Governor Ritter Congratulates Telemark Skiers

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Gov. Bill Ritter today congratulated three Colorado junior telemark skiers on their recent skiing accomplishments in a ceremony at the Capitol.

Lorin Paley, 16, and Ben Paley, 18, of Steamboat Springs, and Drew Hauser, 19, of Silverthorne, were invited to meet with the Governor after their recent success at the Telemark Junior World Championships and the U.S. Telemark National Championships.

“These three young skiers have show exceptional poise and remarkable skill to achieve this level of success.” Gov. Ritter said.  “All of Colorado is extremely proud of their performances on the world stage in Europe and the National Championships.  Congratulations to Drew, Lorin, and Ben.  I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of their accomplishments in the years to come.”

The Telemark Junior World Championships were held in Kreischberg, Austria, on January 24 Lorin Paley won two gold medals in the Classic and Sprint Classic events, and finished second overall.  She was the first American female to stand on the podium.  Hauser also won a gold medal, finishing first in the Giant Slalom event, and finishing first overall.

The U.S. Telemark National Championships were held in Steamboat Springs from February 26 through March 1.  Lorin Paley finished second overall in the women’s championships, losing only through a tiebreaker, while Hauser finished first overall in the men’s division.  Ben Paley  finished third overall.