(Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune) Skicross racers turn for the final jump in a men's heat at The Canyons, Saturday February 11, 2012.

American skicross racer enjoys redemption at Grand Prix

Skicross » American puts X Games debacle behind her with second-place finish.

By Michael C. Lewis

| The Salt Lake Tribune

First Published Feb 11 2012 03:23 pm • Last Updated Feb 11 2012 11:41 pm

Park City •  Langely McNeal left the bell-bottom pants at home, this time.

Having been notoriously disqualified from the Winter X Games last month because of illegal elastic bands wrapped around her baggy pant cuffs, the American skicross racer from Sun Valley wore a tighter pair — on loan from her mother, again — at the U.S. Grand Prix on Saturday.

And what do you know?

McNeal raced through to finish second behind Canada’s Marielle Thompson in a dramatic final at the Canyons Resort — and pocket a $5,000 check that will go a long way to helping finance her career.

"Pretty excited right now," she said. "A little redemption, after X Games."

McNeal was the highest finishing American, among a crowd of Canadians on the podium.

Canada’s Christopher Del Bosco, the reigning Winter X Games champion, took gold on the men’s side, ahead of countryman Brady Leman. American Joe Swensson finished sixth overall, while John Teller crashed out of the quarterfinals after crashing in the semifinals of the Winter X Games.

"Good day for us," Thompson said. "I think we’re all really happy."

McNeal, too.

The 28-year-old has been supporting herself almost entirely since returning to the slopes after working in the corporate world, driving to many of the competitions and waxing her own skis. The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association has little money to dedicate to skicross, so most Americans in the sport must pay their own way.

"She’s done pretty much everything on her own," her mother, Beverly McNeal, said.

Family members watched from the finish area Saturday as McNeal cruised down much of her final run behind Thompson and Switzerland’s Katrin Mueller, watching them "just go back and forth, back and forth."

Athletes in skicross race four at a time down an Alpine course with big jumps and sweeping turns. First one to the finish wins.

"I saw them kind of rubbing elbows, so I kind of expected a crash," McNeal said. "So I was just being patient, trying not to do anything stupid, and I lucked out."

Indeed, Mueller crashed, allowing McNeal to swoop past and claim her redemption.

"Nothing actually has felt this good for a while in ski racing," she said. "So I’m really, really, really happy right now. Five grand, no DQs, and I’m in one piece. You can’t ask for more."

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

About Reader Comments

---

Reader comments on sltrib.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Salt Lake Tribune. We will delete comments containing obscenities, personal attacks and inappropriate or offensive remarks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. If you see an objectionable comment, please alert us by clicking the arrow on the upper right side of the comment and selecting "Flag comment as inappropriate". If you've recently registered with Disqus or aren't seeing your comments immediately, you may need to verify your email address. To do so, visit disqus.com/account.
See more about comments here.