Shiffrin, Cochran-Siegle Win Golden Ski Award
FRANCONIA, NH (April 23) - The Eastern Ski Writers Association (ESWA) has awarded Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO; Burke Mountain Academy) and Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, VT; Cochran's/Mt. Mansfield Ski and Snowboard Club) with the 2012 Don A. Metivier Golden Ski Award. This is Shiffrin’s second and Cochran-Siegle's third consecutive win. The winners will be officially recognized at the New England Ski Museum in Franconia, NH on June 1, during a 5-7 p.m. ET ceremony. The Golden Ski Award has been presented to the top male and female skiers in the East since 1969.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Juniors Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO and Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, VT) have been awarded the Don. A Metivier Golden Ski Award for the second straight season.
- Cochran-Siegle has won the award three consecutive years.
- 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, CO.
- Cochran-Siegle scored World Cup super G points in Beaver Creek, CO and won gold medals in downhill and combined at the 2012 Junior World Championships in Roccaraso, Italy.
- The Golden Ski Award has been presented to the top male and female junior skiers in the East since 1969.
- The award will be presented to Shiffrin and Cochran-Siegle during a June 1 ceremony at the New England Ski Museum in Franconia, NH.
QUOTES
Jim Gregory, Chair of the ESWA's Golden Ski Award Committee
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. 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.
Mikaela Shiffrin
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 becuase it made this season - as my rookie season - worth all the hard work.
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.
Ryan Cochran-Siegle
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. 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.
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
For more information on ESWA, check out http://www.nasja.org/east.cfm.
