Fantasy Report Week 1: American pride

The perception that the first week of World Cup ski racing was a good one for the American squad was underscored in the Ski Racing Fantasy League as rookie manager Vanessa Pierce’s Team America pulled in the top point total with only U.S. racers on the team.
THE PERCEPTION THAT the first week of World Cup ski racing was a good one for the American squad was underscored in the Ski Racing Fantasy League as rookie manager Vanessa Pierce’s Team America pulled in the top point total with only U.S. racers on the team.
    It’s only “midweek” for the SR Fantasy League as the slaloms at Levi, Finland, Nov. 10-11 will round out the scoring, but that shouldn’t curtail any gloating by the tour newcomer. Still, despite a 160-point total for the Sölden races — thanks to Julia Mancuso in an overall spot and Ted Ligety in GS — Team America holds a narrow 10-point edge over Mock Six, which countered with Benjamin Raich in an overall position and race winner Aksel Svindal in the GS hole.
    The Ribbons were just two points below the Team America total at 158. The points came from Svindal in an overall slot, Ingrid Jacquemod and Francois Bourque and were enough for a 120-point margin over the Destroyers, who topped out with a two-player score of 38. The Destroyers need a lot of help from the Levi slaloms.
    Amanda’s Demanders held Mancuso in the GS position, and got help from Bode Miller and Alexandra Meissnitzer for a strong 139-point total. That puts the Demanders up on Team PMS, but the 2006 fantasy champs are still in contention thanks to Kathrin Zettel and Elisabeth Goergl.
    The Hammers put up 118 with the biggest contribution coming from Kalle Palander, but strong backup scoring from Nicole Hosp and Anja Paerson. The Birds of Pray — still struggling with a drafting error that left an overall position open — will try to come back from a 68-point hole as soon as it figures out which of its two slalom picks it will keep.
    The Blacks roared in with 109 on day one thanks to Zettel and Vonn in overall and Goergl in the GS. So far the Betties (formerly Kevlar Lederhosen) have been blanked, but a single win would raise the squad back into contention.
    Defending champion Sammy’z Slammerz had Ligety in overall and Hosp in GS for a 102-point total, putting the team in command over Rand Corp.’s 38. Smokin’ Mirrors holds a slight edge over Interosseous Membrane and Slaughterhouse Six is 20 points ahead of Feeding Frenzy.
    With most of the teams on the wrong end of the points holding strong slalom positions, the results for Fantasy Week 1 could be radically different than the “midweek” standings, making for some very interested viewers for the Levi slaloms.

Here are the team rosters and managers

The Hammers — team manager Dave Peszek
Overall: Nicole Hosp & Kalle Palander; DH Julia Mancuso; SL Markus Larsson; GS Anja Paerson; SG John Kucera

Birds of Pray — Don Cameron
Overall: Maria Riesch; DH Bode Miller; SL: Marlies Schild & Benni Raich; GS Tanja Poutiainen; SG Aksel Svindal

Interosseous Membrane — Nate Vinton
Overall: Peter Fill & Sarka Zahrobska; DH Andrej Jerman, SL Zahrobska, GS Nicole Gius, SG Renate Goetschl

Smokin’ Mirrors — Hank McKee
Overall: Tanja Poutiainen & Mario Scheiber, DH Kathrin Zettel, SL Felix Neureuther, GS Massimiliano Blardone; SG Nadia Fanchini

Ribbons — Paul Robins
Overall Aksel Svindal & Ingrid Jacquemod; DH Marco Buechel, SL Therese Borsson, GS Francois Bourque; SG Andrea Fischbacher

Destroyers — Bill McCollom
Overall: Mario Matt & Marc Berthod; DH Pierre Dalcin; SL Matt; GS Michaela Kirchgasser; SG Mario Scheiber

The Blacks — Gary Black Jr.
Overall Lindsey Vonn & Kathrin Zettel; DH Maria Riesch; SL Resi Stiegler; GS Elisabeth Goergl; SG Alexandra Meissnitzer

Betties — Andy Hawk
Overall: Michaela Kirchgasser & Emily Brydon; DH Anja Paerson; SL Kathrin Hoelzl; GS Karen Putzer; SG Lindsey Vonn

Sammy’z Slammerz — Sam Flickinger
Overall Ted Ligety & Massimiliano Blardone; DH Erik Guay; SL Ana Jelusic; GS Nicole Hosp; SG Christoph Gruber

Rand Corp: Rand Paul
Overall: Didier Cuche & Marco Buechel; DH Peter Fill, SL Tanja Poutiainen, GS Stephan Goergl, SG Hermann Maier

Team PMS — Peggy Shinn
Overall Renate Goetschl & Elisabeth Goergl, DH Andrea Fischbacher, SL Monika Bergmann-Schmuderer, GS Kathrin Zettel, SG Nicole Hosp

Amanda’s Demanders — Amanda Black
Overall Bode Miller & Alexandra Meissnitzer; DH Steven Nyman, SL Nicole Hosp; GS Julia Mancuso; SG Didier Cuche

Slaughterhouse Six — Steve Porino
Overall: Anja Paerson & Hermann Maier; DH Michael Walchhofer, SL Jens Byggmark, GS Bode Miller, SG Johan Grugger

Feeding Frenzy — Susannah Young
Overall: Marlies Schild & Erik Guay; DH Didier Cuche, SL Veronika Zuzulova, GS Kalle Palander; SG Marco Buechel

Team America — Vanessa Pierce
Overall Julia Mancuso & Steven Nyman; DH Lindsey Vonn; Sl Ted Ligety, GS Ted Ligety; SG Julia Mancuso

Mach Six — Nate Valline
Overall Benjamin Raich & Andrea Fischbacher; DH Nadia Styger, SL Manfred Moelgg, GS Aksel Svindal, SG Bode Miller