| Scroll Down to meet the people who help make it happen. |
| Tim Curran was my longtime Dynastar/Look/Lange Sports Marketing manager. We started working together when I was 12 years old. Tim and I share the honor of both receiving a Ski Racing Junior of the Year Award. Tim won his award the year I was born. |
| Jonathan Selkowitz and I go way back. Jonathan lives in Jackson Hole and was one of my coaches when I was a J-4 junior racer. He is the eye behind Selko Photo. Jonathan has documented my race career since before it was a career. His photos can be seen throughout Ski Racing magazine and at www.selkophoto.com. In the off season he takes us backcountry skiing and mountain biking--and of course brings his camera everywhere. |
| Patrick Riml was the head women's coach of the U.S. Ski Team for most of my ski racing career. Patrick and I have risen through the ranks of the team together. Patrick was born in Austria, just above Soelden. He's my friend, my mentor, my motivator--and one ofthe best coaches in the business. |
| The family (clockwise from top right). My dad, Pepi, is Austrian and my source for constant inspiration. Papa won a silver medal in Giant Slalom at his first Olympics in Squaw Valley, California. He also won a bronze in GS and Gold in Slalom in the 1964 Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. He has a slalom gold medal from the 1964 World Championships and several other World Championship medals as well as many prestigious trophies, like the Lauberhorn combined. One year he won every World Cup (then called FIS A) slalom race in Europe. I first beat my dad in a ski race when I was about ten years old. He didn't like it very much, but he got over it. Dad is retired now and recently was inducted into the Ski Hall of Fame in Ishpeming, Michigan. Seppi is my little brother--except that he is bigger than me now. Seppi and I grew up in a log cabin in the woods--5 miles from the nearest town of Wilson (population 202) and a long way from the nearest friends. So, we had to get along and learn how to entertain each other without any of the usual props--no TV (ok, we had one fuzzy channel and mom let us watch Lawrence Welk on Saturday nights). Mom gave us cross country skis, backpacks, violins, pianos, tambourines, books, art supplies, bird books, binoculars and camping equipment. We had bear, moose and goldfish as pets--but nothing normal like a dog or cat. Let's face it, we were geeks. Seppi is still my best friend and favorite training partner. That's us in the picture above, at the 2006 Olympics in Torino. Seppi is way into ski racing, mountaineering and his girlfriend. He is now a freshman at DU (University of Denver) and a member of the Division I varsity ski team. DU won the 2008 NCAA Championships and Seppi, as a freshman, exceeded everyone's expectations by nabbing the Silver Medal in the Slalom and earning First Team All-American Honors. Whenever I get back home, Seppi and I immediately revert to childhood--and, no, we don't watch Lawrence Welk anymore. My Mom, Carrie, is the chief cook and bottle washer of Team Stiegler. Well actually, Mom does very little cooking and almost no bottle washing, but she'll jump in the car at a moment's notice to go skiing, hiking, camping, shopping, travelling and race watching. We don't let mom touch our skis anymore but she's still our #1 fan. |

| In Memory of Grandpa Ed 1920-2005 |

| Last, but not least, is my Grammy. Grammy was always there for me and kept the show on the road when we were buying ski wax instead of groceries. She never forgets a birthday or any other reason to call or send a letter. Our favorite family vacation is visiting Grammy on the lake in northern Wisconsin. Her Taco Soup is legendary. |
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|