Vail/Eagle, Colo.'s Mikaela Shiffrin gives a victory wave after winning the women's slalom at the Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships last month at Colorado's Winter Park Resort. (USSA/Tom Kelly)
Events, People, World Cup

Shiffrin, Cochran-Siegle Win Golden Ski Award

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Franconia, NH – The Eastern Ski Writers Association (ESWA) has awarded alpine ski racers Mikaela Shiffrin and Ryan Cochran-Siegle with the group’s 2012 Don A. Metivier Golden Ski  Award.

“The Golden Ski Award is the oldest honor given to alpine ski racers that exists today. It has been presented to top ski racers from the East since 1969, the year after the modern World Cup circuit started,” explained Jim Gregory, chair of the ESWA Golden Ski Award Committee. “Many of the Golden Ski winners have gone on to World Cup gold as well. We are proud to honor Mikaela Shiffrin and Ryan Cochran-Siegle, two extraordinary athletes, and look forward watching them set the bar even higher as they pursue their careers on the slopes.”

This is the second consecutive win for Shiffrin, a student at Vermont’s Burke Mountain Academy who now resides in Eagle, Colo, and the third for Starksboro, Vt.’s Cochran-Siegle.

Vail/Eagle, Colo.'s Mikaela Shiffrin gives a victory wave after winning the women's slalom at the Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships last month at Colorado's Winter Park Resort. (USSA/Tom Kelly)
Vail/Eagle, Colo.'s Mikaela Shiffrin gives a victory wave after winning the women's slalom at the Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships last month at Colorado's Winter Park Resort. (USSA/Tom Kelly)

Shiffrin earned an Audi FIS Alpine World Cup slalom podium this winter with third in Lienz, Austria and defended her U.S. slalom title at the Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships in Winter Park, Colo.

“This season has been a whirlwind of experiences, it was all ends of the spectrum. I had a lot of amazing results and I’m really happy to get those in there because it made this season – as my rookie season – worth all the hard work,” said Shiffrin, age 17. “All I can say to young athletes who are aspring to accomplish great things is you just have to give it everything you have. It’s worth it, it’s worth every bit of the hard work that you put in.”

Cochran-Siegle scored World Cup super G points in Beaver Creek, Colo., and won gold medals in downhill and combined at the 2012 Junior World Championships in Roccaraso, Italy.

“After Beaver Creek, I knew I was skiing well and just kept it going. I definitely had some bad days in there, but you learn from your mistakes,” said Cochran-Siegle. “The medals from Junior Worlds gave me a ton of energy, but I also free ski a lot and I think it’s important to always be out there doing what you love.

“It also helps to have a great team behind you. My coaches Brad [Saxe] and Pete [Korfiatis] have been great and definitely helped me get to this point,” he added.

The winners will be officially recognized at the New England Ski Museum in Franconia, N.H. on June 1, during an evening ceremony at the New England Ski Museum.

Golden Ski History
1969: Tyler Palmer, Karen Middleton
1970: Charles Bent, Karen Middleton
1971: Rod Taylor, Judy McNealus
1972: Laurent Gaudin, Jody Palmer
1973: Jerry McNealus, No female winner
1974: No award
1975: Scott Light, Holly Flanders
1976-2007: Award Lost
2008: Bump Heldman, Julia Ford
2009: Nolan Kasper, Julia Ford
2010: Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Julia Ford
2011: Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Mikaela Shiffrin
2012: Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Mikaela Shiffrin

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