Lara Colturi should have been among the youngest skiers to wear a bib in the World Cup in Sölden, beating a certain Mikaela Shiffrin in the statistics who had appeared in the maximum circuit two days before turning sixteen. But the adverse weather conditions came along and cancelled that long-awaited day for her.
A thoughtful and personal choice that must be respected and made in total autonomy and shared by the whole family, the first thing Daniela Ceccarelli points out: “Skiing is an integral part of our family, my daughter says that she found herself on the snow when she started walking, indeed perhaps she first learned to ski…”.
The adventure began years ago, with a clear idea in mind for a long time to optimise time, "which is especially precious for her, I think it is not possible to pursue the same dream for a lifetime. It is right to be an athlete when it needs to be done, then to study, travel or invent something else ".
Over her childhood years, Lara Colturi won everything, far and wide. Dominating on more than one occasion, even in international competitions, and not forgetting another great passion of hers, skating which occupied a great deal of space in her life.
In the meantime, the years of Pinocchio and Mickey are over, the time has come to get those results in the history books and look to the future and to the FIS world that scares young people so much. Lara and her family analysed various opportunities that would allow them to continue the roadmaps they had set for themselves. And already having her Mum Daniela on hand with advice to follow other Albanian athletes revolving around the Milky Way, they have embarked on their path.
Just fifteen years old on her identity card, Lara has lived this passage with serenity and the fullness of normality.
There was talk of choices, personal choices, studied in detail by two parents who know the world of skiing well. Indeed, very well. Daniela Ceccarelli won Olympic gold in the super-G in Salt Lake City and today is a national instructor, Alessandro Colturi was a technician and ski-man in the World Cup, always following Daniela in private management. Together they built the Golden Team Ceccarelli, where they wanted to imprint quality work and maintain a high profile.
That time has come for them, many would perhaps define this step as premature and of extreme exasperation. It cannot be said today, that the rankings of tomorrow will tell the path of Mikaela Shiffrin’s teaching, that of the young Croatian Zrinka Ljutić, just recently eighteen as well.
Projected into the world of the greats, like them she has set up a first-rate summer preparation without posing any particular problems, after some time her work schedules and her meticulousness have been reminiscent of professionals, rather than teenagers. “That doesn't take anything away from the life of a young woman”, specifies dad Alessandro, “she stays with her friends, lives her moments as a teenager.”
This summer they spent two intense months in Les 2 Alpes, then they packed their bags and flew to South America for two months. Chile and Argentina, El Colorado and Ushuaia and vice versa. A waltz here and there between training and first races, with thousands and thousands of kilometres in the car. A new adventure, especially for Lara.
“A wonderful experience, which began with great tranquility and without any stress”, Alessandro again, “we didn't have to prove anything to anyone”.
Only a perceived tension, when the hypothesis of scoring 140 points at the first FIS presented itself, but then the 28.50 arrived that made everyone lose their way: we were very happy.
If we like, it was also a holiday, we started with the idea of doing the first races to fix the points, but also to train and discover places unknown to us”.
They did not start with the intention of participating in the entire South American circuit, they had set a targeted program to run the first races and gain less than 140 FIS points in the update at the beginning of August, which would have opened the doors of the SAC, where the level would rise, presenting the possibility of further improving scores.
Then one victory after another was tempting and it was only there that they decided to follow the circuit to try and win. Mission accomplished, first exams passed successfully. Ten FIS races won, six of them from the South American Cup.
Upon returning to Europe, after a week's vacation in Lampedusa, the luggage made its way back to Saas-Fee, for the last days of finishing before the great debut and testing of Tecnica boots and Blizzard skis.
They were based in Sölden, skiing on the Austrian glaciers, waiting for the giant on the Rettenbach then cancelled, then the Levi slalom and Sestriere races were in their sights. They have no intention of doing the whole World Cup, today the Junior World Championships are scheduled for mid-January, but not the big ones in Courchevel-Méribel.
If you think that a giant on the Rettenbach is a real test, then it would be a psychological slaughter. She is calm”. And how she is, she laughs when we remind her that she will become the youngest athlete to have worn a bib in the World Cup:
However, one wonders how a fifteen-year-old girl manages to juggle training, travel, time zones and competitions. Alessandro has the situation in mind: "We are working a lot on the athletic aspect, she still lacks muscle strength and in training she cannot do many laps”, he explains, “Technically she is still young, she has to train and with the strong growth of the last two years we have to work a lot on balance. Each season we start from the general technical approach".
The circle of the question, which never existed for them and on the other hand only sparked public opinion, Lara closes it: “This is my family, skiing is our passion and we have always carried it on. Then of course, there are always the parent-child moments in which we clash”. So let this adventure continue as they decided to set it up. A great challenge, exciting and intriguing from another private team that is certainly not the only one in the world of skiing and sport.
By Andrea Chiericato