Vonn gets first shot at Raptor training

By Published On: January 9th, 2015Comments Off on Vonn gets first shot at Raptor training

The women’s speed team started off the new year with four confidence-boosting days of training on the challenging Raptor course that will be used for the 2015 Vail/Beaver Creek World Championships in February.

Unlike many of her teammates, Lindsey Vonn was seeing the Raptor course in person for the first time after missing last year’s World Cup with a knee injury. For a majority of the team, it was the third training camp on the course – in addition the the World Cup race there last season.

“I really like it, it’s definitely very challenging and at first very intimidating, but having this training is incredibly helpful for me. I feel a lot more confident. I know where I’m going, I know the terrain much better, I really have gotten a feel for it, already, after only just two days training on it,” commented Vonn. “I’m going to continue to build my confidence, get more of a feel for the terrain, but like I said it’s awesome, definitely very challenging, but it’s going to be fun.”

Vonn has rebounded this season with two wins in the first three downhills after missing most of the past two years with knee injuries. She has set herself up as a favorite, once again, heading into World Championships and head women’s speed coach Stef Abplanalp was pleased with what he saw from Vonn during her few days on the track.

“Lindsey brings all the skills to be fast on that track,” said Abplanalp. “They engaged well, Lindsey and the Raptor. She could really peak her performance from her first day to the last day. I am very confident for her and for all the girls.”

For Abplanalp, it was his first time with the U.S. women on the track, but he had previous experience on the Raptor during the World Cup last season as head coach of the Norwegian team.

“I liked it last year when I was here with the Norwegian team,” he added. “There is nowhere to rest. There are rollers, direction changes, traverses, jumps, you have to be technically sharp and you need a lot of confidence. You need to control the skis because it is very steep, but not too much because then you can’t ski for a medal.”

The four days of training included an opening day of giant slalom to allow the women to get adjusted to the hill at a slower pace. The final three days were filled with challenging super G course sets to prepare the athletes for anything that may come at them during World Championships.

“From the coaches’ side it was important to have a game plan for the three days of super G. We tried to challenge the girls, but because they did such a good job with the prep I was able to set different courses and different ideas,” said Abplanalp. “Whatever will come on the third of February, when we have the super G (the women) will be prepared. It was also important that we didn’t just train one set each day, they were challenged. I was very happy and proud with how they were able to adapt into a new exercise each day.”

Abplanalp added that the training opportunity at such a busy time of year for the resort was a huge bonus for the women’s team. He was thoroughly impressed with the course, the preparation of the hill by the Beaver Creek crew, and how the athletes handled the demanding sets and conditions.

“The option that we could train here was important for February. A big thank you to Patrick Riml (Alpine director of USSA) who made it happen, together with Beaver Creek,” acknowledge Abplanalp. “I have to give a big hand to Beaver Creek and the grooming department. It was not easy because it was snowing the day before (we got here), but they prepare for us a perfect, perfect race track … we can really feel amazing support from the organizers, they want as many American flags on the podium. That’s amazing I have to say, what they are able to pull off.”

No one was more happy about the opportunity for the incredible training than Vonn, who before had only seen the course skied on TV.

“Now that I have training on it I feel a lot more comfortable about it because watching it on TV, it was very intimidating. I wasn’t sure if I would have the confidence yet to really be pushing it and be aggressive on this difficult of terrain, but I felt surprisingly comfortable on it today,” said Vonn. “The first run I definitely checked it out, then I started to charge and every run I got better and better and I’m feeling a lot more confident after today. … This has been an incredible opportunity and I’m really thankful for Vail and Beaver Creek for giving us this opportunity.”

Most members of the women’s speed team were in attendance for the camp, including Laurenne Ross, Stacey Cook, and Julia Mancuso. All three have already notched top-5 World Cup results early in the season.

“I’ve learned how to handle the speed a bit better (being on the hill for a third camp) and what to expect with the terrain and the pitches,” said Ross. “I’ve definitely learned how to push myself on this hill because that’s really hard to do off the bat, so we are really lucky to train here.”

Mancuso had disappointing results last season on the Raptor and missed the end-of-season camp on the hill in March. She has started off this season much stronger, already with a third-place finish in Lake Louise and is looking to add to her World Championship medal collection.

“I think my goal in any big event is to go and try and win an event,” said Mancuso. “The overall goal is to walk away with a medal, but to win an event and be World Champion is something that I haven’t done yet and it would be cool to do.”

She added that getting extra training on the hill will help with her nerves for World Champs and also give her confidence heading into the races.

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About the Author: Jessica Kelley

A 10-year veteran of the U.S. Ski Team, Kelley collected three NorAm titles, won GS silver at the 2002 World Junior Championships, and was a member of the 2007 World Championships team during her professional career. She resides in Park City, Utah, with her husband, Adam Cole.