Forest Carey to coach with U.S. team

“Polar opposites.”

That’s the way Forest Carey compares his new coaching gig with his old one.“Polar opposites.”

That’s the way Forest Carey compares his new coaching gig with his old one.

Carey spent the 2009 ski season as Bode Miller’s coach. This year he has joined the U.S. Ski Team and will serve as a men’s Europa Cup coach.

It’ll be different in, oh, so many ways. But both, he suspects, will be plenty of fun.

Miller, of course, is perhaps the most famous U.S. ski racer of all time, his every move traced by a hoard of journalists and a huge following of fans. The Europa Cup is largely ignored by the media and its races are often played out before little more than race officials, coaches and gate keepers.

The lack of coverage won’t be hard for Carey. He drew his bosses ire more than once for his candid manner with some media.  And he wasn’t really expected to make Miller better as a coach. Now he won’t have much in the way of media to deal with, and he will be expected to help his team skiers.

“I’ll have some good development group skiers and a few older guys,” he says from Park City where he was working out with athletes. “It’ll be different. But I’m looking forward to it.”