Champions, meaning that next season he becomes
the NASTAR pacesetter across the nation, representing the zero handicap and par time.
Nyman said that when he was young, he raced
the Coca-Cola circuit that was similar to NAS-
TAR, and began working as a pacesetter at NAS-
TAR national championships four years ago.
“It’s pretty cool,” said Nyman. “You have this
whole array of people from 3 years old to 99 years
old; they’re all out there racing. There’s a ton of
little kids. There is a history. That’s where ski rac-
ing does start,
at that really
young age at
NASTAR. It’s
super simple,
super straight-
forward — just
go.”
Nyman added
that NASTAR
racers who
reach national
championship
level take it
very seriously.
“People have
speed suits and
two pairs of
skis,” he said.
“They want to
win. It costs a lot of money to go there. People are
charging. There are some nasty spills, people blow
out — you see these old guys breaking poles. They
get really into it.”
Richardson said that she enjoyed being a star
at NASTAR Champs. “They were such an ap-
preciative group,” said Richardson, who recently
announced her retirement from ski racing. “Ev-
eryone wanted us to sign their bibs. It makes you
realize there are people who look up to you. The
ski racing community is so small, but when there
are 1,200 people in one place, you realize that ski
racing is alive and well. I don’t think you’ll ever
come across such passionate people. That child-
like fun and passion can sometimes be exempt
from the World Cup. This is an amazing way to
cap off my career. I would love to come back every
year.”
Jeanette Saylor posted the
fastest raw time for the
women and won the trip to
train with the U.S. Ski Team
in South America this fall.
Phil Mahre, Heidi Voelker, Steve Nyman, Kaylin
Richardson, Doug Lewis and AJ Kitt heat up
Winter Park.
TIM MALONE (2); DAVE CAMARA (BRIGH T ON COURSE)
A New Yorker Takes On NASTAR By Jake Bright
Hearing “Racer ready: three, two, one, go!” on a weekday morning is a far cry from “Stand clear of the closing doors!” Fortunately for me, today I’m not heading to my desk job via New York City’s rush-hour subway. I’m joining
the best NASTAR racers in the country chasing Olympians Steve Nyman and Phil Mahre down a giant slalom course at
Winter Park, Colo.
After years as a fanatic freeskier intrigued by racing, I finally took the “now or never” plunge, attended a Mount Hood
summer race camp, and started competing in masters leagues and NASTAR, whose public race arenas allow anyone
to bang gates all day and compare themselves to Olympic pacesetters.
Now, my NASTAR handicap, or percentage slower than the national pacesetter, teeters between 0.09 and 0.15 at
the gold/platinum level, qualifying me to compete in the top division of the National Championships. Two days, more
than a thousand racers, and four runs, taking the best average of two.
On Day 1 of the competition, I watch Olympians Steve Nyman and Phil Mahre blow through the gates and, after many
racers, I finally get my first run. I’ve learned a good performance has a lot to do with creating a synergy of components in the course: confidence and focus; a great start; looking three gates ahead; hands charging in front; forward
pressure in boots; the tightest line possible maintaining parallel and clean arcing skis; and tucking when it’s right.
This doesn’t happen on my first run. My line and timing are off, I dump a lot of speed, and I miss my tuck before
the last couple gates. Thirty-one seconds: way off top-three pace or a good handicap. And I don’t get a second run,
because some fellow racers and I get held up by an overzealous lift supervisor who won’t let us on the chair because
our tickets are on jackets up at the start gate.
I reset my goals for Day 2: Break as far below 30 seconds as possible and salvage the best handicap.
On my first run, I post 29.65. I ramp it up on the second run, feeling things come together and coming across in
28. 55, three seconds faster than Day 1 and a full second faster than my first run. I consider it a modest accomplishment, but am still about two seconds away from
being competitive.
I remind myself I am an amateur racer with a range
of responsibilities that challenge my ski time. Still,
nationals at the gold/platinum level is competitive.
There’s a fire to get better and faster. That’s part of
the allure of our sport — no matter how much we
achieve, there are always new levels of ability to
reach.
Coming down off the racecourse, my competitive
spirits calm as I appreciate the overall experience.
There are hundreds and hundreds of skiers participating in multiple races across the mountain. It reminds
me why I love skiing: moms, dads, grandparents, Gen
X-ers, Gen Y-ers, teens, kids and Olympians all doing
something positive together, outdoors under open
skies. I’ll definitely be back at NASTAR Nationals in
2011, chasing that single-digit handicap.
Jake Bright is a young professional and freelance
writer who lives in New York City. He races and
trains NASTAR and masters at Windham Mountain
and Copper Mountain.
