Aspen: U.S. hoping for a "big weekend"

ASPEN, Colorado — The women’s World Cup racers tested the race course on their freeskiing boards Friday. But Saturday, the focus shifts to runs at race speed with the first giant slalom of the season for the women as the Aspen Winternational kicks off.
    By all accounts, this week’s warmer-than-usual weather in the Colorado high country hasn’t damaged the near-bulletproof race surface. U.S. women’s head coach Patrick Riml praised the Aspen course crew for its efforts Friday afternoon.
    “They’ve done an excellent job,” he said. “Freeskiing [Friday] showed that even with the warm temperatures, it’s perfect. We’re going to have some great races here tomorrow and the day after. The hill is awesome. The snow conditions are perfect.”
ASPEN, Colorado — The women’s World Cup racers tested the race course on their freeskiing boards Friday. But Saturday, the focus shifts to runs at race speed with the first giant slalom of the season for the women as the Aspen Winternational kicks off.
    By all accounts, this week’s warmer-than-usual weather in the Colorado high country hasn’t damaged the near-bulletproof race surface. U.S. women’s head coach Patrick Riml praised the Aspen course crew for its efforts Friday afternoon.
    “They’ve done an excellent job,” he said. “Freeskiing [Friday] showed that even with the warm temperatures, it’s perfect. We’re going to have some great races here tomorrow and the day after. The hill is awesome. The snow conditions are perfect.”
    U.S. racer Jess Kelley, who will look to kick-start what she hopes will be a strong year on the World Cup after winning the NorAm GS title last season, expects the course to hold firm on Saturday.
    “Today it had hardened up a little bit, and I think tomorrow it will be really good,” she said.
    Stepping into the start house along with Kelley in Saturday’s GS for the United States are Resi Stiegler, Lindsey Kildow, Julia Mancuso, Libby Ludlow, Stacey Cook, Katie Hitchcock, Caitlin Ciccone and Megan McJames.    
    McJames, who captured three NorAm titles last season, will be making her World Cup debut.
    “I’m excited,” she said. “Not really nervous or scared because I just want to ski my best and that’s all I can do. I’m trying not to have any [expectations] for tomorrow. Just to be aggressive and ski my best and see what happens.”
    Ludlow will race Saturday but do so in a pink cast after injuring a ligament in her right hand following a training crash at Keystone. Kildow is still battling a sore knee, but she said it affects her conditioning more than her racing at this point. Kildow said Friday she’s downplaying her chances Saturday.
    “I never really feel prepared for GS, I’m just winging it,” Kildow said. “I try really hard. All I can do is fight from start to finish and hopefully I can get in there.
    “This summer I’ve been skiing a lot better, so I hope that I can have a better outcome in GS than I’ve had in the past. I’m setting my goals a little low. I’m just going to try and get top 30. I know I’m skiing well.”
    The rest of the U.S. racers are battling lesser injuries, with reigning Olympic GS gold medalist Mancuso ready to put her surgically repaired hip to the test, and Stiegler hoping to build on her 10th-place finish in the opening WC slalom a few weeks ago in Finland, a result she posted with an injured wrist duct-taped to her slalom pole.
    “Patrick [Riml] is telling me things are going really well with the team, with the athletes, with the preparation. We’re looking forward to a big weekend,” U.S. Alpine Director Jesse Hunt said.
    “We’ve got a big squad that’s going to be racing this weekend, so we’re excited to see some of the younger members of the team step up.”
    Kelley and McJames likely bring equal amounts of motivation, excitement and nervousness into Saturday’s GS. Both have experienced vast success on the NorAm level, but Kelley says she has what it takes to finish in the top 15 or even the top 10 in the World Cup GS standings this season if she skis like she has in training thus far. McJames said she’s realizing a dream by just stepping into a World Cup start house.
    “It’s been a dream to race in a World Cup my entire life, so it’s exciting and it’s come on quickly,” McJames said. “But at the same time, I’ve been working really hard for a long time so it’s good that it’s finally here.”
    Saturday’s race consists of two runs, the first at 10 a.m. followed by the second at 1 p.m. First out of the gate Saturday will be Tanja Poutiainen, who won a 2004 GS in Aspen. Olympic GS champ Julia Mancuso runs third, Stacey Cook 30th, Lindsey Kildow 31st, Jess Kelley 39th, Katie Hitchcock 46th, newcomer Megan McJames 49th, Caitlin Ciccone 50th and Libby Ludlow 55th.