In its 13th season, the Birds of Prey will carry on its rich tradition of high intensity action packed alpine ski racing as its stands fill with hundreds of fans looking to cheer on host country racers like Bode Miller (Franconia, N.H.), Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah), Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, Calif.), Steven Nyman (Provo, Utah) and more as they compete today in the first race of the three-day series - a super combined.
If fans took one moment from the 2009 Birds of Prey races with them, it was likely the intense battle for first place in the GS that was separated by a slim hundredth of a second with Ligety coming out of the hunt in second. Now, according to the Olympic gold medalist, he's looking forward to getting back to that GS course.
"I'm mostly looking forward to the GS, obviously, because that's been my best showing here and I've traditionally done really well. It's cool to have a home race and it's cool to actually do well in it," Ligety said. "The GS course here is actually pretty fast. It's got a fair amount of flats, but then there are a couple steep terrain changes. There is even a little bit of air, and that's pretty rare for a GS, so that's cool. But the longer flats are tough, so you have to be on top of your game the whole way down."
The success of the U.S. in Beaver Creek is fabled and dates back to the 2004 season when Daron Rahlves (Sugarbowl, Calif.) and Miller dominated the downhill for the next five seasons to come. The back and forth of wins between the two left Rahlves with two and Miller with three of the five wins the U.S. accounts for in Beaver Creek.
The U.S. has also experienced seven straight seasons of podiums in Beaver Creek, which includes the five wins, six seconds, and four thirds. With a streak to carry on in one of the biggest stops on the World Cup tour for the season, the athletes competing this weekend are looking forward to the spirit of the U.S. fans guiding them along.
"It's great that my friends and family can make it out, and that there's a big cheering section for all the American guys here," Ligety said.
One such cheering section will be there to see Sullivan, a brother, relative, friend and hero of all who sport the "Marco Rocks" hats.
"It's cool. I don't get to spend a lot of time with them till after I race, but it's really cool coming through a finish seeing all the green hats," Sullivan said. "It gives me more of a reason to perform for my friends and family."
While the stands may be sprinkled with friends of various nations on Friday, it will be the U.S. fans who stand tall, cheering as they will their American alpine racing heroes over the Red Tail Jump and into the finish.
