WHISTLER CREEKSIDE (Feb. 15) – The U.S. Olympic Alpine Ski Team bore its teeth in a speedy return to action today, with Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) and Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA) going 1-2 in the first session of downhill training and four Americans landing among the top 20 in the afternoon session Monday.
Vonn, considered the favorite Wednesday's downhill, continued to test her bruised shin after reporting progress in training Sunday.
"It's tough," she said. "I honestly was expecting it to be a little bit better than it was. Yesterday I trained slalom and it felt OK. But the course here is pretty bumpy – I was pretty shocked. It was like jarring – it was a fight to make it down."
"I was just barely in my tuck any part of the course. I think this is the worst course for my shin. I just have to fight through it, do some therapy now, and hopefully Mother Nature will give me another day off tomorrow. I just have to be able to grit my teeth and fight through it on Wednesday and hopefully still come out on top."
The skiers finished just above the Hot Air finish jump in the morning session and skied the bottom section from the combined slalom start in the afternoon, when Vonn was 20th in the second leg.
Vonn may refrain from training Tuesday, weather or not. She said she was taken aback that her first run time was so fast.
"I was honestly surprised," Vonn said. "I almost went out of the course a couple times. It wasn't bad skiing, it was just fighting to make it down skiing. It's not a feel-good course, it's not a fun course, it's a stick-your-nose-in-it-and-make-it-down course. If you're skiing aggressive and not sliding, you'll be fast."
Mancuso added a tie for fifth in the second session as the 2006 giant slalom gold medalist put the speed field on notice.
Also starting in the downhill will be Alice McKennis (Glenwood Springs, CO), who took ninth in her final World Cup downhill in St. Mortiz, Switzerland on Jan. 30 and Stacey Cook (Mammoth Mountain, CA), who was 13th and 14th in Monday's training sessions after a hard crash last week.
Thursday's super combined follows Wednesday's downhill for the women.
Tag-Archive for » Alpine Ski Team «
WHISTLER CREEKSIDE, BC (Feb. 14) – With four consecutive days of downhill training scrapped due to weather, the U.S. Olympic Alpine Ski Team, including World Champion Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) and 2006 gold medalist Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA) are ready to get back to official training Monday. If all goes well, and Mother Nature cooperates, the start of medal competition will follow with downhill on Wednesday.
Organizers are calling for a split training session around the men's downhill medal event. The first half kicks off at 10 a.m. with athletes skiing full steam from the top of the course to just above the Hot Air finish jump. At approximately 1 p.m., and following the men's flower ceremonies, the women will return to Franz's run and ski the bottom section, starting from the combined slalom start in order to get enough speed for a realistic flight off Hot Air into the finish.
If completed as planned, it will serve as an official training run and allow medal competition to begin Wednesday with downhill.
Organizers are calling for a split training session around the men's downhill medal event. The first half kicks off at 10 a.m. with athletes skiing full steam from the top of the course to just above the Hot Air finish jump. At approximately 1 p.m., and following the men's flower ceremonies, the women will return to Franz's run and ski the bottom section, starting from the combined slalom start in order to get enough speed for a realistic flight off Hot Air into the finish.
If completed as planned, it will serve as an official training run and allow medal competition to begin Wednesday with downhill.
"Our girls are doing great. We've been training slalom and some super G, powder skiing, sharing our meals together - it's just an awesome atmosphere to be around," said women's Head Coach Jim Tracy. "They're all in a good mindset and looking forward to racing."
Among those training Sunday was Vonn, who put her bruised right shin to the test for the first time since Feb. 2.
"It didn't feel perfect," said Vonn, a three-time Olympian. "I'm still in quite a bit of pain while skiing, but the time off snow has been incredibly beneficial for me. I needed time to heal and Mother Nature helped me out with that. But now that I've gone out and taken a few runs, I know I can do it. I'm ready to get Olympic competition started and I know my teammates are ready to go too."
In addition to Vonn and Mancuso, who took full advantage of the snow day with some powder skiing, Stacey Cook (Mammoth Mountain, CA) returns to action following a crash Thursday before the session was canceled due to poor visibility. Cook was airlifted from the hill to the Whistler Polyclinic, yet escaped with only bruising.
Following her crash last Thursday, Cook said, ""It's not the ideal way to start the Olympics, but I've just got to keep fighting. I hear I'm lucky, so I've just got to keep that luck going. I'm going to be ready. I'll be back out there." And she will, along with Alice McKennis (Glenwood Springs, CO), Leanne Smith (Conway, NH), Chelsea Marshall (Pittsfield, VT) and Kaylin Richardson (Edina, MN).
Following the training run, coaches will decide who will join Vonn and Mancuso on the start list for the downhill medal event.
But without the incredible effort of legions of volunteers, Tracy says, training would not be possible.
"We had at least 20 centimeters of snow on the top last night and they had winch cats working the top down to Ladner's Roll," said Tracy. "Below that, the volunteers are slipped everything wall to wall smoothing everything out. It's supposed to get down to the mid 20's tonight and if that happens everything should freeze up nicely. They are doing the best possible job with the cards they've been dealt and my hat goes off to them."
Category: Skiing News
Leave a Comment
WHISTLER CREEKSIDE, BC (Feb. 12) – The four downhill starters for the men's U.S. Olympic Alpine Ski Team were named on Friday, giving Bode Miller (Franconia, NH), Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, NY), Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, CA) and Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT) a chance at a medal run Saturday morning on the Dave Murray course.
"The guys have come together extremely tight," said U.S. Head Coach Sasha Rearick. "They've been challenging each other, they've been supporting each other all year. Within the team there is positive energy right now, and I'm excited about the atmosphere we have here."
Miller and Weibrecht had already secured their starts through this season's World Cup results, while Sullivan and Nyman were selected by U.S. Ski Team coaches.
Miller, a two-time Olympic silver medalist, won the 2005 World Championship in the downhill at Bormio, Italy, and came within five points of Swiss downhill favorite Dider Cuche for the discipline title in 2008. He led the downhill portion on his way to a super combined victory Jan. 15 in Wengen, Switzerland, and has two top-10s and a fourth place in World Cup downhills this season.
"He's going fast in training," Rearick said. "Bode, on this hill, has been skiing pretty well. He's made some tactical adjustments, and right now he's up there finalizing his equipment setup. We're looking forward to seeing him put down an inspiring run."
Weibrecht has finished in the points for all six World Cup races this season, with a high finish of 11th in Beaver Creek, CO, in December. Rearick said the savvy, beyond-his-years 24-year-old showed the Canadians the correct line for a portion of their home course in yesterday's training.
"In the technical sections of the hill, he has been fantastic," Rearick said. "He's in a good place mentally, and he's fired up to race."
Rearick said Sullivan, a fan of big mountain ski areas, will be in his element Saturday morning at Whistler. The returning Olympian has three top-20 World Cup finishes this year and multiple World Cup podiums, including a win at the famed Kandahar downhill in Chamonix, France.
"Tomorrow, he's going to go out and do what he does, free ski the mountain like he was charging back at home in Tahoe. It's going to be fun to see Marco step up on race day."
After fighting back from a double knee scope this summer, Nyman reached the points in his last four FIS races, and is seeking to improve on 19th in Sestriere, Italy, in 2006.
"(He) has been right on line, just been out of balance, but he figured some things out yesterday," Rearick said.
Miller took eighth, Weibrecht 10th, and Nyman 27th in Thursday's men's downhill training, the last session after Friday morning's training was canceled because of weather.
Despite four finishes in the points this year, Erik Fisher (Middleton, ID) was left off the downhill squad in a tough decision for U.S. coaches.
"We've got a real strong downhill team with depth," Rearick said. "He understands that he's the fifth guy, he's very realistic in that sense. Steven Nyman has put in greater effort, and he's also been skiing more consistently. Steven deserves the opportunity this year."
Fisher will go to Aspen, CO, for the U.S. Downhill Championship next week.
"With greater effort and greater focus, he's going to climb back up in the rankings pretty soon," Rearick said.
The men's downhill begins at 11:45 a.m. local time Saturday. Weather was clearing a bit mid-day on Friday, but temperatures in the mid-30s with rain and possibly snow were in the 24 hour forecast.
"The guys have come together extremely tight," said U.S. Head Coach Sasha Rearick. "They've been challenging each other, they've been supporting each other all year. Within the team there is positive energy right now, and I'm excited about the atmosphere we have here."
Miller and Weibrecht had already secured their starts through this season's World Cup results, while Sullivan and Nyman were selected by U.S. Ski Team coaches.
Miller, a two-time Olympic silver medalist, won the 2005 World Championship in the downhill at Bormio, Italy, and came within five points of Swiss downhill favorite Dider Cuche for the discipline title in 2008. He led the downhill portion on his way to a super combined victory Jan. 15 in Wengen, Switzerland, and has two top-10s and a fourth place in World Cup downhills this season.
"He's going fast in training," Rearick said. "Bode, on this hill, has been skiing pretty well. He's made some tactical adjustments, and right now he's up there finalizing his equipment setup. We're looking forward to seeing him put down an inspiring run."
Weibrecht has finished in the points for all six World Cup races this season, with a high finish of 11th in Beaver Creek, CO, in December. Rearick said the savvy, beyond-his-years 24-year-old showed the Canadians the correct line for a portion of their home course in yesterday's training.
"In the technical sections of the hill, he has been fantastic," Rearick said. "He's in a good place mentally, and he's fired up to race."
Rearick said Sullivan, a fan of big mountain ski areas, will be in his element Saturday morning at Whistler. The returning Olympian has three top-20 World Cup finishes this year and multiple World Cup podiums, including a win at the famed Kandahar downhill in Chamonix, France.
"Tomorrow, he's going to go out and do what he does, free ski the mountain like he was charging back at home in Tahoe. It's going to be fun to see Marco step up on race day."
After fighting back from a double knee scope this summer, Nyman reached the points in his last four FIS races, and is seeking to improve on 19th in Sestriere, Italy, in 2006.
"(He) has been right on line, just been out of balance, but he figured some things out yesterday," Rearick said.
Miller took eighth, Weibrecht 10th, and Nyman 27th in Thursday's men's downhill training, the last session after Friday morning's training was canceled because of weather.
Despite four finishes in the points this year, Erik Fisher (Middleton, ID) was left off the downhill squad in a tough decision for U.S. coaches.
"We've got a real strong downhill team with depth," Rearick said. "He understands that he's the fifth guy, he's very realistic in that sense. Steven Nyman has put in greater effort, and he's also been skiing more consistently. Steven deserves the opportunity this year."
Fisher will go to Aspen, CO, for the U.S. Downhill Championship next week.
"With greater effort and greater focus, he's going to climb back up in the rankings pretty soon," Rearick said.
The men's downhill begins at 11:45 a.m. local time Saturday. Weather was clearing a bit mid-day on Friday, but temperatures in the mid-30s with rain and possibly snow were in the 24 hour forecast.
Category: Skiing News
Leave a Comment
WHISTLER CREEKSIDE, BC (Feb. 12) – Training on the Franz's Olympic downhill course was called off Friday for women, giving the U.S. Olympic Alpine Ski Team's Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) and Stacey Cook (Mammoth Mountain, CA) an extra day of rest before Friday morning's third and final session at 9 a.m. PT. Super combined will open women's medal competition on Sunday at 10 a.m. PT.
The women will take part in a course inspection from 11:45 to 12:30 for another look, and another inspection will be held prior to tomorrow's training run.
In addition to Cook, who crashed hard in training Thursday, and Vonn, who will be testing a shin bruise, the start list features Olympic gold medalist Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA), Leanne Smith (Conway, NH),, Chelsea Marshall (Pittsfield, VT), Alice McKennis (Glenwood Springs, CO), and Kaylin Richardson (Edina, MN).
The training run will stream live on www.NBCOlympics.com.
The women will take part in a course inspection from 11:45 to 12:30 for another look, and another inspection will be held prior to tomorrow's training run.
In addition to Cook, who crashed hard in training Thursday, and Vonn, who will be testing a shin bruise, the start list features Olympic gold medalist Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA), Leanne Smith (Conway, NH),, Chelsea Marshall (Pittsfield, VT), Alice McKennis (Glenwood Springs, CO), and Kaylin Richardson (Edina, MN).
The training run will stream live on www.NBCOlympics.com.
Category: Skiing News
Leave a Comment