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Show World Pro Skiing Profiles season leaders is going to become intense. The exceptions to the rule, by the way were Billy Kidd, who did not participate in the opening meet of 1969-70, and the great Jean-Claude Killy. who did not win a WPS race until the third meet of the 1972-73 season. And a number of "potential" "poten-tial" exceptions have yet to be heard from this winter, particularly Lonny Vanatta. the top ranked American pro on the tour for the past two winters. Vanatta. 23. Steamboat Springs. Colorado, who finished the 1979-80 season ranked third, was among the favorites in the pre-season polls but he failed to make i he cut for the 32 spots open in the Tyrolia Cup in Solden. The young American explained ex-plained his failure as bcino nothing more or less than "two lousy runs" and he vowed to be sharper when the tour resumed in Saas Fee. Aside for Woorworth's second place, the opening race of the 1980-81 season was a dismal one for American racers. Five Americans were ranked in the top 10 at the end of the 1979-80 season, the largest number of U.S. skiers so ranked since 1973-74. and the experts believed this winter might produce a U.S. champion, the first since Hank Kashiwa. 31. Steamboat Steam-boat Springs. Colorado. claimed the WPS title in 1975. But of the tiv top-ranked Americars. only Wnodwortli ever advanced beyond the quarterfinals in the opening meet. .. , U.S. skiers have' always, had their problems racing in Europe, hut after Solden vW of ihem, like V'ahatra. vowed to put on a better show, when the starting gates open in . Saas Fee this weekend. ASPEN, Colorado (November (No-vember 25) - It has become axiomatic on the World Pro Skiing tour that is a racer is to have any hope of challenging for the championship, champ-ionship, he must do one of two things: either win or finish second in one of the two races conducted in the opening meet of a pro season. V In the 11 -year history of World Pro Skiing (WPS), every champion, with two exceptions, began his championship season either . with a victory or a second place finish in the opening giant slalom or slalom. On eight occasions the eventual champion did win 7 one of the opening races and on five occasions the champ- -ion-to-be won both races in ' the season opener. Most of touring pro racers would rather ignore those facts as they prepare for the second WPS meet of the 1908-81 season, the $40,000 Elvia Cup in Saas Fee, Switzerland, November" 28-30. They would like to ignore that information because based on WPS history, only three racers should be considered in contention for the championship at this early date: Andre Arnold, . 25, Solden, Austria, who has won a record three consecutive consecu-tive WPS crowns; Hans Hintcrscer, 26, Kitzbuehel, Austria, the number-two man on the tour in 1979-80. and Richie Woodworth, 23, Peabody, Massachusetts. who finished the 1979-80 season ranked fourth. To put it- bluntly, Arnold, Hinterseer and Woodworth ' simply hogged the top two spots in the opening giant slalom and slalom conducted in the $50,000.Tyrolia Cup in Solden Austria. November 7-9. The flamboyant Hinterseer. Hinter-seer. a World Cup giant slalom champion and four-time four-time Austrian national champion, won the Solden (iS and finished second in the slalom, much to the pleasure of his fellow Austr-ians. Austr-ians. Arnold, who added to the glee of the Austrian fans, finished third in the GS but came back to defeat Hinterseer Hinter-seer in the slalom. Only Woodworth managed to put a temporary frown on the faces of the Austrian fans by beating Arnold in the GS semifinals before Hinterseer - defeated him in the finals, begininng the Austrian sweep of the weekend's events. Getting back to those WPS records, if the future were determined entirely on the basis of past records and percentages, then the 1980-81 1980-81 WPS season could be called off right now. But Arnold;' Hinterseer and Woodworth know that won't be the case. With one meet oqt of the way and ten. including Saas Fee. still on the schedule, the pressure on the earlv- |
