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USST Nominations and Cuts Underway

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Muleski

Muleski

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No. It's a wierd situation. He's off the team. Done as a member of the USST. There is ZERO expectation of him ever starting a WC race. But, you'll see that every press release mentions him, with this illusion that he can always make an attempt, get a start, blah, blah.

And I bet there is an agreement to not refer to him as being retired, which is just odd, sad, nuts.

I presume that's a deal his agent brokered, perhaps to try to keep the Bomber Bode race story on life support. People believe what they want to.

Bode will not use the word. Nor will the USST. He has been retired.

Now we are going to get a chance to witness another full season of will she or won't she with Mancuso. I hear that she is absolutely finished, but nobody is going to put their name on that. I guess they want to hint that "Super Jules", the big event wonder will be back for the Olympics.

She is still injured. Think of it as being on injured reserve in the NFL. So she is still getting her base endorsement income {obviously none of the performance bonus money} and we should see a lot of her in the media before the Olympics. Big paydays.

I can't blame her, I guess. I do think it is irritating. It was very obvious that she would never race last year. But there was plenty of drama. Always had been.

When you consider her relative stardom, she has won seven WC races, in 15 years on the WC. Not quite LV...or MS.

I frankly think the USST should have said that it's over. Might sound harsh. The whole organization needs a lot of work, fresh blood and energy put toward the future.

Back to Bode. A game. Do you remember the TV show Happy Days, and how Fonzie could not say that he was wrong? "I was wrrrrr......," That is how I view Bode and retirement!
 
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Frankly

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It's a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation, making those decisions and dealing with the consequences has to be tough.

One contingent is entirely correct that we need to develop youngsters while the other contingent says we cut people off too early before they mature. The one thing they all can agree on? That they need more money.

Even if the kids never get a top ten on WC they should be coming out of their USST experience with a solid proven ability to market themselves, talk to people, and raise money. That's a pretty valuable skill especially amongst the inarticulate millennials who've grown up buried in their phones.

Demonstrate that time spent on the USST translates to great career opportunities and you'll get more self-funding as well as more donations.
 
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Muleski

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Have a few minutes on my hands. Think this might help some understand this, apologize to those who are already familiar with it.

The first process is that the USST issues this list of skiers that are being nominated to the USST. Just because you are nominated, does not mean you accept, though the huge majority do. However, with the pretty big price tags associated with joining the team, the occasional skier decides to go on their own. A good example is Robby Kelly, who is a WC regular, but an independent. Keep in mind that when representing the US at a WC, you must ski in a USST uniform, etc. The USST also picks up all of his expenses, just as if he were a team member when competing, etc. It's also been increasingly more common to turn down D team nominations. Why pay? And why not stay in your current program, or move into another more focused PG program, I assume that pretty much everybody on this list will accept.

The team criteria is based on birth year, and gender. The older you get, the higher the hurdle. For example, the men must be in the top 25 on the World Cup Start List for one event to qualify for the A team. If you are born in 1990 or earlier to make team criteria you must qualify for the A team. Men 1991 to 1994 must qualify for B team or higher criteria. C team is largely 1995-1997 birth years. And obviously younger skiers can make the criteria. Then, you see at the bottom of the criteria for the B team and C team the always present "coaches discretion."

So, all of the men on the A team met the criteria. Bryce Bennett and Tommy Ford have moved up. Bode, as we have noted is gone. And, the one that surprises me is that Tim Jitloff is off this team list. He had rough year last year, but he is normally our second best GS skier, and in training he often beats Ligety. He did not meet criteria, but I expected him to be on the B team. I have no idea what is going on. Perhaps he is going to ski independently. I am reasonably sure that he will be skiing, and he will have a start in every WC GS.

On the B team, we see Michael Ankeny dropped. He did not make the criteria. He started every WC SL last year. I think he's a 1991. Surprised that he's not a discretionary pick. I know that he just had shoulder surgery, but I hear that he plans on skiing, and that he too, has been given a WC SL slot. Wiley Maple was dropped. Wiley has been cursed with some injury problems, but there are others who are on the shelf who are discretionary picks. Wiley is a 1990 birth year. Sounds like he will come back and race independently. Before his most recent surgeries he was scoring WC points. One is Nolan Kasper. He's had a lot of physical issues, and surgeries. Has missed the better part of the past three seasons, with what were serious hip issues. At one time he was our best SL skier. He's a year older than Wiley and two years older than Michael. Tommy Biesmeyer is a discretionary pick, a 1989. He's has moments of brilliance and injuries...forever. Hope it's a healthy year for him.

On the C team, we have three guys who were discretionary picks due to their ages. Mark Engel is a 1991, and I think started every WC SL, and scored points. Nick Krause is a 1993, with a lot of speed. Coming back from injury and surgery. Brennan Rubie is a 1991. I'm pleased to see this pick, as he has upside, IMO. He skied very well at times on the WC last season. Two 1998"s on the C team: River Radamus, and Jett Seymour. Both are very, very talented and fast.

One other somewhat strange situation is that we have two other exceptional SL skiers who I believe have been assured starts in every WC SL, Robby Kelly and Hig Roberts. Along with Ankeny, that means that three of our consistent SL starters will not be team members. Just on a personal note, that feels a bit strange to me. However all three have been through the process of "Congratulations! Now here's your bill, and we'll need a credit card number!" before. I know that Robby is convinced that he's in a better place all around with his Redneck Racing program.

No men's D team named. All but one moved up. This falls in line with all of the work taking place under Chip Knight with respect to development, and one of the big questions for a few years has been "Why do we have a D team, and do we need it?" Do we need the expense, and the staff?

On the women's side, on the A team we see two new faces, Breezy Johnson and Jackie Wiles. We has Leanne Smith's retirement. And we still have Julia Mancuso on the roster. I assume that she is still injured, and fits in that box. And there will be plenty of Olympic year "Super Jules" hype and pay days for her, whether she even skis. Good for her. Nobody in this sport earns what they frankly should.

On the B team, we had Anna Marno's previously announced retirement. She's been injured a lot, has battled back, scored her first WC points this spring, and I believe just wants to move on with the rest of her live. Congratulations to her. Lila Lapanja is a different situation. She is 23 years old, and has had some injuries. She also has shown at times that she has great speed, and substantial upside. When she was in a training group coached by Dykster and training with MS, she was making big gains. And skiing a WC schedule. I serious do not understand that one. Nor do a number of folks. I hear that she is going to ski independently, unless the USST changes course. Two women also moved up to this years B team.

C team added two new faces. Nina O'Brien and Katie Hensien, who is just 18. Four women on the C team.

There is a womens D team. Two very, very high potential young ladies, both 1999's who are holdovers. One is Keely Cashman, the other Nellie Rose Talbot. Nellie missed the entire season with an ACL. The two of them could have all sorts of interesting starts this season, including a couple of WC starts. Probably a lot of EC racing.

The National Training Group is something that also gets plenty of discussion. I would not get all hung up on it. The headline is that the USST is committed to bring the best young skiers together to train and race in a variety of projects, including more international experience. Some will be on this NTG list, others not. This list may grow.

I'm lead to believe that the National University Team may be done, BUT not a focus on using the NCAA ranks as a feeder to the team. Again more project work, more camps, more summer work, etc. I am pretty sure that the entire Uni team experiment was funded for the two years by one donor. Money is pretty precious for the organization, and things may have changed. Perhaps his generosity is better deployed elsewhere.

So for me, the big question is what is the situation with Jit? I have asked a few people who are as clueless as I am. He's been a real individual for a long time. He lives with his girlfriend in Germany, is the only guy on the WC skiing on CROC skis, etc. I can't imagine that he is not going to ski. Perhaps the USST and he have been in a "conversation" about cutting him from the A team and cutting his funding? These never go over well. For me, the most interesting factor isn't missing his race results, as frankly he has struggled with them on the WC. If he were not to ski, it would, IMO, have a potential effect on Ligety. They have trained together and paced each other for over a decade. Ligety is coming back form back surgery, and they are all on new skis. Knowing how he is skiing relative to Jit is a big plus. Jit also pushes him. He's every bit as fast in training.

And keep in mind that being injured is a factor in these nominations. I know that the "spirit" of that, going back years is that you want to support the injured and help them recover and return. It gets messy when people perceive it to be inconsistent, or when fans conclude that somebody is "done."

So that's my first take. Just my $.02. Trying to get some more insight. If anybody else has some, please share it.
 

Tricia

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Muleski

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Julia Mancuso pushes past hip injury for final Olympic run

Mancuso could also become the oldest female Olympic Alpine medalist.

“I’m excited to put my biggest and last effort into these next Olympics,” Mancuso said, “and then see what happens.”

Obviously impressive that NBC, who paid how many billions for the rights to the Games, has already started the Super Jules hype train.

Two plus years without a start is an enternity. Her hip is a mess. The talk among those involved on the ski side, and the chatter among those in the coaching ranks, the PT's and trainers, and docs is that the hip "is a mess." There are often other adjectives thrown in there. Last summer, after what was supposed to have been successful surgery, she was allegedly going to be good to go. She was not all season long. I am no doc, and in my circle the talk is that it "didn't work." Whatever that means.

As I have suggested, there is still a big pay year ahead of her, whether she skis or not. So, we'll see a lot of her right through February. No question on that. It's the press, and there are many vested interests. There will be products pushed, etc. Her last Olympic performance assured it.

I am sure that we'll see more Ligety, three times as much LV. That's all fine. They need to maximize these opportunities. But any illusion that JM will be right in the medal hunt may be a bit much. This at least frames it up that she hopes to compete and be there.

I wish her well. What had made it's way to me is the exact reverse of this article, that she does not intend to jeopardize her future athletic life to race one more year. She wants to surf, paddle board, windsurf,cycle and on and on. Or so I am told. Always been a real live wire as well; she loves life. And loves to ski. So I hear that she will not risk that.

As far as this super competitive drive? Hmm? At 15 most thought Julia had significantly more potential than LV. She is an incredible athlete. Now, 17 years later one has 77 WC wins and one has seven. A lot of her career was spent with people trying to get her to realize that ginormous potential.

This is good copy. Let's check back when we see her start a WC and ski competitively. If you can't basically use your hip, racing WC speed is pretty problematic. She simply could not turn on that side, in race conditions, with the force and strength to ski competitively.

She needs incredibly good luck and a miracle. Most think it's over.
 

Tricia

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Obviously impressive that NBC, who paid how many billions for the rights to the Games, has already started the Super Jules hype train.

Two plus years without a start is an enternity. Her hip is a mess <snip>.

She's good for publicity.
 

Erik Timmerman

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Muleski, do you know Bobby Farrell? I've been watching him go through his hip issues. If Julia's is anywhere near his, she should absolutely hang it up. You have to be driven to be in this sport. Bobby probably should have hung it up a while back, I think everyone knew it but him. He got a nice education out of it though.
 
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Philpug

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Obviously impressive that NBC, who paid how many billions for the rights to the Games, has already started the Super Jules hype train.

She's good for publicity.

Broadcasting the Olympics is not about sports, it is about the human interest stories...thats where the viewership comes from...not watching the actual games, those are the fillers. :nono:
 

Eleeski

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The Olympics are all fun. The back stories are interesting. Yeah, I'll watch and enjoy - however it gets presented to us.

Julia's hip is of special interest to me. I've got a bad hip too. Wishing her the best.

Eric
 

Frankly

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The darn thing is that you probably won't be able to find clean, clear footage of the Olympic ski racing on YouTube since they license the thing to death.

Frankly I'm anti-Olympics, it doesn't do anything for world peace or swirled peas, it's just a corrupt club for rich technocrats. They should have shut it down after the Berlin games and sent Avery Brundage to the front.

Julia needs to transition into a media figure and healthy lifestyle personality. If you follow her on social media without any background knowledge you'd think she's a rich surfer who goes hell-skiing a few times a year.
 

Jack skis

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I've been through a lot of Olympic years, and controversies about which skiers will and will not be on the team. I'm a fan of competitive skiing and the Winter Olympics, going back to the 1948 event. Got to meet and talk with at least two of the 1948 Olympic skiers, one from the US team, one from the Austrian Team. I'm still upset because Buddy Werner broke his leg training slalom before the 1960 Olympics and couldn't ski at the Squaw Valley event. I still am super impressed by Billy Johnson winning at Sarajevo. I'll certainly miss Julia Mancuso competing -- whenever she decides she's done. For me the biggest question facing the next Winter Olympics in South Korea is North Korea. I don't really understand what's going in and around the Korean Peninsula, but I fear what it could mean for the Olympics.

Watching the Olympics on TV is another matter. The coverage isn't very good. The competition comes second to the human interest personality hype in my opinion. When the World Cup races make it to TV the actual race coverage is way better. Well, it's way better when the announcers have some knowledge of ski racing, as do Porino and Lewis, and not when one of the talking heads has little or very limited knowledge of what's going on on slope.
 

quant

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Watching the Olympics on NBC is painful, particularly when the events we want are not aired live. The station is obsessed with curling, which is as exciting as watching someone hurl outside a bar. If the coverage isn't live I find it useful to watch skiing on some Eastern European station in a language I can't understand while simultaneously viewing the live split times on the FIS site. Rather than linking into the CBC site, the overseas stations are free if you use an overseas-based anonymous surfing site. The announcers are also much more animated and you never have to watch a Chris Collinsworth human interest story or Bob Costas's pink eye.
 
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