World Cup Rewind: Keep an eye on young Baumann

It doesn’t take a lot of rewinding for one race, and that’s all that was left on the World Cup schedule after nature got through forgetting to start winter. With precious little snow available, the World Cup all but canceled the week, the lone exception a super combi in Reiteralm, Austria. The schedule might have been scrapped completely were it not a super combination on the table, as the new event has renewed interest in the tour and a loss of even one combination would jeopardize being able to award a globe (trophy) for the discipline.

IT DOESN'T TAKE a lot of rewinding for one race, and that’s all that was left on the World Cup schedule after nature got through forgetting to start winter. With precious little snow available, the World Cup all but canceled the week, the lone exception a super combi in Reiteralm, Austria. The schedule might have been scrapped completely were it not a super combination on the table, as the new event has renewed interest in the tour and a loss of even one combination would jeopardize being able to award a globe (trophy) for the discipline.
    The win was big for Ivica Kostelic, his first in a discipline other than slalom. The silver medal in combined at the Olympics was an indicator he’s to be considered a contender in combination and he underscored that at Reiteralm with a solid seventh in the super G portion. His only World Cup SG result is 17th from 2003, so that type of result could be considered a bit of a stunner. Interesting, too, he suggested to at least one reporter he hoped his result would be an inspiration to his sister Janica to fire up her comeback. The woman has won three overall titles, so how much his race win can help is uncertain, but it’s a nice story.
    Perhaps the biggest story came in second place from Romed Baumann. He started 54th, finished ninth in the SG and continued to move up in slalom. Consider he came into the event ranked 207th in SG and 50th in SL. Consider he is just 20. Consider how the Austrian team is going to do everything possible to squeeze him into races from here on out. Somebody will be sitting down to give this latest wunderkinder a shot at the big time.
    Third place was not a bad story either. France has had virtually zero combined success since the World Cup started 40 years ago. Pierrick Bourgeat — really a slalom specialist who has competed in combineds — joined Michel Vion, Franck Piccard, Fabienne Serrat, Florence Masnada and Gerard Rambaud as Frenchmen/women who have podiumed in a World Cup combined. Only Vion has a win (Wengen 1985). The last French combined podium was January 1991 and the last for a French male was January 1988. Quite a drought.
    For the Americans, Ted Ligety kept the honor intact with a tie for fourth and Steve Nyman was more than respectable in 15th. Bode Miller got caught out in the soft snow and went out, while Jimmy Cochran just missed scoring.
    The Canadians had a decent outing, though not up to the standards recently established. John Kucera was 13th, Francois Bourque 18th, Ryan Semple 22nd, Michael Janyk 26th. Certainly within striking distance.
    The Swedes continue to show a potent squad. Niklas Rainer won the SG portion and finished seventh, behind Hans Olsson, who tied Ligety in fourth.
    Although FIS officials are still struggling to catch up to the original schedule, the coming week looks promising. Val Gardena and Alta Badia are both on for the men, with a downhill and SG at Gardena and a GS and slalom at Alta Badia. The women move into Reiteralm, where the men just left, for a super combined from St. Moritz and a super G from Val d’Isere. Downhill from St. Moritz and another from Val d’Isere have not been rescheduled.
    Val d’Isere, the Criterium of le Premier Neige (first snow), has had five races moved due to snow in the last four seasons, plus the four from this season.