Summer Roundup: American women in New Zealand, plus: Hosp, Mueller, Miller and more

Summer Roundup: American women in New Zealand, plus: Hosp, Mueller, Miller and moreThe U.S. women’s World Cup tech team is on snow in New Zealand this week, training when the weather is good. They lost a little luggage on the flight over, but are settled in now at Round Hill.

‘It was good training today’ said head coach Trevor Wagner on August 23. ‘There is some really good, man-made snow.’

Training nearby are teams from Finland, Sweden, Austria and Germany. Some of the American racers may compete in local FIS races, but Wagner wasn’t sure.

Meanwhile, the women’s Europa Cup and development teams returned last week from a two-week training camp in La Parva, Chile, a resort near the Chilean capital of Santiago. On hand were the nine athletes and six staff members who make up the two squads, which will train and race together for the 2005-2006 season.

‘It was great to get to get everyone together and move forward as one team’ reports John Hale, the coach leading the project. ‘Up until this trip the Europa Cup team and development team had been doing their preparation separately.’

Athletes training at the camp were Caitlin Ciccone, Kara Crow, Sterling Grant, Katie Hitchcock, Keely Kelleher, Jenny Lathrop, Julia Littman, Chelsea Marshall and Megan McJames.

The group trained in 22 sessions over 12 days on snow, working on all four disciplines. They didn’t skip any training due to inclement weather, although they did switch from speed to tech for some sessions.

Niki Hosp injured again

In other southern hemisphere news, Niki Hosp of Austria, the promising but often-injured tech skier, is back on the disabled list once again after breaking her left hand in slalom training this week in Wanaka, New Zealand. The impact, to her third knuckle, did not involve a crash. Hosp will fly home to Austria for more medical attention.

Peter Mueller in financial straits

Former World Cup speed skier Peter Mueller will face mismanagement charges in a Swiss bankruptcy case, The Associated Press has said. Mueller, who won 19 World Cup downhills and two silver Olympic medals, is being charged in connection to the collapse of Pitsch Mueller Immobilien, a real estate firm. A trial date has yet to be fixed. Investigators found the firm owed 820,000 Swiss francs ($645,461 U.S.) when it went bankrupt, the AP reported. Authorities concluded ‘the two administrative board members fulfilled their tasks and duties in an inadequate manner.’

Video technology going mainstream

Here is an interesting article about video-analysis technology making it into sports broadcasts. The U.S. Ski Team has benefited from the use of super slow-motion video in its training programs, but little of it has been transferred to television viewers.

Here’s the pitch

Bode Miller will throw out the first pitch at the August 28 Red Sox game at Fenway Park. The overall World Cup champion will also be present for a two-hour pre-game party at ‘Game On!’ located at the corner of Lansdowne Street and Brookline Avenue. Miller’s friend and roommate recently made history by climbing Mt. Washington in a wheelchair.

Fore!

The Rocky Mountain Division fundraising golf tournament is scheduled for Sunday, September 11, at the Pole Creek Golf Course in Winter Park, Colorado. 100 percent of the proceeds of the shotgun-start, four-person scramble event go to RMD athletes. RSVP to Darlene Nolting (dnolting@ussa.org).