U.S. disabled alpiners primed for Huntsman Cup

The U.S. Disabled Alpine Team is seeing all green lights as they move into the 20th annual Huntsman Cup, set for Jan. 5-7 at Park City, 2002 Olympic mountain and former host of the annual World Cup opener for able-bodied skiers.
PARK CITY, Utah — The U.S. Disabled Alpine Team is seeing all green lights as they move into the 20th annual Huntsman Cup, set for Jan. 5-7 at Park City, 2002 Olympic mountain and former host of the annual World Cup opener for able-bodied skiers.
    "We're ready to go," said head coach Ray Watkins. "This event is a great extension of what we started at the Ski Spectacular [Dec. 7-9 at Breckenridge, Colorado]. Everyone was skiing strong then and I'm looking forward to seeing that continue in Park City — CB's run is a great course for us and Park City always does an outstanding job hosting this race."
    As a tuneup for the Jan. 17-22 World Cup opener at Aspen, Colo., the Huntsman Cup also serves as another important opportunity for young skiers to connect with the U.S. national team athletes.
    "More than anything, these races are about exposing younger athletes to level two competition. This is kind of a World Cup dress rehearsal for our national-team athletes, but if the younger skiers can perform well here, it's a good indication that they're not far from making the jump to the World Cup. It's important for these athletes to get a sense that they can take the next step in their skiing. The Huntsman Cup is critical to that pipeline," added Watkins.
    Athletes to keep an eye on in Park City are Tyler Walker (sit-ski) and Carl Burnett (sit-ski), who are coming off an intense slalom battle at the Ski Spectacular with Walker narrowly edging Burnett for the win. Also skiing strong, according to Watkins, are standup skiers Ralph Green and George Sansonetis, who have both shown major improvements in their skiing this season.
    "There's going to be a lot of tough battles out there," said Watkins. "Both Tyler and Carl are skiing so strong, Ralph and George have really made some leaps this year, then you've got Stephani Victor [sit-ski], who's always a threat — especially at her home mountain. Plus Laurie Stephens [sit-ski] and Sandy Dukat [standup] have been all aces, so there will be plenty to watch."
    The 20th annual Huntsman Cup opens with back-to-back giant slalom races on Friday and Saturday before wrapping up Sunday with slalom.