WINTER PARK — At the rate Tommy Ford is racking up U.S. ski titles, Julia Mancuso had better watch her back.
Last year, Mancuso broke Andrea Mead Lawrence’s record of 10 titles, which stood for 55 years, and she added two more here, bringing her total to 13.
But Ford has won five — the last five U.S. Alpine Championships races he entered — and he’s only 22, not even a full-time World Cup racer yet.
Mancuso and Ford won super-G titles Saturday on a day better suited to spring break skiers than racers. Shirt-sleeve temperatures and soft snow may not be the preferred surface for racing, but they were made to order for Ford, who is from Bend, Ore.
“I grew up in it, Mount Bachelor,” Ford said. “A lot of soft snow. A lot of good snow, but a lot of soft snow to train in. I developed a touch from that. It’s easy to kind of slide around and make it down, but you’ve got to keep your speed up.”
Ford won U.S. titles in slalom, giant slalom and combined last year at Lake Placid. He won Thursday’s GS here and could pick up another slalom title today when the U.S. championships conclude.
He made it sound like he has an unfair advantage because of his affinity for soft snow.
“Another soft day,” Ford said. “Running first was a huge advantage, so I took advantage of it, skied well and tried to work the skis a little bit on that soft snow. It was nice to have some sun too.”
But Ford is considered one of the men’s team’s best prospects for the future.
“Tommy’s an awesome individual,” said Sasha Rearick, head men’s coach of the U.S. Ski Team. “He’s passionate about skiing, and he’s a great skier. I remember first seeing him when he was a second year J2 (age 16). He was with Randy (Pelkey) in the Western Region. Randy’s like, ‘Take this guy.’ He’s a fighter, a tough kid. He’s also got great feel in the snow.”
Ford split time this season between the World Cup and Europa Cup.
“I didn’t change anything, it’s still ski racing,” Ford said of racing at the elite level. “I just kept skiing as fast as I can, keeping the passion alive.”
Ford edged runner-up Thomas Biesemeyer by 0.1 of a second. The women’s race was close too: Mancuso edged Leanne Smith by 0.2 of a second.
“It’s nice to race in the spring weather,” Mancuso said. “It’s a beautiful day out here. It’s one of those moments where you’re really thankful for your job, and being good at your job.”
Mancuso claimed a silver medal in super-G at the world championships in February and finished fifth in the World Cup overall standings, the second-best finish of her career. She was third in the overall in 2007.
“My goal is to get back in the top three,” Mancuso said. “I know I can do better in GS (ninth), and that’s one of my weaknesses this year. If I can get my GS back to being in the top five, that will really help me towards the overall.”
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
