U.S. Nationals: Cochran defends slalom title

SUGARLOAF, Maine — Jimmy Cochran was soaking it all in.
    Loitering around the finish area of the course after defending his national slalom title Saturday on a hill he knows all too well, the U.S. Ski Team member and Vermont native signed countless autographs, answered a slew of questions from reporters and talked about how happy he was to win a national title in the East. Cochran did have one regret, however.
    “It’s awesome. I couldn’t ask for … ,” Cochran said, interrupting his own answer. “Well, I guess if Ted [Ligety] had been here and I beat Ted and Bode [Miller], then that would have been the best. But this is pretty close."
    The 26-year-old Cochran overcame a race hill he admitted has given him plenty of problems through the years to win his second straight national slalom title and fourth U.S. crown overall as racing finally got under way at windy Sugarloaf. Cochran, wearing the No. 1 start bib, staked a first-run lead of 0.29 seconds over teammate Cody Marshall and increased that advantage to more than a full second after two runs. Cochran clocked a combined time of 1 minute, 26.69 seconds, while Marshall finished second in 1:27.90. Tim Jitloff rounded out the podium in third place, finishing in 1:28.16.
SUGARLOAF, Maine — Jimmy Cochran was soaking it all in.
    Loitering around the finish area of the course after defending his national slalom title Saturday on a hill he knows all too well, the U.S. Ski Team member and Vermont native signed countless autographs, answered a slew of questions from reporters and talked about how happy he was to win a national title in the East. Cochran did have one regret, however.
    “It’s awesome. I couldn’t ask for … ,” Cochran said, interrupting his own answer. “Well, I guess if Ted [Ligety] had been here and I beat Ted and Bode [Miller], then that would have been the best. But this is pretty close.
    “Just being here in New England and racing, back at Sugarloaf where I’ve raced so many times but it’s really special. Especially now that I’m maybe starting to see the end of my career down the road in a few years, I’m trying to savor these moments.”
    The 26-year-old Cochran overcame a race hill he admitted has given him plenty of problems through the years to win his second straight national slalom title and fourth U.S. crown overall as racing finally got under way at windy Sugarloaf. Cochran, wearing the No. 1 start bib, staked a first-run lead of 0.29 seconds over teammate Cody Marshall and increased that advantage to more than a full second after two runs. Cochran clocked a combined time of 1 minute, 26.69 seconds, while Marshall finished second in 1:27.90. Tim Jitloff rounded out the podium in third place, finishing in 1:28.16.
    “I’ve had a lot of races here on [Competition] Hill where I’m winning the first run and then choke hard on the second run. And that did cross my mind today,” Cochran said.
    He shouldn’t have worried. After two days of near-constant winds, with gusts surpassing 100 mph and a steady if less violent wind for Saturday’s race, Cochran said his No. 1 start number was key on a course where the snow began piling up pretty fast.
    “That was huge,” he said of starting first. “ … To be first down the course was really key. I had a fresh track, it was perfectly smooth, and I think even after maybe five guys there was a groove there from their skis. It was a huge advantage.”
    A total of 19 racers failed to finish the first run, including Cochran’s cousin, Tim Kelley, who started seventh. Ten more were disqualified for missing gates. Four more racers were DNFs in the second run, and Cochran said the reports he received from his coaches were “dead-on” regarding where to punch it and where to hold back.
    “I felt like this course it would have been easy to try to find some speed and end up paying,” he said. “It had some straight sections and some turny sections; you really had to be ready for those turny sections.”
    Reminded that he had outdueled Ligety for the U.S. slalom title last year at Alyeska — where Cochran had won all three of his previous U.S. titles (two came in 2004) — Cochran said winning one in the East was important to him. Ligety is absent from these championships to have surgery on an injured hand, while Miller decided to skip the event and rest after winning the World Cup overall title last weekend.
    “For me, most of the enjoyment is here racing with my cousins and seeing Cody and Jit and being able to stand on the podium with them,” Cochran said. “Yeah, it would have been great to have Ted here and he makes every race he’s in a little more difficult to win so it’s that much more fulfilling and exciting when you do, but I wouldn’t trade this for anything.”

Did not finish 1st run: CARROLL James Finley (USA), CHRISTIANSON Kieffer (USA), ROBERTSON Aaron (USA), MAPLE Wiley (USA), CASTON Marcus (USA), HELDMAN Bump (USA), TARBERRY Ace (USA), KULLAS Nicholaus (USA), LAWLESS Jeremy (USA), SPENST Taggart (USA), GREGORAK Will (USA), FORD Tommy (USA), JOHNSON Karl (USA), HARDY Greg (USA), FRANK Chris (USA), WILSON Ryan (USA), WAGNER Andrew (USA), ZAMANSKY Jake (USA), KELLEY Tim (USA)

Did not finish 2nd run: ASOIAN Nathan (USA), MANN Eric (USA), FINK-DEBRAY Miles (USA), BROWN Ben (USA)

Disqualified 1st run: SMALL Jason (USA), DANIELS Nick (USA), MARSHALL Tucker (USA), GANONG Travis (USA), WEIBRECHT Andrew (USA), CHRISTIANSON Charles (USA), LANNING Thomas (tj) (USA), MCDONALD Paul (USA), BRANDENBURG Will (USA), NICKERSON Warner (USA)