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Steamboat Springs Alpine ski racer Julia Cooper wasn't expecting to win Wednesday's J3 Junior Olympic Championships in Beaver Creek, but she never stopped trying.

"It took two of the best runs of my life," Cooper said Thursday. "But I just hung in there and things worked out."

Cooper ripped through the second run, and despite trailing Minnesota ski racer Paula Moltzan by nine-tenths of a second after her first run, went on to win the title in the women's slalom.

Moltzan, who already won titles in the super-G and giant slalom, also was the favorite to win the slalom but fell in her second run and finished 45th after hiking to finish the race.

"It was a weird week," Cooper said. "Everyone was expecting me to do really well."

The expectations hung like a cloud over the 14-year-old Steamboat Springs High School student. She wasn't able to shake the pressure until the final event of the championships.

"I normally don't focus on results," Cooper said. "But it's hard not to with all the expectations."

She crashed in downhill training and finished back in the results in the official run. She said her super-G results also were disappointing, and a mistake in the first run of the giant slalom put her out of contention early. She did make up ground in her second run, placing fifth overall in the giant slalom.

"After the week, I really didn't have any expectations in the slalom," Cooper said. "I just wanted to go out and have some fun, and I wanted to hang out with my friends on the final day of the Junior Olympics."

With the pressure behind her, Cooper laid down a solid first run in the slalom. She trailed Moltzan, but with the way the Buck Hill Ski Club skier's week was going, Cooper felt happy to be within a second of the promising junior.

"She beat me in the slalom earlier this year by more than two seconds," Cooper said. "She's a great ski racer, and I was happy to be in second behind her."

Cooper kept the pressure on with another strong showing in the second run, and then the Steamboat Springs skier's hard work paid off with an unexpected break. Like many of the other top racers, Moltzan fell in her second run and had to hike. The mistake dropped her to 45th place and shifted the spotlight to Cooper. In a story in the Vail Daily, Cooper credited her second-run success to her inspection of the slalom course before the race.

"I still can't believe that I'm going to Whistler," Cooper said. "It's been a goal this whole season, but it just doesn't seem real."

The Whistler Cup is the ultimate reward for the 85 boys and 75 girls who come to the J3 Junior Olympics each year. All of the event winners are invited to Canada for the international event, which is one of the most coveted events for junior ski racers from across the world. It's a chance to race against the best in the world, and for most racers in this age class, it's the first taste of international competition.

Cooper's performance highlighted a strong week for the nine members of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club at the Junior Olympics.

Her younger sister Kate Cooper was 19th in the super-G and fourth among first-year J3 racers. Lexie Baden raced to two top-10 results at the championships. She was eighth in the super-G and 10th in slalom. Teammate Ali Pougiales also skied well, placing fifth in the downhill and seventh in the slalom.

Other top finishes included Suzanne Lyon's 24th (fifth among first-year J3s) in the super-G, Murphy Roberts' 21st in the slalom, and Alex Baronous' 15th-place finish for first-year J3 racers in the giant slalom.

Katie Hostetler overcame the bumps and bruises of a crash in downhill training. She came back to finish in the top 50 in that event, was in the top 30 of the super-G, and placed 11th in the giant slalom despite suffering lacerations to her face in the accident. Unfortunately, the news was even worse for teammate Katie Arnis. Arnis also crashed in the second run of her downhill attempt, and the injury was season-ending.

- To reach John F. Russell call 871-4209

or e-mail jrussell@steamboatpilot.com