Parkite Lauren Macuga stood in the starting gate staring down one of the world’s most revered downhill ski racing courses — Beaver Creek’s Birds of Prey. One part of her mind was walking through the technical aspects of the run. Another was thinking about what the crowd would be like in the finish for her first-ever World Cup on home snow.The Birds of Prey is a much-revered downhill course dating back to 1997. Legendary U.S. ski champions like Daron Rahlves and Bode Miller have etched their names into its annals of history. Last Saturday in Colorado, Macuga was a part of history herself as the women ran the Birds of Prey downhill for the very first time. Not a bad outing for the 22-year-old — a career-best fourth.Pushing out of the starting gate onto the Flyway, her focus flipped from visualizing the crowd to ski racing — channeling the thoughts in her mind to her Rossignol race skis. One of the most terrifying elements was coming up quickly — the steep descent of the Brink, followed by a set of sweeping turns through Talon and down the mid-section of the course.“The Brink is like the first pitch of the course — four gates in — and it is steep!” said Macuga. “It is almost straight down into the Talon Turn. It’s really unique to have that sort of pitch on a women’s course. We haven’t had a pitch that long, and it’s challenging! But it’s very fun to ski it. There’s never a break — we’re always moving throughout the whole course, which is very different but very fun.”Lauren is a part of Park City’s first family of ski competition. Sister Sam was competing this weekend on the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup tour in China, qualifying for finals along with fellow Parkite Paige Jones. Brother Daniel was racing in a series of FIS events in Big Sky. Sister Alli is one of the top moguls skiers in the world. She and her freestyle teammates were spending an evening in the harbor of Oslo, Norway, gathered around a phone watching the live timing feeds as her big sister attacked Birds of Prey.Mom Amy and father Dan hopscotch the planet to keep up with the kids. Last weekend, they were staked out on the front of the fence line at Beaver Creek, cheering their lungs out for daughter Lauren. With the Macuga clan, it’s a fun family affair.“All four of us are so lucky to have them,” said Lauren. “I don’t think we’d be where we are without them.” She laughed, joking about how sometimes they don’t know the details of the sport. And it’s OK as it’s more about their family and seeing their kids do something they love — and excelling.Father Dan said it best: “As a parent you wait for those moments — the ones where you go wow!!!! That’s my kid.” With the family often scattered over three or four time zones around the world, they stay connected via text and family Zoom calls. Amy and Dan keep Delta busy chasing finish areas around the globe.Like many kids in Park City, Macuga got her start in Youth Sports Alliance programs. While Park City is not known as a breeding ground for downhill skiers, a coach saw something and took her to a camp in Sugarloaf, Maine, to give her a sense of speed when she was 16.“Well, I cried before it because it was bulletproof,” she laughed, reminiscing. “But I actually ended up making the team off of it once I overcame that fear. That’s when I started to like doing speed.”No question about it. Lauren Macuga loves speed. Coming off the infamous Golden Eagle jump, she rocketed through The Abyss at a breathtaking 81+ mph heading down to the Harrier and Redtail jumps, then into the stadium. It was the fastest speed of the day. Think about that the next time you’re driving I-80!Macuga helps to keep things light within the women’s speed team, with a quick wit and engaging smile underneath her trademark bucket hat and Pit Viper shades. After Saturday’s downhill, she reflected back on her race. That crowd she had envisioned a few minutes earlier while at the start? Well, “It was a whole lot bigger than even I had imagined,” she said. There were thousands packed into the stadium.Most of all, though, it was about having a good time doing something she loves. “I just want everyone to know that we have fun out here and I hope we bring speed back to America!”The post Ridglines: From Park City with speed appeared first on Park Record.