Whos going to Killington?

[Brian Finch]

Earlier today.

 

[Brian Finch]

Positive Snow Control test in backyard.

 

[Guy in Shorts]

It is Showtime. Let the racing begin.

 

[Philpug]

It is always fun watching a race on a trail you are familiar with.

 

[Philpug]

Those conditions look nasty.

 

[Muleski]

Lots of "discussion and conversation" about the condition of the hill. It's an outdoor sport, and you can sadly get rain and warmth in VT, just as you can in Europe. I hear that some of the Euro's are momentarily forgetting that. Unfair bitching and finger pointing.

The surface and weather, IMO, was just really bad luck. They did as much work as one could. It was ready. Every chemical and trick in the book could be used to firm it up. Just did not work so well. You knew it was pretty bad right from the start, and very bad when the surface just fell away under Lara Gut's left ski. Bib #4.
Bad sign.

It's a winter sport, and at least they were racing in November. Probably as unlucky as things could be for K. 98% of the time they nail this.

Fingers crossed for tomorrow, and the SL. Hope we see a big result from MS. I think she needs it. She is looking like a pretty "solid" GS skier in this field, but I would not bet on her to win a single one right now. Needs some fixing. I hope to see very solid SL skiing, maybe really exciting.

Despite others opinions, I am concerned about the coaching change. For a bunch of reasons.
I hope that concern is misplaced.


Another very lackluster day for team USA. If this keeps up, some seriously ugly conversations will take place and a lot of pressure will be felt. I suspect that some heads will roll. The top guy needs to show a LOT more spine, IMO. You take MS and LV out of the mix and we have a very young, or very weak, or both, women's team.

On the men's tech side, take Ligety out, and Chowder in SL, and we're at a low point. Very low.

The men's speed group is the high point. Deep and legit.

Bill Marolt left it in shambles, and the current crew is not going to get a hall pass much longer. This is NOT the day they wanted to show a lot of well heeled potential donors. Unless the pitch is that we need the help to turn it around.

On the plus side......HUGE crowd. Did you catch Porino say he thought the biggest EVER for a ski race in North America? That is really a big positive.

Let's hope for a fun day tomorrow. I don't want to see Resi celebrate with the crowd, after being six seconds out on run one. That one really ticked me off, and based on my phone lighting up...a few others. Great to appreciate the fans. Not good for the "why are we wasting time on her...let her go surf with HER boyfriend" school of thought among some influential people. Do not underestimate that.

One of the reasons why the USST would be wise to not spend a dime on Bode. And determine if Mancuso is in fact, done.

This is a big problem. The USST needs a lot more money, and many donor prospects wonder how well they use their current resources. Americans do not support sucking.......and with a couple of exceptions, this sure is no longer "Best in the World!"

Best of luck, MS, for a great day tomorrow! Hoping she draws a great start number!

 

[ScotsSkier]

Lots of "discussion and conversation" about the condition of the hill. It's an outdoor sport, and you can sadly get rain and warmth in VT, just as you can in Europe. I hear that some of the Euro's are momentarily forgetting that. Unfair bitching and finger pointing.

The surface and weather, IMO, was just really bad luck. They did as much work as one could. It was ready. Every chemical and trick in the book could be used to firm it up. Just did not work so well. You knew it was pretty bad right from the start, and very bad when the surface just fell away under Lara Gut's left ski. Bib #4.
Bad sign.

It's a winter sport, and at least they were racing in November. Probably as unlucky as things could be for K. 98% of the time they nail this.

Fingers crossed for tomorrow, and the SL. Hope we see a big result from MS. I think she needs it. She is looking like a pretty "solid" GS skier in this field, but I would not bet on her to win a single one right now. Needs some fixing. I hope to see very solid SL skiing, maybe really exciting.

Despite others opinions, I am concerned about the coaching change. For a bunch of reasons.
I hope that concern is misplaced.


Another very lackluster day for team USA. If this keeps up, some seriously ugly conversations will take place and a lot of pressure will be felt. I suspect that some heads will roll. The top guy needs to show a LOT more spine, IMO. You take MS and LV out of the mix and we have a very young, or very weak, or both, women's team.

On the men's tech side, take Ligety out, and Chowder in SL, and we're at a low point. Very low.

The men's speed group is the high point. Deep and legit.

Bill Marolt left it in shambles, and the current crew is not going to get a hall pass much longer. This is NOT the day they wanted to show a lot of well heeled potential donors. Unless the pitch is that we need the help to turn it around.

On the plus side......HUGE crowd. Did you catch Porino say he thought the biggest EVER for a ski race in North America? That is really a big positive.

Let's hope for a fun day tomorrow. I don't want to see Resi celebrate with the crowd, after being six seconds out on run one. That one really ticked me off, and based on my phone lighting up...a few others. Great to appreciate the fans. Not good for the "why are we wasting time on her...let her go surf with HER boyfriend" school of thought among some influential people. Do not underestimate that.

One of the reasons why the USST would be wise to not spend a dime on Bode. And determine if Mancuso is in fact, done.

This is a big problem. The USST needs a lot more money, and many donor prospects wonder how well they use their current resources. Americans do not support sucking.......and with a couple of exceptions, this sure is no longer "Best in the World!"

Best of luck, MS, for a great day tomorrow! Hoping she draws a great start number!

Spot on MS. totally agree, particularly vis a vis USST prospects and sponsors. Given the level of overhead (hangers on???) and the limited % given to athletes, it is long past time to be more decisive about when more senior members are 'advised' to move on.

 

[spackler]

Was happy to see Valerie Grenier make the flip, and then put down a good run on a clean course in the second run. Too much time to make up after starting late in those conditions, but a nice solid second run and her first GS WC points. She's the one to watch on the Canadian team.

 

[Muleski]

Was happy to see Valerie Grenier make the flip, and then put down a good run on a clean course in the second run. Too much time to make up after starting late in those conditions, but a nice solid second run and her first GS WC points. She's the one to watch on the Canadian team.

She sure is. Very exciting! Great day for her.

 

[Brian Finch]

Hill looks good!!

 

[neonorchid]

^ colder air temp today too, and BTW, you're making me regret not doing the 7-hour drive - that and crowds were a huge deterrent for me.

 

[Brian Finch]

Shot from the course this AM.

 

[James]

Saw todays slalom.
Killington did a great job esp considering their first wcup event. With judicious movement we saw the whole race and were on the shuttle bus, out of the lot and out with less traffic than a weekend ski exit.

If they get another I think you could pull off a 30k crowd. Lots of people stayed away because of something. Crowds or whatever.

But these races drew perhaps the biggest audience for wcup ski racing in the US. I heard the athletes were suprised. This is good. It makes a huge difference when there's crowds to appreciate what they do. We cheered everyone. Harder for Mikaela obviously but every racer got all the cowbell all the time. Fun times.

Lots of kids including tiny ones.
The trail at Killington where it was, Superstar, makes a great final pitch for viewing. At least for slalom. There's no trudging way up some place, it's close to the lodge.

We ended up taking the shuttle down to Snowshed to eat lunch. That was great. Not crowded at all. Then took bus back for the second run.

Here's a couple shots. Photos make it look like it has no pitch. Trust us, it does. For example, the area above those diagonal stripped fences, with the grass poking out. Without poles, getting up, and worse down, requires care and we rejected it. We had a better view down below and weren't going to bite it getting down. Beyond that, to the side of the race trail, you'd nees ski boots to pound the toe into the snow or crampons. It's quite steep.
Early Sunday:

Finish on left. This is the final pitch. It's steep in real life.

Vip zone at bottom before the crowd. I heard that front originally had glass windows which blew out last weekend in the windstorm. They replaced it with this plastic front.

Maybe 15 min before second run. This would fill in. Viewing was free. Behind this were sponsor tents and a large stage for a concert sat.

All in all a great job by Killington.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

I appreciate Resi's enthusiasm, how can anyone knock that? When Mikaela won today, I had to ask if she had won or not, no reaction and I couldn't see the timing board or hear the call over the crowd.

 

[Muleski]

Good points ^^^^^. Resi certainly had a great impact on a lot of fans, and many kids, this weekend. And it was a great weekend for US skiing!

I think I may have not had it in perspective in terms of her being so excited about the crowd, and the whole "thing". Much more so than being excited about her performance that day.

And yeah, as I read about how great MS is/was with the media, I hear others say that she didn't seem too enthused either day. Might just have been some unusual pressure?

On to the next events!

 

[scott43]

I have to say, pretty brave trying to pull a race off at this time of year there. Glad it worked out, more or less.

 

[patmoore]

I watched the GS yesterday but opted for the NBC feed for today's slalom. With the exception of a few hiccups (very long wait for a shuttle and lack of portapotties) everyting seemed to go very well. I ran into a lot of folks I know including two-time World Moguls Champion Deno Dudenake.

How come my turns don't look like this???

This is just a screen capture from my TV but it shows how big the crowd was.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Another very lackluster day for team USA. If this keeps up, some seriously ugly conversations will take place and a lot of pressure will be felt. I suspect that some heads will roll. The top guy needs to show a LOT more spine, IMO. You take MS and LV out of the mix and we have a very young, or very weak, or both, women's team.

On the men's tech side, take Ligety out, and Chowder in SL, and we're at a low point. Very low.

The men's speed group is the high point. Deep and legit.

Bill Marolt left it in shambles, and the current crew is not going to get a hall pass much longer. This is NOT the day they wanted to show a lot of well heeled potential donors. Unless the pitch is that we need the help to turn it around.

On the plus side......HUGE crowd. Did you catch Porino say he thought the biggest EVER for a ski race in North America? That is really a big positive.

Let's hope for a fun day tomorrow. I don't want to see Resi celebrate with the crowd, after being six seconds out on run one. That one really ticked me off, and based on my phone lighting up...a few others. Great to appreciate the fans. Not good for the "why are we wasting time on her...let her go surf with HER boyfriend" school of thought among some influential people. Do not underestimate that.

One of the reasons why the USST would be wise to not spend a dime on Bode. And determine if Mancuso is in fact, done.

This is a big problem. The USST needs a lot more money, and many donor prospects wonder how well they use their current resources. Americans do not support sucking.......and with a couple of exceptions, this sure is no longer "Best in the World!"

Best of luck, MS, for a great day tomorrow! Hoping she draws a great start number!

I'm no insider, but I've been thinking about this post, and don't like to hear that people would want Resi gone. It's true that the team has no depth, but I think that is because it is too results oriented. A racer cannot work on developing, they must have results or get cut. Look at Julia Ford, a young racer, made the team for Sochi and was cut the next year. I had hoped to see her on Saturday, but maybe she's not ready yet. I'll bet that there are 3 or 4 racers at UVM that could have done better than what we saw this weekend, and the truth is, unless they have billionaire parents, they probably can't afford to be on the USST. I have a friend who's son made the USST and the very first communication they got was a bill for $50,000. The Team doesn't need to make every racer a millionaire, but if they want depth, they have to support these racers and allow them to focus on the process. It seems like right now that if you cannot guarantee an Olympic medal you are of no use to the team. My daughter and I were impressed by and rooting for the Italian team. A number of those racers were in their early to mid-thirties and had been through long recoveries from injury. I think three of them placed above MS. If they were on the USST they would probably have been cut five years ago. You can probably fund ten Resi's for the cost of one MS, and if you are not threatening them with expulsion of they fail to medal at the next Olympics, they will develop into podium threats.

 

[James]

It's not like you can go buy free agents like in sports. No development, no talent on the team.Seems like the US ski team takes credit for the development work done by others. Then neglects new racers for a few stars. Lindsey and Mikaela did tons of work, dedication, and cost by their families. Did the USST pay for Burke for Mikaela?

You can't just buy a racer.

The whole "best in world" was a dubious marketing line anyway.

 

[Muleski]

The great thing about the WC weekend is that a LOT more people are talking about ski racing. It's great! Awesome. No question it was inspiring.

"Best in the World" came about under Bill Marolt's tenure as CEO. I remember asking two friends who were on the board to explain it. No idea. They were typical trustees at the time. Liked to ski, owned huge ski homes, were investment bankers, wrote pretty big checks.....and otherwise were 100% disengaged. IMO, very little oversight.

Evidently it meant winning, and winning with a handful of the sport's best. LV, Bode, Ligety. Mancuso {when the spotlight was on}, to a lesser degree skiers like Weibrecht. And obviously in recent years MS. Along the way a lot of spotty speed success by a number of skiers.

Then we have somebody like Resi. Wonderful person, tons of fun, honestly loved by all. 31, has been on the WC for 14 years {not as long as LV and JM}. Has one WC podium. Fully funded A team member. Has had a lot of injury, and fought back. On the guy's side, you have 31 year old Tim Jitloff. A "Chosen one" following being the combined gold medalist at Jr. Worlds. Been on the WC for a decade plus. No podiums. Maybe a 5th. Skis only GS. On any day, can finish in the top 10.

I think it's very honest to say that they are great skiers, who have never reached the lofty potential heaped upon them. So what's the right way to manage them? Particularly as you need to rebuild. I do think Resi is a great person, and a great ambassador. I think that factors into it. Plus she IS top 15 in the world.

So the current board is much more engaged. They write, in some cases, HUGE checks. And they know the organization needed a complete overhaul post Marolt. Many know the sport very well. And they expect Tiger to start advancing the ball...farther and faster. I would not want that job.

That is easier said than done. Where do you start? The development ranks are a mess. And there are SO many schools of thought. Marolt thought that building his monument in Park City was critical. Then he thought the USSA Team Academy was the path. It wasn't. Most of the best talent "nominated" stayed in their home programs and academies. So now the work is all about supporting them, while running "projects" and identifying talent. The former head of the Team Academy is the Headmaster at Burke.

We still have real problems with naming athletes to the D, C and in some cases, B teams, then running them out of the system and cutting them. For years I have seen athletes pretty much shunned from the day they were nominated, with coaches thinking they "snuck in" just making criteria. Gone the next year. Not right.

Are the birth year hurdles out to lunch? People outside of this country think so, to a large degree. And of course building more and more overhead in PC, while requiring that these athletes self fund, is a strange way to prioritize resources. I get "Rally Me" requests from every athlete. It should not be that way.

The fact that other countries are advocating sending kids here to race in the NCAA, on scholarship, while abandoning big pieces of their development programs is telling. It works for them! Yet we still have a rift between the USST team system and college racing....despite the National Uni Team. That's a strange program. The typical deal...the real skiers and chosen ones do not go to college, at least in the winter.

Today there is a HUGE gap in the bench strength of the team. So many skiers in the 25-30 age group have just left the sport in this country. Gone, It's nice to see Julia Ford trying to come back. She's part of Redneck Racing, with Robby Kelley, who has turned down the USST offer and bill over the past two years. I hope she has something in the tank. Have watched her on skis since she was about five.

I'm afraid that to truly effect change, there needs to be wholesale change, and much of that change may be in alpine leadership and coaching ranks. At the end of 2018, I think every athlete who has sniffed a podium, other than Travis Ganong and MS will retire. The cupboard will be bare.

It will be a long process, and I sense will need a lot of change. There are some exceptional young skiers in the system, and more who are on the way. And judging from the weekend, and the proceeding weeks at Copper, more who want to chase the dream. Fun to see.

This is going to require new thinking IMO, new blood, and even more resources to be spent wisely.

In the younger ranks these days, sadly, if you have a talented child, with the drive, you can structure a program to produce exceptional results. It costs a fortune. The average kid from a mountain town is a rarity as a high level racer in this country. Somewhat evident this past weekend. Spend the week at an event like U16 Nationals and it is clear. We need to think through that dynamic. I detest private coaching at those ages. Just think it is wrong.

We are not going to change that, but we can do a much better job with developing our talent. It is going to take many years. It might appear to be painful. As fans, out focus of success is going to have to be a lot more broad and deep than the WC. How are our kids doing in terms of their progress, and compared to others in their age groups? The problem is that women get there sooner. We need to figure out how to manage those expectations. Not look at 17 year old Euros scoring WC points.

I also really hope to see this look like a team. As others have noted, many of the other countries look like teams. The Italian women, and the Norwegians are great examples. We have been big on creating whatever program the athletes have individually wanted. Many essentially "OP", their own program.

Best of luck! Lots to fix.

Great weekend. USA!!!!