McKee's McThoughts: Beware of the dog in slalom

Fast twitch. Rapid firing. Slalom.
    Not the impressing speeds of the downhill, perhaps, or the grace of GS, but for sheer generation of power, for finesse, for reaction, for bombastic blasting of gates, for the degree of risk taken and the thinness of the edge, nothing beats slalom. And the season is here.

FAST TWITCH. Rapid firing. Slalom.
    Not the impressing speeds of the downhill, perhaps, or the grace of GS, but for sheer generation of power, for finesse, for reaction, for bombastic blasting of gates, for the degree of risk taken and the thinness of the edge, nothing beats slalom. And the season is here.
    Time was, and not that long ago really, the slalom belonged to the graceful, even elegant skiers, the Stenmarks, the Russells. Then somebody put pads in sweaters and racers starting actually hitting the bamboo gates instead of going around them. That started making bamboo expensive and dangerous as it splintered, leaving spears laying around and sticking up out of the snow, so plastic gates started making the rounds. Racers, ever vigilant for something new to exploit, no longer hit the gates; they simply went through them. I’m talking about a revolution.
    Not so long after that, shaped skis rolled into town, dramatically changing the line between gates. What has evolved, and I think is still in the process, is as magnificent a sport as one can imagine: S-L-A-L-O-M. As in this weekend at Reiteralm.
    Slalom has always been the discipline of smaller nations. I’m not sure if that’s because you don’t need as much hill to train it or as many coaches to set a course, or if there’s some bizarre reason this feeble mind cannot comprehend, but more nations have won slaloms than any other discipline.
    Slalom also seems to be the introductory discipline for the World Cup. Many skiers who develop into great all-around skiers make their first impression in slalom. True, Janica Kostelic’s first win was a combined, but seven of her first eight wins, and 15 of her first 17, were in slalom. Three of Bode Miller’s first four wins were in slalom. Marc Girardelli’s first seven wins were in slalom. Eleven of Alberto Tomba’s first 14 wins were slaloms.
    In short, new talent tends to show up in slaloms, which only adds to the excitement. Consider that no one has won back-to-back slalom titles since Vreni Schneider stretched a streak from ’92 to ’95 and Tomba won ’94 and ’95.
    In the days of bamboo, slalom titles belonged to people. Ingemar Stenmark had a seven-season title streak. Erika Hess took three straight, skipped a season and then won two more. Only Schneider, Armin Bittner and Tomba have won two slalom crowns in a row since plastic gates became the norm.
    So I have expectations for Reiteralm. I want to see how last season’s champions fare. Benjamin Raich and Mario Matt were five points apart at the top of the men’s standings. Marlies Schild ran away with the women’s crown early, officially claiming the title in February with two races remaining. Now comes the hard part: winning two titles in a row.
    I like Marlies Schild and think she makes a quality champion, but deep inside I’m rooting for some underdog. Besides, Austrians winning is boring. Been there, done that. Go Japan. Go Czech Republic. Come on Poland.
    Speaking of underdogs, I want to confess an unreasonable hope for a GS standout — Erik Schlopy. At 35, a family man, without a World Cup win to his name, he keeps coming back for more, and keeps being competitive. I don’t know Schlopy. We’ve met a handful of times in a professional way, but I have to believe this guy just loves the sport. He’s been racing longer than some of his teammates have been alive. He’s had 112 World Cup starts, and he took three seasons out to race the pro circuit. His biggest flirt with fame came from a crash during a Morioka training run for the ’93 World Championships that was widely broadcast in the States. He is committed and genuine and I’ve never heard anyone say anything bad about him as a person. Besides, he’s a Buffalo Bills fan and therefore needs all the support he can get. So you know what, I’m picking him up for the all-name team, and wishing him, and all the U.S. and Canadian racers, a safe and fast season.
    Bring on the slaloms.

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