Skip to main content

Women’s alpine World Cup starts without favorite

By WTOP Staff

ERIC WILLEMSEN
Associated Press

SOELDEN, Austria (AP) — With four different winners over the past four years, the women’s Alpine skiing World Cup lacks a clear favorite for the overall title just before the start of the new season.

Lindsey Vonn and Maria Hoefl-Riesch used to be safe bets for the top two spots. But the American, who won her fourth and most recent title in 2012, is coming off a serious injury and is expected to compete in a reduced number of races. Germany’s Hoefl-Riesch, who was the 2011 champion, has retired.

Defending champion Anna Fenninger of Austria is likely to face stiff competition again from the likes of Lara Gut, Tina Weirather and Tina Maze. And perhaps even from American slalom standout Mikaela Shiffrin, who aims to become more of an all-around skier.

“I have raised the bar for myself. Many people believe I can just repeat it but it isn’t that easy,” Fenninger said Thursday, two days before a giant slalom on the Rettenbach glacier opens a season that will be highlighted by the world championships in Vail and Beaver Creek, Colorado, in February.

In a dramatic finish to last season, Fenninger defeated Hoefl-Riesch, who crashed and injured herself in the final downhill, to secure Austria’s first overall title since Nicole Hosp in 2007. Fenninger also won the GS title.

“I have to put last year behind me,” she said. “I can only benefit from experience, not from the successes. My feeling for the new season is good. I am really looking forward to it. Only doing training runs for so long gets boring.”

Besides Vonn and Hoefl-Riesch, Liechtenstein’s Weirather was another racer whose title hopes were derailed by injury. Weirather was second in the overall standings before a season-ending crash in training on the Olympic downhill course in Sochi in February.

Meanwhile, the racer with the most wins last season was Gut. The Swiss skier placed first in seven races compared to Fenninger’s four, but she finished third overall behind the Austrian and Hoefl-Riesch. She did take the globe for best super-G racer, though.

Gut, who got her campaign started with a win in Soelden, said she needed to improve on consistency. In GS, she had three podium finishes and a fifth place but failed to finish the four other races.

“Those were mistakes, it’s as easy as that,” Gut said. “You have to race at your limits if you want to win. The difference between the best time and not finishing is small. If I wouldn’t take risks for a whole season, I wouldn’t get top results, either.”

Maze won two gold medals at the Sochi Olympics but struggled on the World Cup circuit, failing to reproduce the form that saw her take the overall title with a record 2,424 points a year earlier. The Slovenian, who is the only active skier besides Vonn to have won races in all five Alpine disciplines, finished fourth.

Maze told Slovenian media this month that she wanted to have one more go at the overall title before taking a season off — and possibly ending her career as she will turn 32 next year.

For Shiffrin, however, age is not an issue. The 19-year-old American has dominated women’s slalom racing since 2012 by winning two World Cup discipline titles, the world championship and Olympic gold, and is vastly improving in GS.

The teenager plans to start racing in super-G as well, which could make her an outside contender for the overall title.

“It’s a goal, I think it would be incredible to win the overall title even this year, if I have a shot at it,” Shiffrin said. “It’s so tough to say. Especially right now, nobody has raced yet. Some girls race four of three events well, and I am right now racing two, and maybe a little bit of super-G. In an ideal world, I can win the overall title.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote