McKee's McThoughts: Ski racing's "wow" factor

By Published On: December 9th, 2006Comments Off on McKee's McThoughts: Ski racing's "wow" factor

Man, World Cup-level ski racing is just unbelievable.
    We’re all attracted to downhill in that — “Holy bat feces, Robin”
kind of way. Beaver Creek delivers an expletive kind of downhill.
    For pure attack, watch a slalom. The Japanese men leave little doubt about the origins of “kamikaze.” But take a bow Andre Myhrer, because the Swede’s first run at Beaver Creek was just sensational. Not to understate the slalom performances of Michael Janyk and Felix Neureuther. It’s a new game, stands to reason it’ll have new faces. To find a face on the result sheet that has ever been attached to a world-level slalom win previously, you go down to seventh and Manfred Pranger. Kalle Palander in 12th is the second. Yeah, things are going to be different this season.


MAN, WORLD CUP-LEVEL
ski racing is just unbelievable.
    We’re all attracted to downhill in that — “Holy bat feces, Robin”
kind of way. Beaver Creek delivers an expletive kind of downhill.
    For pure attack, watch a slalom. The Japanese men leave little doubt about the origins of “kamikaze.” But take a bow Andre Myhrer, because the Swede’s first run at Beaver Creek was just sensational. Not to understate the slalom performances of Michael Janyk and Felix Neureuther. It’s a new game, stands to reason it’ll have new faces. To find a face on the result sheet that has ever been attached to a world-level slalom win previously, you go down to seventh and Manfred Pranger. Kalle Palander in 12th is the second. Yeah, things are going to be different this season.
    Here’s a little Beaver Creek GS workout for you body Nazis: Climb up to more than two miles above sea level to an undulating ice sheet. Now scream down 1,300 vertical feet as fast as you can, cranking a turn for every 25 feet of drop and by all means try and keep your skis on the ground. Repeat.
    Now, that’s a sport.
    It’s mildly entertaining that there’s concern about other teams playing politics to gain an advantage (yes, Austria is the easy target). It’s not like skiing has ever had a level playing field. How would a skier gain speed?
    At the end of the day, it’s all about who gets down the hill the fastest. In the old days, folks in the United States got a pretty big smile when a backwater town guy like Buddy Werner or a sorority gal like Gretchen Fraser would go over and win “Their” event on “Their” mountain. Now the athletes are professionals and the expectations are higher. Tell you what though, the U.S. teams come to play.
    Speaking of building up expectations, how about Lindsey Kildow up at Lake Louise, eh? Here’s a little footnote: U.S. skiers have now won more races (eight) at Lake Louise than at any other site
taking the record away from Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. Maybe America ought to start scheduling more races. Second side note: I got Kildow on my fantasy team and we kicked buttocks. Thanks Lindsey, keep ‘em comin’.
    Heads were spinning over the Cup race cancellations and the stated “fact” that the races weren’t logically tacked on at Beaver Creek because of a lack of $350,000. In Beaver Creek that won’t even buy a parking space. Most of the ski team’s deepest pockets were in town and the Vail Valley Foundation board can go head to head financially with most organizations in the world, so what was the problem? This is what we’re saying: There was more involved than money.
    The cancellations themselves is what should be raising red flags the size of Texas. It’s nice to see some of the ski team athletes getting behind the cause of fighting global warming; And how appropriate. Both Steve Nyman and Ted Ligety have taken up the cause and get McThought applause for doing so. I believe it was Nyman who noted: “We go to the same training sites every year. … We see the glaciers retreating.” How many years would that be for a man 25 years old? Ten maybe?
    The bigger point here is that if you are any kind of a fan of ski racing
and if you’re not and you’re reading this, you should get a life it might just be time to take one giant step toward the front lines of this fight. It doesn’t matter what the politics are; things which upset the balance of nature are not good for human beings.
    Some things which are good for human beings: A and B netting. Ask T.J. Lanning. When will this guy get a break that doesn’t involve a bone? He missed all of ’05 and most of ’04 to injuries but fought back to get a shot at the Cup in Beaver Creek. In the downhill training he starts 83rd and finishes ninth. That was not a situation of changing course conditions or wind or fluke. The guys starting on either side of him finished in the 60s where they belonged. Lanning breaks the top 10 and the potential for the season is unlimited. In the combined DH he gets caught back on his skis in the compression and launches into the nets, busting up his nose and a hand. He flew completely over the B-net and hit the “A” a meter from the top. A decade ago he doesn’t walk away from that crash. We hope he has the desire to fight back one more time, because this is one amazingly talented skier, but for all you workers schlepping those nets up there
it was worth it and we thank you.
    By the way, what is with the U.S. Ski Team media department policy of ignoring injuries? It’s a danger sport. That’s the idea. Whatever happened to “Land of the Brave?”
    By the way
Americans did great and Austrians sucked at Beaver Creek, right? Not so right. Austrians outpointed the Americans 422-373 for the long weekend. Austrian ladies also led the point parade in Lake Louise. See what we mean about changing the Nations Cup formula? They might not wrap up by Jan 1, but only because of the cancellations.
    Fraenzi Aufdenblatten is the captain of my All-Name Team.

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About the Author: Pete Rugh