SMALL HILLS, BIG CHAMPIONS
2010 Winter Olympics Goal for Midwest Skiers, Snowboarders

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Lindsey Kildow Vonn, who grew up skiing at Minnesota's Buck Hill and has become America's best female ski racer ever, is just the latest example that small hills can produce big champions. Hundreds of world-class skiers and snowboarders have grown up on Midwest hills and competed in national and world championships, and the Winter Olympics. Led by Vonn, several Midwest ski racers, freestyle skiers and snowboarders are expected to compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics Feb. 12-28 in Vancouver, Canada. "Never think only local," says Erich Sailer, the legendary ski racing coach from Buck Hill, who was Vonn's first coach. "I tell my racers to always keep a national and international view."

Vonn, who was first enticed by the doughnuts and hot chocolate that were served after skiing, was training every night at Buck Hill by age 7, skiing through hundreds of blue and red slalom gates. She moved to Vail, Colorado, as a teenager to train on a larger mountain, but she has never forgotten her Midwest roots. "I do think about Buck Hill a lot," says Vonn. "I'll be checking my e-mails, and get some from Minnesota and I'll think about Buck and where I started."

The Minnesota native won the overall World Cup skiing titles in 2008 and 2009, and has become the biggest name in American skiing, with numerous corporate sponsorships, magazine covers and network TV appearances. She is scheduled to compete in five events in the Vancouver Olympics and could medal in all five races.

Other Midwest skiers and snowboarders who may be competing in the Vanouver Olympics include:

- Ski racer Kaylin Richardson of Edina, Minnesota, who started skiing at Hyland Ski & Snowboard Area when she was five. Richardson competed in the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics, was the 2006 U.S. slalom champion and was the U.S. downhill champion in 2007 and 2009.

- Snowboarder Mason Aguirre, who grew up in Duluth, Minnesota, was the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic Snowboarding Team for the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics. He finished fourth in the half-pipe, just missing a medal.

- Snowboarder Steve Fisher, originally from St. Louis Park, Minnesota, who was the 2004 X Games half-pipe champion, won the 2005 Saas Fee, Switzerland, World Cup half-pipe event and finished second in the 2009 U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix in Colorado.

- Sterling Grant of Amery, Wisconsin, who started skiing at age 2 at Wisconsin's Trollhaugen Ski Area and later joined the Buck Hill racing program. She was the 2009 NorAm slalom champion and finished second in the 2007 national championships.

- Freestyle aerialist Jana Lindsey of Black Hawk, South Dakota, who competed in the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics and won the 2009 national championships.

- Freestyle aerialist Allison Treleaven of Fort Wayne, Indiana, who was the FIS Rookie of the Year in 2008.

In addition, Tyler Shepherd, who grew up in Cottage Grove, Minnesota, and ski raced at Afton Alps, is the first-ever "skier cross" coach for the U.S. Team. He will be coaching the U.S. skier cross team at the Vancouver Olympics as skier cross, which features four skiers competing head-to-head, makes its Olympic debut.

Other Midwest members of the U.S. Ski Team include:

- Ski racer Michael Ankeny of Deephaven, Minnesota.

- Ski racer Lauren Samuels of Golden Valley, Minnesota.

"The Midwest has a long history of producing great ski champions," says Margo Christiansen, communications manager for the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team. "Wherever you are, the key ingredients are a love of snow sports and an opportunity to translate that passion into successful skiing or riding. And while the Midwest has produced a lot of slalom champions like Kristina Koznick and Cary Adgate, 1976 Olympic bronze medalist Cindy Nelson and now Lindsey Vonn demonstrate that great downhill racers can also come from the Midwest. Former world freestyle champion Trace Worthingon showed learning to be an aerialist is the same whether you're in Minnesota or Montana or Utah. And for Midwest snowboarders Steve Fisher or Mason Aguirre, a half-pipe in Minnesota or Michigan meets the same specs as a half-pipe in Vermont or California."

Austrian native Erich Sailer, a member of the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame, has produced at least a dozen U.S. Ski Team racers in his nearly four decades of coaching at Buck Hill just south of Minneapolis. In addition to Vonn and Grant, past U.S. Team members have included Kristina Koznick, Cory Carlson, Lori Greeley, Susan Holes, Mike Meleski, Biere Marceau, Joe Levins, Tim Hanson, Martina Sailer and Tasha Nelson.

Koznick was a three-time Olympian who won six World Cup races and five U.S. slalom titles, but she never forgets her Midwest roots. "Buck Hill is like my 'Cheers,'" says Koznick, of the place where she started skiing at age 4. "It's home. It's my family. It reminds me of where I got started."

Although his coaching may help the racers go fast down the hill, Sailer says part of their success can be attributed to the way they go up the hill-with a high-speed rope tow that gets skiers back to the top of the race hill in just 30 seconds. Riding the rope tow means up to 40 runs in a two-hour session. "You can't do that on the big mountains," says Sailer.

Other Midwest ski racing and freestyle champions have included: Cindy Nelson, originally from Lutsen, Minnesota, who won the 1976 Winter Olympic downhill bronze medal, three World Championship medals, seven U.S. titles and was on four Olympic teams; Cary Adgate, originally from Boyne City, Michigan, who was a two-time Olympian and won four U.S. slalom titles; Chuck Ferries, originally from Houghton, Michigan, who was a two-time Olympian and won the 1962 Hahnenkamm slalom in Kitzbuehel, Austria; Barbara Ferries Henderson, originally from Houghton, Michigan, who won the downhill bronze at the 1962 World Championships; Trace Worthington, originally from Minneapolis, a two-time freestyle Olympian who won 37 World Cup events, 12 U.S. titles and two gold medals at the 1995 World Freestyle Championships; Steve Roxberg, from Lakeville, Minnesota, who was a two-time U.S. freestyle champ; Ian Edmondson, from Birmingham, Michigan, a 1999 World freestyle champion who won 11 World Cup events.

For more information on Midwest ski areas and to find a ski area near you, visit snowplaces.com.

For more information:

http://www.usskiteam.com
http://www.lindseyvonn.com
http://www.koznick.com
http://www.skihall.com/
http://www.buckhill.com/winter/juniorprograms.shtml
http://www.teamgilboa.com/