By Kalle Oakes,Staff Writer

CARRABASSETT VALLEY – Daron’s done, Bode’s banged up, and Kirsten’s closer to the end than the beginning.

Before U.S. Ski Team enthusiasts start weeping for the future, however, they should stop and celebrate Monday’s first step toward the changing of the guard at Sugarloaf/USA.

Kids stole the show in the middle installment of the five-day U.S. Alpine Championships, with Ted Ligety successfully defending his national title in the men’s slalom and combined and Kaylin Richardson rallying to the women’s slalom win.

In addition to her third-place finish in slalom, Olympic giant slalom gold medalist Julia Mancuso captured the women’s combined crown.

Mancuso turned 22 three weeks ago. Ligety and Richardson won’t hit that birthday until this summer.

“There is definitely a younger dynamic developing on the U.S. team. It will interesting to see how it plays out,” said Ligety, who has positioned himself to succeed newly retired Daron Rahlves and outspoken Bode Miller as America’s most celebrated male skier with a brilliant finish to the 2005-06 season.

Ligety backed up his Olympic gold in the combined with a World Cup giant slalom triumph in South Korea.

He set fast time of the day in the first of Monday’s two slalom runs. That was enough to withstand an afternoon rally by Jimmy Cochran of Keene, N.H., and give Ligety (1:33.26) the gold by nine-hundredths of a second.

“It’s a sweet way to end the season and a great way to go into training this summer by winning a national championship,” Ligety said. “I definitely wasn’t in top form compared to the middle of the season, but I thought I skied well.”

On the flip side, Cochran entered the nationals struggling over a three-month stretch that included his first Olympic appearance.

The 2004 U.S. slalom and giant slalom champion sputtered to 30th place in the downhill and 18th in Super G over the weekend. The twists and turns of the slalom were more to Cochran’s liking.

“I had a little trouble early and was able to punch it right back on line. It almost felt too easy,” Cochran said, “and that gave me the confidence to take a few more risks.”

Cody Marshall and Chip Knight tied for the bronze medal at 1:34.58.

Ligety’s aggregate time in the slalom and Saturday’s downhill gave him a healthier cushion (two seconds) over Cochran for combined honors. Steve Nyman took the bronze.

Bump Heldman of Auburn finished 18th in slalom and eighth in combined. He was one of only 36 skiers out of 97 men to finish both runs. One of the many casualties was Miller, who took a spill near the top of the course in the morning session and did not finish.

Being the fastest skier still standing also was enough for Richardson to earn her first U.S. championship. Richardson, an Olympian from Edina, Minn., had the fastest run in round two for a triumphant total time of 1:41.26. Caitlin Ciccone of Bethlehem, N.H. (1:41.85) was second, with Mancuso (1:42.74) third.

Resi Stiegler was fastest in the first half of the event and appeared to have the gold medal in her grasp when she stumbled six gates from the finish line of the second sprint. Stiegler brushed the hill with her left hip and sank to sixth overall (1:43.99) before falling into a tearful embrace with the free-spirited Mancuso.

“I sort of landed on the podium by default,” said Mancuso, who has won a medal in 13 of her last 14 events at nationals. “We always say anything can happen in a slalom, and this was one of those days where anything happened.”

Likewise, Richardson was cheerful about her breakthrough victory but borderline apologetic about how it happened.

“Resi had it in the bag,” Richardson said. “I had my little bit of trouble at the top, so I knew I had to just slay the bottom.”

Kirsten Clark of Raymond, the elder stateswoman of the U.S. team at 28 and Saturday’s downhill champion, didn’t compete in slalom. Neither did Olympic team members Lindsey Kildow or Libby Ludlow.

The emergence of Richardson, who finished 17th in combined at the Winter Games, and Ciccone, a 21-year-old upstart from the national C’ team, provided evidence that Mancuso will have ample company in the chase to captain the U.S. women’s ship.

“It’s not (finishing) first, but it’s pretty cool,” said Ciccone. “It’s sweet having a chance to see all the U.S. Ski Team people and having a chance to ski against them. That’s what nationals are all about.”