Now and Then Young and Old Team Up for Gold Friday, November 18, 1997 Showing that, as far as skiing is concerned, young and "old" can relate, '80/'84 Olympic medalist Steve Mahre and the two-time World Cup downhill champion and 1997 world downhill champ Picabo Street co-captained the gold medal winning team at Saturdayâs 1997 Chevy Truck Return of the Champions. Steve Mahre The Beaver Creek, Colorado, race hosted 56 current and former U.S. Ski Team members, including the entire 1972 alpine Olympic Team. They were then split into eight teams of seven and competed in dual giant slalom competitions. The races included men against women, young against old; it was all about talent and whether these athletes still have it. Street, of Sun Valley, Idaho, provided support from the sideline as â84 silver medalist Mahre, donning his â80 Olympic uniform, led the team to the gold. Mahreâs twin, Phil, whoâs four minutes older, won gold at those â84 Olympics in Sarajevo. Picabo Street The Mahre/Street team ran away with the gold in a 7-0 sweep in the finals against the second place team captained by 1960 silver medalist Penny Pitou and â84 Gold Medalist Debbie Armstrong led her team to a third-place finish. "I had a super team behind me," the 40-year-old Mahre said. Showing how teamwork paid off, Mahre said of his 25-year-old co-captain, "Picabo got the young ones fired up and I talked to the older ones." "Yahoo! 7-0," said Street, who skipped the race while recuperating from her December knee surgery. "I'll be staying here to train for a few days, but my focus is on being ready for the Olympics." Street is the U.S. hopeful for gold in the â98 Games in Nagano, Japan. "This was a lot of fun," Alison Powers, of Fraser, CO. said after beating fellow Coloradoan Tiffany Hoversten, of Vail, to complete the finalâs sweep. "It was neat to race against boys. We donât usually get to do that." The Return of the Champs series serves as a warm-up before the opening World Cup races Thursday through Sunday in Park City, Utah. Results Gold 1. Steve Mahre/Picabo Street, co-captains 2. Mike Makar 3. David Currier 4. Matt Grosjean 5. Bobby Cochran 6. Barbara Ferries-Henderson 7. Alison Powers Silver 1. Penny Pitou, captain 2. Zach Crist 3. Julie Parisien 4. Kirsten Clark 5. AJ Kitt 6. Rick Chaffee 7. Tiffany Hoversten Bronze 1. Debbie Armstrong, captain 2. Wisi Betchart 3. Eric Poulsen 4. Chad Fleischer 5. Barbara Cochran 6. Brad Hogan 7. Katie Monahan — Sarah Love, Mountain Zone Staff

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