U.S. alpiners help celebrate Coronet's 60th birthday

More than a dozen members of the U.S. alpine team — including Olympic champions Ted Ligety and Julia Mancuso — helped Coronet Peak ski area mark its 60th birthday with over an hour of autograph signings and interaction with local ski clubs.
    "It was a lot of fun. A ton of kids showed up and they had a sense of humor," Tim Kelley said of the festivities Saturday on the deck of Coronet Peak's base lodge; the men were finished training for the day and the women were preparing to head home after concluding their preseason camp. "They were psyched for Ted and Julia, of course, but we all had a fun time," Kelley added.

QUEENSTOWN, New Zealand — More than a dozen members of the U.S. alpine team — including Olympic champions Ted Ligety and Julia Mancuso — helped Coronet Peak ski area mark its 60th birthday with over an hour of autograph signings and interaction with local ski clubs.
    "It was a lot of fun. A ton of kids showed up and they had a sense of humor," Tim Kelley said of the festivities Saturday on the deck of Coronet Peak's base lodge; the men were finished training for the day and the women were preparing to head home after concluding their preseason camp. "They were psyched for Ted and Julia, of course, but we all had a fun time," Kelley added.
    "Some of the kids from the ski club who've taken part before [when the ski team trained at Coronet] came up this time and had us sign their helmets … and there would be our autograph from last year and maybe two years ago," said T.J. Lanning. "I recognized a lot of faces. It was a nice celebration and it was a good chance for us to say thanks to Coronet for all they've done for us, especially this trip."
    One plus, apart from the understandable fun, he said, is "they get to know us as a team, not just an individual athlete or two. The men's team is making more of an effort to reach out and to do community service, like our visit to the Boys & Girls Club in Salt Lake City before we came down here … and this is a natural."
    Men's tech head coach Sasha Rearick said in addition to Ligety, Lanning and Kelley, the U.S. men included "all the '84s [born in 1984 or later] and younger" — Andrew Weibrecht, Erik Fisher, Paul McDonald and Tim Jitloff. U.S. women included Mancuso, Lindsey Kildow, Caroline Lalive, Kaylin Richardson, Megan McJames, Resi Stiegler and Lauren Ross.
    Women's head coach Patrick Riml said the interaction with young local racers is a big plus — for his women as well as the youngsters. The women have done it for several years during their New Zealand camp, he said.
    "It's great for both sides," Riml said. "The girls enjoy it and the race club kids love it, too. We had lunch on the mountain and then set out tables. It was a great occasion. I can't say enough about what Coronet Peak does for us — and for the guys, too — so it's a pleasure to do this for them … and nice to be part of their anniversary."
    As their camp concluded, the men had a mix of training and Australia New Zealand Cup racing over the weekend with two giant slaloms and two slaloms before heading home. The women's camp concluded after the autograph party and the women returned to the United States.