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Alumni
Pep Fujas (class of 2001. Micah Abrahms, Editor in Chief of Freeze Magazine, was quoted with saying “Pep (Fujas, LWS class of 2001) is the present and future of our sport.” Pep has been featured on the cover of both Axis and Powder magazines and in Matchstick Productions and Poor Boyz films. He was awarded the 2004 “Best Breakthrough Performance” at Powder Video Awards and placed second, behind best friend and fellow All-Star Tanner Hall, in the 2003 X-Games Slopestyle competition.
Brett Buckles - Ex Alpine racer - once a purist has now “crossed over” and is an x-gamer and winning in a MAJOR way. She took 1st (Gold Medal) in the SkierCross, Gravity Games, 2005, a 2nd in the US SkierCross and a 1st in the NA FreeSkiing Championships. Sheplaced 15th in the Xgames 2005.”Three years ago, the Steamboat Springs native was on the U.S. Ski Team, competing across the globe with the likes of Picabo Street and Lindsey Kildow. After getting burned out, Buckles quit racing and moved to Arizona to be a college student. Now she’s back, and once again rubbing elbows with the best of her sport - literally.Buckles completed her comeback on Friday, winning the Gravity Games women’s skiercross gold medal at Copper Mountain. She beat out silver medalist and X Games finalist Valentine Scuotto of France to take home $10,000. Pretty good for someone who wasn’t planning on racing again.”I hated racing, and didn’t want anything to do with snow,” the 23-year-old Buckles said. “I came out here for a week for spring break last year and loved it, and thought, Wow this is not out of my blood yet.”After transferring to the University of Colorado in the fall, Buckles had a leisurely winter of skiing planned. But a friend persuaded her to race in an X Games skiercross qualifier earlier this year.”I did it,” Buckles said of her first-ever skiercross race. “And I made X Games, and it’s been chaos ever since.” Vail Daily News, 2005.
Travis Mayer (class of 2000) Won the US Olympic Silver Medal winner in 2002! 2006 Olympic Team Member! Travis was ranked 5th in the 2006 World Cup Standings and placed first at the 2005 World Cup Event in Lake Placid, NY. In 2005, he was ranked 2nd in Men’s moguls at the End of Season National Ranking; Men’s Moguls 2002 Gold Cup Winner; placed 3rd in the 2003 World Cup Grand Prix; 2002 FIS Rookie of the Year with a 50% career World Cup Podium Rate; placed 2nd at the 2004 World Cup in Tignes, France; placed 1st at the 2005 World Cup in Lake Placid, New York.
Johnny Spillane, Class of 1999
Nordic US Ski Team Member-3 Time OlympianHighlights:
2006 Olympic Team member in Torino, Italy and helped the team place 11th overall. WORLD CHAMPION
Johnny Spillane ‘99 finished 14 th overall in the individual Nordic Combined event, 10 th in the Sprint event, and 7 th in the 4×5 relay as part of U.S. Nordic Combined team effort. During the relay, Spillane achieved the second fastest interval time of any competitor in the event! Gold Medalist, Nordic Combined, Italy, March, 2003 Second, Third, World Championships, 2002 Member of the 2002 U.S. Olympic Team. Finished first and second in two World Cup-B events on the 2002 Olympic venue. Posted best American result in the sprint at the 2001 World Championships. Johnny is a 3-time Olympian, but his most noteworthy accomplishments came in the 2003 season when he posted 10 top-10 finishes on the World Cup circuit and added to his success with a win in the sprint event at the 2003 World Championships. The gold marked the United States’ first ever world crown.Johnny Spillane is the FIRST Nordic Gold medal winner for the United States in Olympic or World Championships history! And he got his start right here at the Lowell Whiteman School! To learn more about his big win, see Article by SkiRacing.com, excerpt below.
“Johnny Spillane realized a boyhood dream when he became the first U.S. nordic world champion, winning the nordic combined sprint title at the 2003 FIS Nordic World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy.Spillane took the gold thanks to a powerful sprint in the 7.5km cross-country race, after he’d finished fourth in the K120 jumping. It’s the first nordic gold medal for the United States in Olympic or World Championships history.”Johnny Spillane has been bringing home the big wins for a while. His home town of Steamboat Springs and school (The Lowell Whiteman School) couldn’t be prouder of him.
