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Hirscher wins World Cup GS, Ligety finishes 10th

By WTOP Staff

ERIC WILLEMSEN
Associated Press

SOELDEN, Austria (AP) — World Cup champion Marcel Hirscher sent a clear message to his rivals for the men’s overall title on the opening day of the season, winning a giant slalom with a massive 1.58-second margin on Sunday.

On a sunny national holiday, the Austrian’s winning run was loudly cheered by his home crowd, which was stunned just two minutes earlier when Olympic and world GS champion Ted Ligety faltered before ending up in 10th, more than three seconds behind Hirscher.

“It’s important for the Austrians to win here in Soelden,” said Hirscher, the first home winner of the traditional season-opening race since Hermann Maier in 2005.

“I was very nervous and it was far from easy, I couldn’t believe the margin,” Hirscher said. “All the pressure on my shoulders has fallen off now — for the next two hours.”

Hirscher held on to his first-run lead to finish in an aggregate 2 minutes, 28.09 seconds and beat Fritz Dopfer of Germany by 1.58. Alexis Pinturault of France was 2.06 behind in third, with Austrian veteran Benjamin Raich another 0.01 back in fourth.

Ligety was second after the opening leg. He was still 0.40 faster over then leader Pinturault at the final split of his second run but the American came off the racing line approaching the final flat section of the course, which before the race he described as “chunky in places but for the most part it’s a nice surface.”

“I did some powder skiing,” Ligety said. “There is 40 gates you can do that on and there is five gates you absolutely can’t do that on … it cost me a good couple of seconds for sure.”

It was Ligety’s worst result in Soelden. On his debut in 2005, he finished eighth and he had made the podium every year since, including wins in the past three years.

“It’s more bad luck than anything else,” Ligety said. “It’s no tactical issue, there is no technical issue. The skis are fine and ice has always been an advantage for me. I am not really worried about my skiing.”

Ligety and Hirscher were tied for the top spot in last season’s GS standings with the title being awarded to Ligety as the American had won more races.

Hirscher said the disappointing run by his main rival hadn’t changed his approach to the final run.

“I heard it but I didn’t know where he made the mistake,” Hirscher said. “Before the second run I had already decided to go all-in. So my tactics had already been planned.”

Hirscher’s victory gave Austria a perfect start to the new season after Anna Fenninger shared the win with American teenager Mikaela Shiffrin in Saturday’s women’s GS.

Hirscher earned his 24th career win and 10th in GS, making him only the seventh male skier with 10 or more wins in the discipline.

After new rules for size and shape of GS skis were enforced in 2012, Hirscher trailer Soelden winner Ligety by 3.12 seconds. The American continued to dominate the discipline, but Hirscher has been catching up.

“We did a lot of development on the skis,” the Austrian said. “We have been testing new bindings and new plates. It’s starting to pay off.”

While Ligety failed to live up to his billing as a contender for the overall title, Pinturault earned his 23rd career podium.

The Frenchman, who was third in the overall rankings last year, switched his ski supplier in the offseason.

“I am really happy, it was a big test,” Pinturault said. “The first time I skied on ice with my new equipment. Now I can be more confident and push harder and harder. I will fight (for the overall title). It could be a nice winter.”

Meanwhile, Dopfer had his fifth top-three finish but is yet to win a World Cup race.

“I always try to get to my limits,” the German said. “That went really well today. I can’t say what I should do different to win a race.”

The race was attended by 15,000 spectators, though many missed out on the first run as the only mountain road up the glacier had to be temporarily closed after a fire truck crashed and blocked the way.

In clear, sunny conditions the course featured bumpy spots that caused problems for many racers.

Olympic super-G champion Kjetil Jansrud of Norway came 3.52 back in 15th, while 2011 overall champion Ivica Kostelic of Croatia struggled all the way down before finishing 5.78 seconds behind and missing out on the second run.

Hannes Reichelt, competing in his first race since winning the downhill in Kitzbuehel in January, straddled a gate and failed to finish.

Several top contenders, including Aksel Lund Svindal, Bode Miller and Felix Neureuther, sat out the race with injuries.

The men’s World Cup continues with a slalom in Levi, Finland, on Nov. 16.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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