By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

He’s got a pretty good name for a ski racer.

In fact, Bump Heldman has already been recognized by Ski Racing Magazine for his moniker, making their list of top 10 names in skiing.

His listing noted the fact that Heldman wasn’t a moguls skier. In fact, his name doesn’t even originate from skiing.

“It came from my Dad when I was little,” he said. “I just bumped into everything. It just kind of stuck.”

Alexander “Bump” Heldman has also made another of Ski Racing Magazine’s lists. The Auburn native is No. 80 on this year’s list of top American junior skiers. That’s the real kind of notoriety that Heldman seeks.

“I feel like I’m starting to make great strides in my skiing lately,” said Heldman, a junior at Gould Academy.

Last weekend, Heldman was even skiing the World Cup circuit, sort of. While attending the U.S. Ski Team’s developmental camp for alpine racers in Colorado, Heldman was one of five racers selected to be forerunners for the Women’s World Cup races at the Aspen-Snowmass resort.

Only 30 skiers were invited to the camp. That experience was beneficial, but to have the opportunity to ski down the course just before the World Cup event was a thrill ride Heldman couldn’t get enough of.

“I’d do it in a heartbeat again,” he said. “It was a great experience to be out there. The whole atmosphere of the race and all the people at the finish line cheering. It was an unreal time.”

The forerunners ski down the course prior to the race. They get to clear the way and make sure it is ready for racing.

It was just the kind of exposure that Heldman covets. As an aspiring skier with hopes of making the U.S. National Team, Heldman is hoping to work his way up the mountain, so to speak. It may bring some added expectations now, but he welcomes that challenge.

“I’m the type of person that thrives under pressure,” said Heldman. “I think it was good for me to go and get noticed by the ski coaches that were out there watching.”

Heldman started skiing as a kid. His parents, Sandy and Kris Heldman, own Gee and Bee Sports in Auburn. Lost Valley became his weekend destination as a young skier.

“When I was little, my parents had just started getting into skiing,” said Heldman. “I was scared to even go up. I was too shy, but once I started skiing, I just couldn’t stop.”

He has no intentions of stopping anytime soon, either. He has his sights set on the U.S. Alpine Championship in late March at Sugarloaf, another chance to get noticed while skiing with some of the country’s biggest names.

“It’s very tough to do well in that, but I’m hoping to make a name for myself and ski good and get better performances,” Heldman said.

Heldman will steadily train and try to develop his skills. His experiences last weekend in Colorado provided him an excellent guideline to follow. He says just observing and living the life of a World Cup skier was eye-opening.

“I took away a lot from them, like how hard they work,” said Heldman. “They worked all day. It’s going to take a lot of work and a lot of effort to be able to do that.”