team racers Dane Spencer of Boise and Jakub Fiala of Colorado.

Local men in the 137-racer men’s field include Carl Rixon Jr., Sean Higgins, Zachary Brown and Jason Eder.

The second of two Howard Dean SGs is today, Wednesday on the Warm Springs side of Baldy—men in the morning and women after lunch.

Giant slalom races will be staged Thursday and Friday, April 4-5 followed by slalom events Saturday and Sunday.

The last time Sun Valley hosted the Western Region Spring Series was 1996.

 

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