Roundup: Alison Crocker earns Rhodes; Gerg undergoes surgery

Roundup: Alison Crocker earns Rhodes; Gerg undergoes surgery{mosimage}Alison Crocker, Dartmouth College class of 2006 and an All-American cross-country skier for the Big Green, has won a Rhodes Scholarship, one of the most prestigious awards available to undergraduates. ‘A double major in physics and mathematics’ reads a release at the Rhodes Scholar Web site, ‘she hopes to qualify for the 2006 Winter Olympics.’ Crocker plans to study astrophysics.

Hilde Gerg underwent knee surgery in Munich on Saturday, having badly injured her right knee last week in Copper Mountain, Colorado. Dr. Erich Rembeck, who accomplished the operation in two hours, confirmed the diagnosis of his colleague Dr. Richard Steadman of Vail’s Steadman-Hawkins clinic. Gerg damaged bones, cartilage and ligaments. ‘The operation went positively’ said Rembeck. ‘Hilde Gerg will remain some days in the hospital before she can begin with rehablitation measures.” Gerg is scheduled to meet reporters in a press conference on Monday.

The Salt Lake Tribune recently published a story on the University of Utah ski team and training. ‘The Utes are eager to get started’ says the story. ‘Eager to put this year’s new look to the test – with new coaches and new recruits – after its third-place finish at the NCAA championships in March at Stowe, Vt.’

The International Herald Tribune recently reviewed Bode Miller’s autobiography.

Lake Louise is a go. The Nov. 26-27 World Cup races are the first speed races of the season, and the FIS recently gave the mountain the go-ahead after checking on the snow levels. ‘Everything is a go’ said Bruce Hamstead, executive director of race operations for the race organizing committee, who toured the course with Helmut Schmalzl of the FIS on Friday morning. ‘More than 40 volunteers have been working for weeks and soon we will have close to 100 more on-site to open the Olympic year of speed racing.’ Read more here.

The only thing skiracing.com loves more than Midwestern high school racing is newspaper articles about it.