Beaver Creek: Miller, Nyman clans soak it all in

Light as flat as pond water, relentless wind, snow flying in his face, human obstacles on course, the pressure of satisfying the victory-hungry home fans — none of that could derail Bode Miller in his triumphant dance down Birds of Prey on Friday.
    So how could even the cruelest Franconia Notch virus keep the Miller clan from joining in the fun?
BEAVER CREEK, Colorado — Light as flat as pond water, relentless wind, snow flying in his face, human obstacles on course, the pressure of satisfying the victory-hungry home fans — none of that could derail Bode Miller in his triumphant dance down Birds of Prey on Friday.
    So how could even the cruelest Franconia Notch virus keep the Miller clan from joining in the fun?
    “That was a very exciting race,” Bode’s dad, Woody, said from the Red Tail finish area moments after Austrian contender Michael Walchhofer failed to catch the American. “It was like a blur. I thought at one point that he was out of it. To have him stay in and then win it was great. It was very exciting.”
    Woody and a large flock of Miller friends and family descended upon Birds of Prey’s finish area Friday after a whirlwind week battling illness, changing flights, coordinating schedules.
    “There’s a real violent bug going around Franconia [New Hampshire], and I got it,” Woody said. “We had to cancel our flight and catch another flight to get here.”
    Team Bode missed Thursday’s super combined but arrived in time for the marquee event, the downhill. Grandmom Emily, Uncle Mike, Melinda, Cindy and other Granite Staters and Vermonters who Bode speaks to on a first-name basis occupied a large chunk of the finish area. Hugs, high-fives, cell-phone calls to relatives were the norm. Sure, it was Bode’s 22nd career win, but the celebrations don’t get old.
    “It was great to be able to see him do it again today,” Woody said. “I was afraid it was going to be like Torino, where he would get the fastest downhill and not get any credit for it for it being in the combined, but he’s actually on a pretty good streak right now since Torino with the downhill.”
    Woody said his son is doing fine on his new equipment setup. The racer switched from Atomic to Head in the offseason. “He likes his skis,”Woody said. “I’m hoping he’ll be able to get some confidence on his slalom skis, which will help that.”
    
Nymans savor the day
    Bode Miller wasn’t the only American racer with a supporting cast in town. Steve Nyman’s first career World Cup podium was witnessed by his parents, Scott and Becky, who made the trek from Utah.
    “He skied well, that’s what is exciting,” Scott Nyman said. “Whether it’s third or fifth, he skied well, and that is what counts. If you’re skiing well, the wins will come eventually.”
    Steve won a training run at Lake Louise for the downhill, but finished 17th in that race. After a career-best fourth at Garmisch last season, his forecast for 2006-07 just got a ton brighter Friday. “He’s excited,” proud father said. “He prepared very well this summer in the offseason, Chile went very well and all his preparation went very well. Hopefully it’s starting to pay off now.”
    Becky and her son exchanged a monumental hug in the finish corral, and their smiles were as evident as the duct tape the racers wore on their faces in Thursday’s chilling cold.
    “It’s very surreal,” mom Nyman said. “I could tell he was skiing so well, he was going for it. He looked very solid. Last year was the first year I really got to see him do a downhill. It was here at Birds of Prey. I get so into it. I can’t believe I’m even saying, ‘Go faster!’ He was doing fantastic.”
    With the tremendous success of the U.S. team at Birds of Prey in recent years, it’s clear that racers, parents, techs, fans love coming back here. “Steve Nyman’s performance was just awesome,” said USSA President Bill Marolt. “He skied hard, had this thing under control, just nailed it. This is what we train and prepare for, and [the results] tell the story.
    “I think the guys like coming here. This is a great racing community. They’re real comfortable, we’ve been staying in the same place … they like being here.”
    Scott Nyman was the first alpine coach of Scott Beck, the current CEO of Ski Salt Lake, which recently signed on as headgear sponsor for the season for Steve Nyman.
    Becky Nyman said the rewards for those years and years of parental money, time, effort poured into Steve’s racing career paid off long ago. The podium is icing on the cake.
    “He loves ski racing,” Becky said. “As you see him moving up the ladder, it’s very exciting.”