ALPINE NATIONALS: Miller and Clark win national downhill championship races

ALPINE NATIONALS: Miller and Clark win national downhill championship races{mosimage}CARRABASSET VALLEY, Maine – Experience prevailed Saturday as Kirsten Clark and Bode Miller won the women’s and men’s national downhill title races at Sugarloaf, Maine.

Both skiers spent formative years on the Narrow Gauge course when they attended Carrabassett Valley Academy in the mid-1990s. The school is located at the start of the mountain’s access road.

Hundreds of fans turned out to see the race, which included racers who just last month had been competing in the Olympic Winter Games in Italy.

The course had a vertical drop of 600 meters (for both the men’s and women’s courses) and top recorded speeds were about 75 miles per hour.

Daron Rahlves and Justin Johnson were second and third in the men’s race, and Christopher Beckmann was the top junior, in 12th place.

‘This hill’s not as challenging as a World Cup hill, but they could set it really difficult. The only thing that’s lacking is the air [jumps]’ Miller said.

Rahlves laughed in the finish, noting, ‘I’m just trying to make it down alive. …

‘The run was good up top’ he explained. ‘There were some scrappy sections here and there. I think it’s good to have something like that. … I had a fun run; I’m pretty psyched about that.

Clark beat Olympic giant slalom gold medalist Julia Mancuso by half a second. Third was Stacey Cook, who was forced to start a second time, having been flagged off course when Lindsey Kildow crashed.

‘It’s always good to come back and compete at Sugarloaf, to race at my home mountain. Thanks, Sugarloaf’ Clark said.

After two days of training runs and two days of racing by 120 skiers, she said, the course was ‘a little bumpier and rattly. It’s good, hard, Eastern ice and snow up there — it’s great for racing.’

Skies were overcast and the snow surface was rugged ice that gave over to a layer of wet, sloppy snow.

The top junior in the women’s race was Megan McJames of Park City.

The U.S. Alpine Championships are a chance for the most promising young skiers in the country get to race head-to-head with members of the U.S. Ski Team. Success at the race can lead to a spot on the national team.

Men and women will race super G on Sunday and slalom on Monday. After that, the men race GS on Tuesday and the women race that event on Wednesday.

TD Banknorth 2006 U.S. Alpine Championships

Men’s downhill
Sugarloaf, Maine
March 25, 2006
1. Bode MILLER, USA 1:15.27
2. Daron RAHLVES, USA 1:15.88
3. Justin JOHNSON, USA 1:16.14
4. Scott MACARTNEY, USA 1:16.40
5. Steven NYMAN, USA 1:16.43
6. Erik FISHER, USA 1:16.73
7. Ted LIGETY, USA 1:16.79
8. Marco SULLIVAN, USA 1:16.89
9. Kevin FRANCIS, USA 1:17.09
10. Warner NICKERSON, USA 1:17.15
11. Nicholas BAKER, USA 1:17.16
12. Christopher BECKMANN, USA 1:17.17
13. Samuel SWEETSER, USA 1:17.18
14. Thomas LANNING, USA 1:17.26
15. Jake ZAMANSKY, USA 1:17.32
16. Charles CHRISTIANSON, USA 1:17.46
17. Tague THORSON, USA 1:17.61
18. Todd David THIBODEAU, USA 1:17.62
19. Andrew WEIBRECHT, USA 1:17.77
20. Greg BARTELS, USA 1:17.94
21. Michael CREMENO, USA 1:18.05
22. Mark MIKOS, USA 1:18.06
23. Nathan ASOIAN, USA 1:18.11
24. Eric HOLMER, USA 1:18.16
25. Will BRANDENBURG, USA 1:18.41
25. Travis GANONG, USA 1:18.41
27. Timothy KELLEY, USA 1:18.51
34. Andrew WAGNER, USA 1:18.51
29. Carl RIXON, USA 1:18.60
30. James COCHRAN, USA 1:18.75
31. Eric MANN, USA 1:18.89
32. Ace TARBERRY, USA 1:19.21
33. Maximilian HAMMER, USA 1:19.23
34. Jason MCNEILL, USA 1:19.26
35. Joey SWENSSON, USA 1:19.40
36. Robert MILLER, USA 1:19.42
37. Errol KERR, USA 1:19.43
38. Kamden BURKE, USA 1:19.52
39. John TELLER, USA 1:19.66
40. Drew ROBERTS, USA 1:19.67
41. Bump HELDMAN, USA 1:19.69
42. James O’NEILL, CAN 1:19.78
43. Erik GILBERT, USA 1:19.79
44. Stefan HUGHES, USA 1:19.86
45. Marsh GOODING, USA 1:19.89
46. Jacob LUND, USA 1:20.07
47. Peter ANDERSON, USA 1:20.44
48. Jonathan HUNTER, USA 1:20.68
49. Cory MCCONNELL, USA 1:20.79
50. Gary BERESFORD, USA 1:20.81
51. Conor LYNCH, USA 1:20.94
52. Zachary SCHWARTZ, USA 1:20.99
53. Bobby POEHLING, USA 1:21.01
53. Tommy FORD, USA 1:21.01
55. Taylor VEST-BURTON, USA 1:21.08
56. John KEMP, USA 1:21.09
57. Alex REEVES, USA 1:21.10
DNF: Braden Long, Cale Weinberg, Mark Syrovatka, CAN; Alex Acosta, Taggart Spenst, USA.

Equipment
Mens’ DH U.S. Nationals, Sugarloaf, March 25, 2006 Skier, skis/boots/bindings 1. Miller, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
2. Rahlves, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
3. Johnson, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic

It is the seventh national title for Bode Miller, but his first in DH. … He joins Bob Cochran, Phil Mahre, Erik Schlopy, Jack Reddish and Buddy Werner for sixth on the all-time list of U.S. championship wins.

It is the 13th U.S. national championship podium for Daron Rahlves and the second time he has finished second in a national downhill, the first at Snowbasin in 1999 in a race won by Chad Fleischer.

It is the second U.S. national championship podium for JJ Johnson, who was second in DH last season at Mammoth Mountain.

Winning margin is .61 of a second. … Top three skiers are within the same second… Top 14 within two seconds.

Sugarloaf last hosted the nationals back to back in 1996 and ’97.

Women’s downhill
Sugarloaf, Maine
March 25, 2006
1. Kirsten CLARK, USA 1:19.65
2. Julia MANCUSO, USA 1:20.14
3. Stacey COOK, USA 1:20.22
4. Resi STIEGLER, USA 1:20.68
5. Megan MCJAMES, USA 1:20.74
6. Julia LITTMAN, USA 1:20.77
7. Tereza CHAROVA, CZE 1:20.82
8. Bryna MCCARTY, USA 1:20.91
9. Chelsea MARSHALL, USA 1:21.09
10. Jonna MENDES, USA 1:21.24
11. Caitlin CICCONE, USA 1:21.81
12. Leanne SMITH, USA 1:21.89
13. Courtney HAMMOND, USA 1:22.10
14. Laurenne ROSS, USA 1:22.20
15. Chirine NJEIM, LIB 1:22.38
16. Julia FORD, USA 1:22.70
17. Ann WEST, USA 1:22.87
18. Chelsea LYNCH, USA 1:23.02
19. Kate BRAGG, USA 1:23.03
20. Ashley-Kate DURHAM, CAN 1:23.08
21. Kara CROW, USA 1:23.12
22. Nicole DVORAK, USA 1:23.19
23. Kiley STAPLES, USA 1:23.20
24. Laurel CARTER, USA 1:23.21
25. Katie HARTMAN, USA 1:23.25
26. Erika GHENT, USA 1:23.27
26. Alice McKennis, USA 1:23.27
28. Valerie KECHIAN, USA 1:23.30
29. Melissa GILL, USA 1:23.42
30. Hannah CAMETTI, USA 1:23.44
31. Hannah VICTORY, USA 1:23.61
32. Kirsten COOPER, USA 1:23.71
32. Keely Blair KELLEHER, USA 1:23.71
34. Lyndee JANOWIAK, USA 1:23.84
35. Sterling GRANT, USA 1:24.02
36. Stephanie PETERS, USA 1:24.11
37. Kristin LEGGETT, USA 1:24.15
38. Jennifer ALLEN, USA 1:24.21
39. Katharine HITCHCOCK, USA 1:24.80
40. Amy HARRIS, USA 1:25.02
41. Hayley JONES, USA 1:25.25
42. Madison SHEPARD, USA 1:26.18
43. Georgia WETTLAUFER, USA 1:27.22
44. Heidi HILLENBRAND, USA 1:27.71
45. Klara KRIZOVA, CZE 1:52.90
DNF: Kirsten Turner, Kate Williams, Christa Ghent, Corrine Rotter, Bryana Park, Kaylin Richardson, Lindsey Kildow, Libby Ludlow, USA.

Equipment
Women’s DH, Sugarloaf, March 25, 2006 Skier, skis/boots/bindings 1. Clark, Fischer/Lange/Marker 2. Mancuso, Rossignol/Lange/Rossignol 3. Cook, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol

It is the seventh career U.S. national championship for Kirsten Clark and her fifth downhill crown, the first since 2001. … She has won DH titles in 1998, ’99, 2000 and ’01, the 2000 super G title and the 1996 combined title. No other skier has won more than three U.S. national DH titles.

It is the 21st podium at U.S. nationals for Julia Mancuso. … Her fourth straight DH podium. … The third straight time she has finished second.

It is the first U.S. championship podium for Stacey Cook.

Winning margin is .49 of a second. … Top three are within the same second. … Top 10 within two seconds.