Young gun O’Brien bests USST athletes for national GS title

CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine – Two surprise U.S. Nationals title winners in two days. What could be more amazing than that? Try this: They’re dating.

Drew Duffy won the super G on Wednesday, March 25 and Nina O’Brien the women’s giant slalom on Thursday, March 26. Both took advantage of nearly perfect weather days at the East Coast mecca of spring skiing, Sugarloaf, at the first Eastern-hosted U.S. National Championship since 2006.

O’Brien, a Colorado native just 17 years old and among the youngest participants, put down a blazing first run to move 0.36 of a second ahead of the pack. The Burke Mountain Academy and National Training Group U18 athlete didn’t exactly come out of nowhere, as she’s strung together a series of top-10 finishes this year on the NorAm circuit. Her second run was a hair conservative, owing she suspects to a vicious case of the jitters, but she added another hundredth to her margin for the win over World Junior slalom gold medalist Paula Moltzan and Megan McJames in third, the top-two point holders in the race.

Nina O’Brien and Drew Duffy (USSA)

“I was so nervous, I haven’t been that position in a big race like this,” said O’Brien. The solution was to make the effort. “I just tried to stay relaxed and have fun. I had a lot of fun in the first run.”

Staying ahead of U.S. Ski Team athletes and those with World Cup experience was task made a touch easier, perhaps, because her boyfriend had collected his own U.S. title just the day before.

The U.S. Ski Team’s speed squad, perhaps buoyed by Lindsey Vonn forerunning with a GoPro, was in control for much of the second heat with Laurenne Ross finishing fourth and Stacey Cook fifth.

“My life has changed over the past few years. You grow as a person as you grow in your skiing,” said Vonn. “I’m really just here for the kids — for all the junior racers. It’s not about the competition, but more about the next generation.”

There is little doubt the national team is exhausted from its long World Cup season, but there are youngsters taking advantage, and that is not always the case.

“I think today is a great example of an up and comer rising quickly. Nina has had a great season. For her to win the nationals just caps it off perfectly,” said USSA President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “That she can be a national champion at that age is wonderful. It is a testament to women’s team development and our staff, our team, her parents and Burke and everybody that made it all happen. It’s really, really fun to see.”

Top photo by Doug Williams

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