Thread Starter
TS
Been a bit of time passed with not much to add. For those who like the press, there was a recent article with a lot of discussion with head men's coach Sasha Rearick on the "premium" section of skiracing.com
Not sure if this link will work:
https://www.skiracing.com/premium/talking-shop-with-sasha-rearick
Sasha is walking a very fine line, and trying not to put his foot in his mouth.
Tim Jitloff dropped outside of the top 30 of the WC start list, as a result missed team criteria, and was cut. He's had a couple of rough years with injuries {more sickness} and he made two ski equipment changes. He's still our second best GS skier, behind Ligety. And...the coaching staff thinks that he's of huge value to pace Ted in training. He often is just as fast, or faster. But, he's an individualist. Home for him is Austria. He doesn't fit the mold. He does not finish well. I might suggest that the USST has never gotten him to where he had potential to be. Had enormous potential.
Sasha mentions Michael Ankeny not being picked up. He's been talked up since he was a teen. Has never quite delivered, but he's still one of our top SL skiers. And he's 26. He's been so close.
He also gets into Wiley Maple being dropped. Wiley has had a ton of injuries. But he's also scored WC DH points. Wiley was viewed as having as much potential as any US speed skier.,
Here's what strikes me as strange. Sasha, when asked or interviewed, deflects this to the point where he spins it that it's actually better for these athletes to NOT be part of the team. As in, they don't need our enormous resources and manpower, they can do better figuring it out on their own. Some guys go better with that.
Frankly, not what I want to hear from our men's HC.
So in this Olympic year, we have four of our best tech skiers, basically promised WC starts for the entire year, who will be running their own programs. Good enough to wear that uniform at every WC, etc. but not "on the team." When they are racing on the WC, at the tour stops, and doing some training in between, they are fully supported by the team.
Jitloff, Kelley, Ankeny and Hig Roberts. All basically told to plan on every WC start in their disciplines, but not good enough to be named to the team....and certainly not good enough to be funded. It's strange.
Other than Choudunsky, Nolan K {if he's ready and able} and the two younger guys, McGinnis and Engel...the three other guys in the gate each week in SL are all independents. Odd.
May see the same thing with Lila L on the women's side.
Meanwhile the "fading away" bullshit waltz regarding Bode, and the actual word "Retirement", continues with both dance partners. Bode has retired. Done. I hope we can all agree on that. Even if he can't say it, I would prefer that the USST did.
At the other end of the spectrum, look for fewer and fewer kids electing to jump into a D team in the next few years There is a reason why the only two are girls, and exceptional speed skiers who will be on the EC, and probably making WC starts this seasons.
The structure of a D team as we have run it does not work. The USST is moving away from it, and starting to work much more closely with the big clubs to work on the pipeline.
Convincing anybody to pony up the money and join "the D team" was a struggle. More progress to be made elsewhere. Lots of strong PG options, and hopefully at some point college ones. And more USST "projects".
Most are still not getting the best kids there, but that will change over time.
Interesting stuff. Progress on some fronts. Questions on others.
Not sure if this link will work:
https://www.skiracing.com/premium/talking-shop-with-sasha-rearick
Sasha is walking a very fine line, and trying not to put his foot in his mouth.
Tim Jitloff dropped outside of the top 30 of the WC start list, as a result missed team criteria, and was cut. He's had a couple of rough years with injuries {more sickness} and he made two ski equipment changes. He's still our second best GS skier, behind Ligety. And...the coaching staff thinks that he's of huge value to pace Ted in training. He often is just as fast, or faster. But, he's an individualist. Home for him is Austria. He doesn't fit the mold. He does not finish well. I might suggest that the USST has never gotten him to where he had potential to be. Had enormous potential.
Sasha mentions Michael Ankeny not being picked up. He's been talked up since he was a teen. Has never quite delivered, but he's still one of our top SL skiers. And he's 26. He's been so close.
He also gets into Wiley Maple being dropped. Wiley has had a ton of injuries. But he's also scored WC DH points. Wiley was viewed as having as much potential as any US speed skier.,
Here's what strikes me as strange. Sasha, when asked or interviewed, deflects this to the point where he spins it that it's actually better for these athletes to NOT be part of the team. As in, they don't need our enormous resources and manpower, they can do better figuring it out on their own. Some guys go better with that.
Frankly, not what I want to hear from our men's HC.
So in this Olympic year, we have four of our best tech skiers, basically promised WC starts for the entire year, who will be running their own programs. Good enough to wear that uniform at every WC, etc. but not "on the team." When they are racing on the WC, at the tour stops, and doing some training in between, they are fully supported by the team.
Jitloff, Kelley, Ankeny and Hig Roberts. All basically told to plan on every WC start in their disciplines, but not good enough to be named to the team....and certainly not good enough to be funded. It's strange.
Other than Choudunsky, Nolan K {if he's ready and able} and the two younger guys, McGinnis and Engel...the three other guys in the gate each week in SL are all independents. Odd.
May see the same thing with Lila L on the women's side.
Meanwhile the "fading away" bullshit waltz regarding Bode, and the actual word "Retirement", continues with both dance partners. Bode has retired. Done. I hope we can all agree on that. Even if he can't say it, I would prefer that the USST did.
At the other end of the spectrum, look for fewer and fewer kids electing to jump into a D team in the next few years There is a reason why the only two are girls, and exceptional speed skiers who will be on the EC, and probably making WC starts this seasons.
The structure of a D team as we have run it does not work. The USST is moving away from it, and starting to work much more closely with the big clubs to work on the pipeline.
Convincing anybody to pony up the money and join "the D team" was a struggle. More progress to be made elsewhere. Lots of strong PG options, and hopefully at some point college ones. And more USST "projects".
Most are still not getting the best kids there, but that will change over time.
Interesting stuff. Progress on some fronts. Questions on others.
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