Congrats to Utah's medalers

There haven't been a lot of podium appearances in winter World Cup events by native Utahns over the years. In fact, prior to 2006-07, only one — skeleton racer Noelle Pikus-Pace — had made any kind of World Cup splash, winning three golds, a silver and a bronze and the overall World Cup title in the 2004-05 season before a fractured leg cost her a spot in the next season's campaign and the 2006 Olympics as well.

That — and if you want to count the last Olympics — was the claim to fame by native Utahns.

In regular winter World Cup events, however, all Utahns not named Pikus-Pace haven't been invited to stand on the three steps — gold, silver and bronze ... until this past winter.

This past winter, Utahns medaled in alpine skiing, freestyle moguls, skeleton and bobsled.

Credit the Utah Olympic Park for its training in skeleton, bobsled and, to some level, freestyle skiers. Alpine skiing, though, is somewhat of a mystery.

Utah has had ski resorts around for 67 years and some very good skiers. Some Utah skiers have even made it on the ski-team roster.

Someone suggested once that the fault was with Utah's good snow. Utah skiers would sooner bounce around in good soft powder, making big smooth S-turns, rather than ski the icy courses so common on the East, making teeth-chattering, carving turns. Races are held on courses that are as hard and firm as possible.

Credits to this year's corps of Utahns:

Ted Ligety (Salt Lake City) and Steve Nyman (Provo) won alpine medals.

Nathan Roberts (Salt Lake City) won two podium appearances in freestyle mogul skiing, the second before the hometown folks at Deer Valley in January.

Shauna Rohbock (Orem) and Steve Holcomb (Park City) stood on the podium for their bobsled wins.

And Pikus-Pace (Orem) and Zach Lund (Park City) had medals draped around their necks for wins in skeleton.

For some, the wins were especially meaningful. Pikus-Pace was scheduled to go to Torino but broke her right leg in a training accident and missed the opportunity. She won the world championship this year, beating Olympic gold medalist Maya Pedersen of Switzerland. Her win was by the largest margin in the event's history.

Lund was pulled from the Olympic roster for taking a common hair-restoration pill. This year he had three victories, the last coming on the Torino track nearly one year to the day he was kicked off the team.

Holcomb actually won two titles — the two-man world championship and the combined world cup championship