NASTAR; ROBBY ZEHNER THE CHAMPIONSHIPS WINTER PARK 2012 Zehner won way more than a medal at the NASTAR National Championships. What your view could look like this ummer. SkiRacing.com FEBRUARY 13, 2012 | 33
“It was an amazing trip,” says Zehner of his time in Portillo. “They definitely welcomed us with open arms and
were really happy to have us there.”
Fifteen-year-old Abigail Murer of Hidden Valley, Mo., also won the chance to show the U.S. Ski Team what she
could do in Chile. Murer, who has been skiing since the age of 3, has set her sights on the U.S. Ski Team. She
relocated to Vail three years ago to help make that dream become reality.
Although Murer receives high-caliber training almost every day from SSCV coaches, the chance to spend a
week with the women’s technical team in Chile last summer gave her something more. She trained in the same
courses, did the same workouts, and hung out with the team during free time. U.S. Ski Team members also
gave her insights about when they were young athletes and offered tips on furthering her chances of making
the U.S. Ski Team.
“NASTAR is an amazing gateway for young athletes to see where their dreams can take them,” says Ken
Murer, Abigail’s father, adding that just recently she was invited to train with the Austrian team in Pitztal. “Without
NASTAR there’s no way she’d have had that opportunity. She is more driven than ever.”
