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Lila Lapanja awarded Frank Ap Memorial Scholarship

Special to the Sun
Lila Lapanja was awarded the Frank Ap Memorial Scholarship by the Sierra League and Council in partnership with the Far West Ski Association.
Courtesy photo |

The Sierra League and Council in partnership with the Far West Ski Association awarded Lila Lapanja the Frank Ap Memorial Scholarship, a grant of $1,250, to be used to cover training and competition fees for her 2013-14 season.

Lapanja graduated in 2013 from Forest Charter School in Truckee as Salutatorian of her class with a 4.0-plus GPA.

A native of Incline Vilage, Lapanja grew up skiing for the Diamond Peak Ski Team with her father, Vojko, as her coach. She trained at Sugar Bowl Academy prior to her selection to the U.S. Ski Team in 2011.



Last season, she continued to aspire toward a World Cup-level of performance as a member of the U.S. Ski Team’s Europa Cup Technical Team, which culminated in her successfully defending her Junior combined title at the 2013 U.S. National Championships.

By the end of the season, she was second in slalom, second in super G and fourth in giant slalom in her national-ranking year group.



Lapanja will face a busy and difficult season in 2013-2014. She will have in excess of 45 FIS starts traveling with the U.S. Ski Team in Canada, Europe and the United States. Her focus is to excel in the North American Cup (NorAm) race series and to take advantage of, if given the chance, some World Cup races for the ultimate ski-racing experience, and to vie for a spot on the 2014 Sochi Olympic Team.

U.S. Ski Team Coach Seth McCadam praises her as one of the top technical skiers in the U.S.

“She also has proven to be a take-charge person who is able to successfully implement strategies to maximize her potential,” McCadam said.

The Sierra League and Council is composed of 12 ski clubs located in central California, the Tahoe area and Nevada. The Frank Ap scholarship was established to honor the memory of Frank Ap, an ardent skier and ski competitor.

The Far West Ski Association is one of the country’s largest ski associations, with 11 active councils. Nineteen young racers from Washington, California, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah will benefit from FWSA grants this season.


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