Following on the heels of Lange’s traditional “Lange Girl” poster, the most competitive ski boot brand in the sport has introduced a twist to the concept of the 40-year-old tradition: the Lange Girl Athlete. “The Lange Girl Athlete” turns the classic pin-up concept into a showcase for modern, well-rounded, champion-caliber women skiers in the 21st century.

Now in its second year, the 2008 Lange Girl Athlete Poster features American 22-year-old Resi Stiegler – a first-seed World Cup skier, leader on the soccer field, competitive cyclist, violin player and otherwise dynamic individual who lives every day to the fullest.

“Resi has been a role model for women of all ages for as long as I’ve known her,” said Lange U.S. Race Department Manager John Dwyer. “She is a happy, vibrant, determined, natural athlete whose love of life inspires others to participate in whatever they choose. The fact that she represents Lange, as one of the strongest young slalom skiers in the world, is an honor for us.”

Lange chose Resi to represent the Lange Girl Athlete in part because of her athletic skills, in part because of her enthusiasm for life and in part because of her feminine grace under pressure. “When Resi is at her best,” Dwyer said, “you’d never know she’s even trying. She makes everything she does look easy and fun. This in turn inspires others to go out and have fun.”

2008 Lange Girl Athlete - American Resi Stiegler

American Julia Mancuso was the first Lange Girl Athlete in 2007. Resi Stiegler is the daughter of Austrian Olympic champion Joseph ‘Pepi’ Stiegler.

Lange is particularly pleased to introduce the Lange Girl athlete 2008 poster at the World Cup races Friday and Saturday in Lienz, Austria, the ancestral home of the Stiegler family.

Resi Stiegler
born Nov. 14, 1985, Jackson Hole, Wyo. 
Junior Worlds: 3rd  Combined & Slalom 2003, 4th  Slalom 2005
FIS World Championships: 10th  Combined St. Moritz 2003; 6th  Slalom 2005; 8th  Slalom, 35 th  GS Are 2007.
NorAm: 2nd  Slalom 2002, 8th  Overall 2002
World Cup: 4th  SC Altenmarkt 2007, 5th  SC Tarvisio 2007, 8th  SC Sansicario 2005, 8th  Slalom Semmering 2005, 9th  Slalom Zwiesel 2004, 10th  Slalom Zagreb, 5th  Slalom Zagreb 2007, 6th Slalom Val d’Isère 2006, 10th  GS Sierra Nevada 2007, 10th  Slalom Levi 2006
Overall World Cup: 92nd  2003, 54th  2004, 45th  2005, 42nd  2006, 25th  2007.
Olympic Games: Torino 2006 — 11th K, 12th  Slalom
 
10 points about Resi's career
 
 — Resi’s father is Austria’s Josef “Pepi” Stiegler, slalom Olympic Champion in 1964 and silver medalist in giant slalom in 1960. After his racing career, Pepi moved to Wyoming to run Jackson Hole’s ski school. He lives now in Montana. Resi’s mother is a former ski-instructor.
— In her first World Cup race in Europe, Resi was a promising 11th in slalom in Lenzerheide in December 2002 with bib 61. She was named “Winstar of the Day” afterward and qualified for the 2003 World Championships at St. Moritz.
— She made the slalom first seed in 2005. She is 14th  at the start of the present season thanks to her three top-10 finishes last winter. She scored World Cup points 11 times during the 2006/07 season. In March 2007, she clinched her first gold in GS and slalom at the U.S. Nationals in Alaska.
 — Her brother Seppi is also a promising talent on the US junior squad. They sometimes met in Lienz during the winter, especially for Christmas.
— In her younger years, Resi was helped by the 1985 GS World Champion Diann Roffe. Her kid’s dream was to clinch an Olympic Medal as dad “Pepi”. She enjoyed being part of the 2006 US Olympic team at only 20.
— Very competitive, Resi also excels in other sports as swimming or soccer. When she has time, she likes to play her fiddle or hang around with her buddies, especially Julia Mancuso and Chemmy Alcott.
— Last winter she started in 20 World Cup events, including in downhill and scored her first points in that specialty at Altenmark (28th ). She was 2nd in the first slalom run at Sierra Nevada and on her way to the podium when she skied out at the middle of the 2nd run.

The way she is

Intense, passionate and happy – that’s the way Resi Stiegler can be described. And sometimes unlucky — like last winter, when she missed a great opportunity to reach her first World Cup podium in slalom at Sierra Nevada after clocking the second best time in the first run. But she wanted to fight hard, because it’s her tactic at the start of each race.

“I was so happy, it's such a nice day out,” Stiegler said afterward, adding that in between runs, she tried to stay focused, stay in her 'now' and not worry about falling or making mistakes, or coming down winning.
`“My mind goes 100 miles an hour, so I just tried to ski like I know I can,” she explained. “I wanted to win it and I went for it. I don't have anything to show for it but I've got a lot of positives to take away. And that's the consequences, really —  especially in slalom, of putting my heart into it and taking risks.”

Resi, who is one of the youngest slalom specialists in the first seed, is considered as one of the most talented racers from the younger generation. She kept improving her level since her first wins on the NorAm circuit in 2002. Her first U.S. titles in March 2007 confirm her recent progresses.

Besides being a top athlete, Resi also has great charisma. She brought fun and momentum on the women's tour in 2006 when she raced with tiger ears fixed on her helmet. “I was nicknamed Tiger when I was younger because of my determination on course, so I thought that it was fun to put those stuffed ears on my helmet,” she explained at that time.   
   
Patrick Lang
SkiRacing.com
Thursday, 27 December 2007

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