Ligety and Richardson are US slalom champs

CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine -- Talk about a changing of the guard.

Even as 32-year-old US ski team member Daron Rahlves winged his way west to retirement after winning the US Alpine Championships super-G title here Sunday, a pair of young racers duked it out yesterday for the men's slalom title.

After two runs in the bright sunshine at Sugarloaf USA, 21-year-old Ted Ligety, the rising star of the men's team who won an Olympic gold medal in combined last month, withstood a second-run charge by Jimmy Cochran to win the slalom championship.

Ligety, of Park City, Utah, beat Cochran by a third of a second in the morning run. Cochran won the afternoon run, but not by enough to derail Ligety -- 1 minute, 33.26 seconds to 1:33.35. It was Ligety's second consecutive national slalom title.

Cody Marshall, a former Green Mountain Valley School skier from Vermont tied three-time Olympian Chip Knight for third in 1:34.58.

In the women's slalom, another 21-year-old raced to the fore at the national level as Kaylin Richardson, a Minnesota native who was a NorAm champion and third-place finisher in Sunday's super-G, came from behind to prevail in 1:41.26. It was her first US gold medal.

She beat Caitlin Ciccone from the Franconia Ski Club in Bethlehem, N.H., by a convincing six/10ths of a second. Olympic giant slalom gold medalist Julia Mancuso was third.

''I'm just totally thrilled," said Richardson, who won both runs. ''Today I felt a little sluggish in the morning run, probably because of skiing all the speed events. But in the second run I really laid it on the line."

Richardson, in her third year on the US team, said she enjoyed the Sugarloaf experience.

''I've never seen so many people at opening ceremonies," she said after the awards presentation. ''I never felt this energy, ever, at any nationals. You know, at the downhill [Saturday] we had people [at the start] chanting our names. It makes you feel special as a ski racer to have a nation behind you."

Ready to add more speed work into her training to become a four-discipline skier, Richardson says the core of young talent on the women's team makes it better.

''We have such a strong team, we work so much harder," she said. ''With all those fast girls, you're bound to get faster. We're all getting faster all the time. The next four years [leading to the Vancouver Olympics] we'll all be feeding off each other. I definitely feel I'm now part of that club."

The race was nearly won by 20-year-old Resi Stiegler, who blistered the first run and had a strong second run going until, near the end, she got low and fell onto her hip, throwing her back into sixth place.

Ligety, despite his age, now sees himself as a force on the World Cup tour. Yesterday's win highlighted his loose, elastic style.

''I'm definitely a little looser with my hands and upper body," he said, ''and then my skis coming around really forcing it. It definitely allows for a little more speed, but at the same time it gets me into a little more trouble."

But trouble didn't visit yesterday.

''It wasn't like I was trying to win a World Cup, but I was definitely going for it," he said. ''Jimmy's skiing really well right now, so I knew I couldn't slack off."

Ligety has moved himself into a role of team leadership. ''There are a lot of younger racers on the team right now, with Daron leaving and Dane Spencer out for a while," he said. ''It's bound to change the team, for sure. At the same time you still have Bode [Miller] and [Erik] Schlopy around, so there'll be some of the main core group. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out, especially with the coaches who are leaving."

For Cochran, who comes from the legendary skiing family in Vermont that produced five Olympians, his challenge to Ligety was also a step forward.

''I had a little trouble early," he said of yesterday's run. ''But I was able to punch it right back on the line.

''And I kind of thought to myself, 'Wow, if I can get away with that I can get away with anything. I can take a few more risks, and ski with more energy than I've been used to.' It was one of my faster runs."

Miller didn't have the best of luck; he went out in the first run yesterday when the brake from one of his skis start dragging in the snow.