WHISTLER CREEKSIDE, BC (Feb. 14) – The wait for alpine medal competition appears to be over. After countless volunteer hours on the course and with cold, moisture-free weather on the horizon, men's medal competition should open at 10:30 a.m. PT Monday with downhill featuring a strong American team that includes Bode Miller (Franconia, NH).
"The things that most people never see are often times some of the most significant," said men's Head Coach Sasha Rearick. "That's exactly the case here. The volunteers have as much heart as any of the athletes. They've been up all night working through rain and wet snow to get this track ready for Olympic competition. Now all we need is Mother Nature to do her part and it's looking like that's going to happen. We should be good to get the men's downhill off tomorrow."
To gear up, the men's team including Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, NY), Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, CA) and Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT) spent the morning powder skiing with their coaches at Whistler. They then settled in to a good dinner prepared by USOC chef Adam Korzun, who also cooked for the Team during the January World Cup swing.
"So much of the success in this group comes from having fun," said Rearick. "The snow was great this morning and the guys and staff had a good time, but we're here to get the job done and we're are in a good place to do that. We're ready to race."
All four Americans where able to get two training runs on the Dave Murray downhill, though only the second counted as a complete training run since not all competitors in the field where able to complete the first day due to fog. In both sessions, Miller landed 7th and 8th, while Weibrecht posting a pair of 10's.
"My skiing has been solid this year and I'm feeling really comfortable on this hill," said Weibrecht after the second training run. "But I know that in order to do well here, I'm going to have to push it."
For Miller, who is famous for leaving everything on the hill, the Olympics are an opportunity to raise his personal bar.
"I feel like I’m coming into these games in the unique position of still growing stronger," Miller told reporters during the Team's opening press conference. "I'm psyched to be here and I'm ready to run. It's a unique opportunity to be here and in a lot of cases it allows you to elevate your intensity, your focus and your inspiration to a level that you couldn't achieve on your own and that's unique to the Olympics. I think there's something extra to be put on that."
In a field of 64, the U.S. men run early with Weibrecht cracking things open with bib four, followed by Nyman with six, Miller eight and Sullivan 27.
U.S. men will then go back-to-back with medal events as super combined retains its originally scheduled spot Tuesday.
WHISTLER CREEKSIDE (Feb. 14) - Officials made an early call Sunday to cancel another women's downhill training session as a mix of rain and snow continued to fall overnight on Franz's Olympic run. No immediate word is available on a possible reschedule. Women must complete one full training run in order to hold a race. The first women's race is set for Wednesday, Feb. 17 with downhill featuring Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO), the reigning downhill World Champion.
Men have completed a full training run and are rescheduled to open Olympic alpine competition Monday with the downhill at 10:30 a.m. PT. Bode Miller (Franconia, NH), Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, NY), Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, CA) and Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT) will start for the Americans.
WHISTLER CREEKSIDE, BC (Feb. 13) - The legions of volunteers, course workers and members of the Vancouver organizing committee remain undaunted by weather challenges as day one of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games winds to a close. For alpine skiing, mild temperatures and rain have forced a schedule shift in order to ensure the best possible course conditions for racing.
"Everybody's been fantastic," said U.S. Men's Head Coach Sasha Rearick. "They've got a huge crew of unbelievable volunteers working 24 hours a day.
"They've got some challenges because the top of the hill has been receiving snow, the middle has been a mixture of snow and rain, and the bottom has been pouring rain. Three different approaches they need to take on the hill, and they've been applying that very well."
The new schedule calls for women's downhill training at 11 a.m. PT on Valentines Day with medal competition opening Monday with the men's downhill at 10:30 a.m.
The women's downhill medal event remains as originally scheduled on Wednesday at 11 a.m., while the women's super combined medal event slated to open women's competition on Feb. 14 will move to Thursday at 9:30 a.m. (second run at 12:30 p.m.). The men's super combined medal event also keeps its original slot on Tuesday at 10 a.m. (second run at 1:30 p.m.).
Rearick said men's downhill starters Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, CA) and Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT) enjoyed a day of powder skiing up high at Whistler, while Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) had a productive session testing his skis. Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, NY) will also start for the U.S. in that race Monday.
Weather is expected to improve, with colder temperatures moving in early in the week. Sullivan said he's not too concerned about what particular conditions they face on race day.
"Whether it's a snowy day or a windy day or whatever, if it's the same for everyone, that would be the best," he said.
Women's downhill favorite Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) couldn't have asked for a better stroke of luck while recovering from a shin injury. All three women's downhill training sessions for the super combined were canceled because of weather, giving the two-time World Cup overall champion an unexpected three additional days to heal.
Vonn and young gun Leanne Smith (Conway, NH) have secured start spots for super combined based on World Cup results and the U.S. will start two additional athletes. Vonn and Mancuso are secure in the downhill plus an additional two other U.S. women
The continuation of the Olympic spirit in the face of the rain, according to Rearick, isn't restricted to just athletes.
"Every single one of them, whether they're on the course, or at the gates, or at the race top, they're working with a smile, enjoying the process of putting the best Games on possible," said Rearick. "They've definitely had some adversity with the weather here. Right now, we just need to let the crew continue to do what they're doing, then let it get smooth and then let mother nature do its work."
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.
WHISTLER, BC (Feb. 11) – Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) took eighth and Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, NY) was 10th as the U.S. Olympic Men's Alpine Team got another look at the Dave Murray downhill in Thursday's training session.
In difficult visibility Miller finished just .74 seconds back of leader Michael Walchhofer of Austria on a shortened course that finished just above the men's slalom start.
"Any time you can get on the course, no matter the conditions, it's always an asset," said Weibrecht, .93 seconds behind. "I was just trying to be clean and make it down. I had some mistakes, but overall, it was decent."
Switzerland's Didier Cuche, disqualified after missing a gate Thursday, led Wednesday's training session before poor visibility cut it short after 42 of 87 skiers made it down. Miller was seventh among those early participants.
2006 combined gold medalist Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) was 26th on Thursday, training primarily for the super combined, while Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT) followed in 27th.
"Considering the fog and having to wait up top for so long in the soft, wet snow, I felt like I skied pretty well," Ligety said Thursday.
"I'm just getting more comfortable on it," he said. "Yesterday was a total surprise, I had no idea how turny it really was."
Nyman said his run was smoother and cleaner than Wednesday's, and he had better direction off the jumps.
"I thought I skied well," he said.
Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, CA) was 49th, Will Brandenburg (Spokane, WA) was 61st, and Erik Fisher (Middleton, ID) was disqualified for missing a gate low on the course.
The U.S. Team reported that the course was in good condition despite popular concerns about the weather.
"There's a lot of water in it, and they just haven't had much cold temperatures, but in general the hill's in excellent shape," U.S. Men's Speed Coach Chris Brigham said.
"The only thing that will make it unfair is the weather," Sullivan said. "Hopefully it will be the same for everybody. With fog coming in and out like this, that would not be ideal on race day.
"Whether it's a snowy day or a windy day, if it's the same for everyone, that would be the best."
A final training run is set for Friday at 1:30 p.m. before Saturday's Olympic men's downhill.
