By Gordon Dritschilo
gordon.dritschilo @rutlandherald.com
KILLINGTON — Murray McGrath said he watches ski racing, but that he probably wouldn’t ever get to see the FIS World Cup in person if it didn’t come to Killington.
“I can’t get away to follow these folks around and two-thirds of their schedule is in Europe,” the co-owner of Inn at Long Trail said. “Getting world-class athletes coming and skiing in your hometown is pretty awesome. I ski the trail they’re going to be on — it’s pretty wild. … Hopefully, Mikaela Shiffrin can pull it off again — three in a row would be awesome.”
McGrath plans to be among the estimated 40,000 people watching the reigning champion defend her crown in Killington this weekend — the fourth time the resort has hosted the race.
“She is so quick,” he said. “It’s amazing how fast she goes. When you see it in person — oh, my God.”
For young local racers, the event is more than just spectacle. Lori McClallen, director of the Pico Ski Club’s racing program, said the organizing committee does an excellent job integrating local athletes into the event, from the parade in which hundreds of young ski racers are expected to participate, to the handful that will get to hand the top racers their bibs.
“The excitement over being able to see the best in the world 10 minutes up the road is great for our athletes,” she said. “It shows them what it’s like to be a world-class athlete, the commitment and the focus. They’re seeing them train, how they take their inspection runs.”
She said it also opens their eyes to some of the possibilities in the sport.
“Within the field of athletes that are racing, there are current college athletes,” she said. “That’s a whole other population athletes in our area can see.”
Rutland lawyer Tom Aicher grew up racing and transitioned into coaching after college, eventually becoming president of the Vermont Alpine Racing Association. He said most of his adult friends are involved in coaching youth skiing.
“If you’re a kid and you like ice hockey, you can go to UVM and watch games and some of those people go on to be professionals,” he said. “If you were into ski racing in Vermont, you only got to see your heroes on television. … It’s a big deal to have your heroes come to Vermont and get to see them. … These are the best ski racers in the world.”
Aicher said that for people like him who grew up on the Vermont racing scene, the World Cup has become a homecoming.
“I’ll see a lot of my childhood friends who are coming from all over,” he said.
Aicher said the technical aspects of each skier’s run are probably going to be more visible on the giant TV screen set up by the racetrack, but there was something about being there that you just can’t get at home.
“You’re watching it on TV, then they come over the hill, and you see it live,” he said. “It’s the best of both worlds. … I wouldn’t miss it. It’s the biggest thing to come to our community. It’s not the Super Bowl, but if you’re into ski racing, it might as well be.”
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