Ford, Wiles crack top 10; Vonn to race Friday

By Published On: December 5th, 2013Comments Off on Ford, Wiles crack top 10; Vonn to race Friday
Julia Ford runs the American line in Lake Louise (GEPA/Mario Kneisl)

Julia Ford runs the American line in Lake Louise (GEPA/Mario Kneisl)

If the U.S. women’s speed team needed something to light a fire, two up-and-coming athletes in the top 10 might just be the spark. The C Team’s Jacqueline Wiles and B Team’s Julia Ford came from way back in the pack — 57th and 61st, respectively — to lead the Americans in the second and final day of downhill training in Lake Louise.

“I knew the course better today, so I charged a little harder,” said Wiles, who got her first World Cup start in Beaver Creek last week. “Coming into Fallaway, yesterday I did not gave a good position coming in. Today, I knew what I had to do differently. I did better and think I carried more speed coming into C Turn and down into Gun Barrel. If I can send it again tomorrow, it’ll be good.”

“I actually changed skis,” said Ford. “I had some issues yesterday and today I went with a longer pair that worked a lot better. … Yesterday, I hit something and had a problem with my edges, so I was sliding all over the place. It was more about being committed to that line and standing in a good position.”

The training run was again held under frigid conditions Thursday. Maria Hoefl-Riesch ran the fastest time of 1 minute, 56.52 seconds. She was followed closely by Norway’s Lotte Smiseth Sejersted, who’s skiing fast in this early part of the season after extensive speed training at Copper Mountain. Austria’s Anna Fenninger proved she’s again a threat on the track she podiumed in super G last season, finishing third, a half-second off the German’s pace.

As it often is in Lake Louise, one of the day’s stories was about Lindsey Vonn, who did not train, but did announce she will be racing on Friday.

“You know if your body is ready or not and I know that mine is ready,” Vonn said before taking the day off. “Normally, this is the first downhill of the year, so for me this feels like a normal beginning of the season.”

The announcement comes a day after a not-so-Vonn-esque result of 22nd in Wednesday’s training. The four-time overall champ did not say after the run how hard she was skiing, but did say she was feeling good.

“My goal yesterday was to ski solid and to ski my race line and I did that,” she said. “I knew that if I could accomplish all those things in one run, then I don’t need a second run. I know this course so well I don’t need to take a bunch of runs on it. In order make sure that my knee is ready to go for the weekend, it’s the smart choice for me to not ski today in order to prepare for tomorrow.”

With 14 total wins on the Lake Louise glider track — more than any other racer at any single venue in World Cup history — Vonn indeed knows the course.

“Tomorrow will be a matter of putting my race skis on and taking off all of my giant slalom pads and being more aerodynamic. I’m ready,” said Vonn.

Stacey Cook, who podiumed twice in Lake Louise last season, finished 16th on the day. Laurenne Ross had perhaps her best training run of the season in 18th; Leanne Smith was 20th.

For Julia Mancuso, who was on the podium in super G in Lake Louise last year, the struggles continued with a 37th-place result.

“(I’m looking to accomplish) some good races, no mistakes and just feeling comfortable,” said Mancuso after the run. “It got off to a rough start last week. My goal is just to feel good when I get to the bottom an know that everything is working.”

Ross, who tried a different pair of skis Thursday, said her improvement in rank reflects better skiing.

“It was definitely a little bit better,” said Ross. “It’s just tough to nail everything perfectly. You know how it is in Lake Louise; it’s not as difficult a course as some, so if you’re not in the perfect place, it’s that much slower. … I turned a little bit differently, in a little bit better body position.”

Cook said the track is in good shape, really smooth, which often makes for a close race.

“We tried a little tighter line,” said Cook. “None of the other teams were taking it, so we were kind of out in our own snow zone, which I don’t think was too fast. … We’ll look at video and analyze, see exactly where we lost time.”

Leanne Smith said there are still things that need to be dialed in: “There’s always something you want to be working on for race day, and there’s definitely a little more micro-terrain today, which was good to figure out and good to experience, because tomorrow you know it’s still going to be there. … I just tried to clean up a few things, some I was successful at; others I still need a little bit of work on.

“You know, we’ve been here so many years, there are a lot of the same sensations since five six years ago. It’s just important to get the training runs going and get that confidence level high. No matter what, you just charge on race day.”

Results

Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Total Time FIS Points
1 14 206001 HOEFL-RIESCH Maria 1984 GER 1:56.52
2 29 425880 SEJERSTED Lotte Smiseth 1991 NOR 1:56.61
3 20 55947 FENNINGER Anna 1989 AUT 1:57.04
4 30 296431 STUFFER Verena 1984 ITA 1:57.27
4 16 516138 GUT Lara 1991 SUI 1:57.27
6 8 296472 FANCHINI Elena 1985 ITA 1:57.49
7 1 515782 KAUFMANN-ABDERHALDEN Marianne 1986 SUI 1:57.51
8 7 495318 RUIZ CASTILLO Carolina 1981 SPA 1:57.56
9 61 538855 FORD Julia 1990 USA 1:57.61
9 57 539536 WILES Jacqueline 1992 USA 1:57.61
11 17 355050 WEIRATHER Tina 1989 LIE 1:57.63
12 27 55576 GOERGL Elisabeth 1981 AUT 1:57.74
13 25 565360 STUHEC Ilka 1990 SLO 1:57.86
14 28 55913 MOSER Stefanie 1988 AUT 1:57.87
15 18 565243 MAZE Tina 1983 SLO 1:57.90
16 19 537582 COOK Stacey 1984 USA 1:57.98
17 2 55750 FISCHBACHER Andrea 1985 AUT 1:58.05
18 3 538573 ROSS Laurenne 1988 USA 1:58.06
19 11 296008 MERIGHETTI Daniela 1981 ITA 1:58.11
20 13 538305 SMITH Leanne 1987 USA 1:58.17
21 44 297134 BORSOTTI Camilla 1988 ITA 1:58.25
22 60 505886 KLING Kajsa 1988 SWE 1:58.26
22 46 55970 SCHMIDHOFER Nicole 1989 AUT 1:58.26
24 55 106849 YURKIW Larisa 1988 CAN 1:58.49
25 9 515806 JNGLIN-KAMER Nadja 1986 SUI 1:58.51
26 33 515849 DETTLING Andrea 1987 SUI 1:58.57
27 37 56088 TIPPLER Tamara 1991 AUT 1:58.71
28 26 296729 FANCHINI Nadia 1986 ITA 1:58.76
29 43 197295 PIOT Jennifer 1992 FRA 1:58.80
30 6 55766 STERZ Regina 1985 AUT 1:58.82
30 5 515747 GISIN Dominique 1985 SUI 1:58.82
32 59 197006 GAUTHIER Marine 1990 FRA 1:58.83
33 12 196460 MARCHAND-ARVIER Marie 1985 FRA 1:58.85
34 31 55690 HOSP Nicole 1983 AUT 1:58.86
35 40 155563 KRIZOVA Klara 1989 CZE 1:58.90
36 4 205218 REBENSBURG Viktoria 1989 GER 1:58.92
37 15 537545 MANCUSO Julia 1984 USA 1:58.98
38 32 298323 GOGGIA Sofia 1992 ITA 1:58.99
39 45 565320 FERK Marusa 1988 SLO 1:59.00
40 23 515573 AUFDENBLATTEN Fraenzi 1981 SUI 1:59.15
41 21 296427 SCHNARF Johanna 1984 ITA 1:59.19
42 48 206460 WENIG Michaela 1992 GER 1:59.22
43 41 297702 MARSAGLIA Francesca 1990 ITA 1:59.23
44 56 196968 BAILET Margot 1990 FRA 1:59.38
45 62 425929 MOWINCKEL Ragnhild 1992 NOR 1:59.52
46 24 515766 SUTER Fabienne 1985 SUI 1:59.65
47 47 539685 RYAN Katie 1993 USA 1:59.81
48 50 298084 AGERER Lisa Magdalena 1991 ITA 1:59.92
49 63 155415 STRACHOVA Sarka 1985 CZE 2:00.07
50 53 56087 SIEBENHOFER Ramona 1991 AUT 2:00.12
51 38 565333 BRODNIK Vanja 1989 SLO 2:00.15
52 39 516219 NUFER Priska 1992 SUI 2:00.22
53 58 55818 KOEHLE Stefanie 1986 AUT 2:00.30
54 42 56177 VENIER Stephanie 1993 AUT 2:00.33
55 65 375018 COLETTI Alexandra 1983 MON 2:00.38
56 35 56125 PUCHNER Mirjam 1992 AUT 2:00.58
57 54 206367 HRONEK Veronique 1991 GER 2:00.74
58 22 206175 STECHERT Gina 1987 GER 2:00.85
59 36 56128 HUETTER Cornelia 1992 AUT 2:01.01
60 52 245066 MIKLOS Edit 1988 HUN 2:01.13
61 66 505632 LINDELL-VIKARBY Jessica 1984 SWE 2:01.20
62 64 485632 BEDAREVA Maria 1992 RUS 2:01.24
63 34 516185 HAEHLEN Joana 1992 SUI 2:01.27
64 51 197497 MIRADOLI Romane 1994 FRA 2:01.59
65 67 435245 CHRAPEK Karolina 1990 POL 2:01.77
Did not start 1st run
49 297910 CURTONI Elena 1991 ITA
10 537544 VONN Lindsey 1984 USA

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About the Author: Geoff Mintz

Geoff Mintz is a former alpine ski racer who cut his teeth at Ragged Mountain and Waterville Valley, N.H. After graduating from Holderness and UVM, he relocated to Colorado, where he worked on the hill prior to pursuing a career in journalism. Mintz served as associate editor for Ski Racing Media from 2011 to 2015. He later reconnected with his local roots to manage all marketing and communications for Ski & Snowboard Club Vail before resuming work at SRM as editor-in-chief.