Lila Lapanja had just finished her first driving lesson when she got the call from the U.S. Ski Team. "I was so excited. I've been working so hard for it, and it's just one step closer to my dream of being an Olympic ski racer," said Lapanja, who learned of her nomination at the summit of Mt. Rose Highway, after her father/coach Vojko - a former member of the Yugoslavian national ski team, who moved to the U.S. when the war broke out in 1991 - flagged down her and her mother, Margie. The U.S. Ski Team call resulted from Lapanja's Western Region honors, namely the overall slalom title and the Kyle Warren Jr. slalom title. It also was a result of her slalom silver medal at the J2 nationals and her third place among juniors in combined at the 2011 Putnam Investments U.S. Alpine Championships at Winter Park, CO.