USST's Jimmy Cochran wins back-to-back national titles; Miller reprimanded

USST’s Jimmy Cochran wins back-to-back national titles; Miller reprimanded{mosimage}Jimmy Cochran won the difficult giant slalom at Alyeska Resort, winning his second national title in two days. Jake Zamansky and Tom Rothrock were second and third.

“I think if you look at the college racers, they’re ready to cope with the pressure,” says Cochran, who did two years of NCAA racing before arriving on the U.S. Ski Team’s squad. “They’re ready to cope with the type of situation that you’re in when you’re in the lead or close to the lead going into the second run and you have to do it again.”

Thomas Erhard, Cochran’s coach on the Europa Cup, said that Cochran has gained a lot of composure this season. “The composure that he gained in one year is incredible,” said Erhard. “Whether he gained it through the family or maybe the fact that he’s gone through a couple of semesters of college, I don’t know.”

Cochran’s grandmother, Ginny Cochran, was present for his back-to-back win. She is the matriarch of America’s most successful ski racing family (her four children were on the U.S. Ski Team, winning Olympic gold medals and World Cup races). She has been undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy for lymphatic cancer, and in the week leading up to the races, she was still in the hospital.

It was another sunny day in Alyeska, which has put on a race that is extremely popular among the athletes. The sun baked the course, making it softer and wetter than it was for the speed races earlier in the week. Large holes developed in the GS track.

Mike Morin, the head World Cup GS/SL team for men, set a difficult second course, with most gates spaced about 26 meters from the next. The second pitch of the course had a nearly 90-degree turn. “That reminded me so much of Alta Badia,” said Cochran. “You just sort of ball up in that turn and ride it. That turn was tough.”

Bode Miller in trouble

Bode Miller drew bib number two, with start lists showing that he had 0.00 FIS points. But he missed his start after staying out late the night before the race. Miller’s coaches requested that he be inserted into the latter part of the start order, and the jury allowed it. He started right after racer number 57, Charles Christianson of Rowmark Ski Academy, who said Miller gave him some advice about line and body position on peely snow.

Miller started his provisional run, but had trouble with his equipment after just a few gates. He slowed to examine his ski.

The jury consisted of Amanda Shaw (Technical Delegate), Paul Crews (Chief of Race) and Tom Johnston (Referee). “You have to put this in context of rule 223.3.3,” said Crews, defending the jury’s decision not to disqualify Miller. Rule 223.3.3 of the FIS rulebook, which was updated in November, says “A competitor shall only be disqualified if his mistake would result in an advantage with regard to the end results.”

“We couldn’t disqualify him because it’s become very hard to disqualify an athlete within the ICR guidelines,” said Shaw at the team captains’ meeting. Shaw pointed out that rule 629, “Disqualifications,” limits the jury to three criteria for disqualification: 1) participating under false pretenses, 2)jeopardizing the security of people or property or actually causing damage, or 3) not passing through a gate correctly.

So the jury let Miller keep his runs, and Shaw gave him a “verbal reprimand” after the race, as provided for in rule 223.3.

During the meeting team captains’ meeting, several coaches expressed disfavor about the day’s events. Randy Pelkey, the coach for the Western Region NDS team, wondered why Miller was inserted into the middle of the order. “Any other person would have been inserted at the end,” said Pelkey. “I’m happy he came here when he didn’t have to, and I don’t want to sound like sour grapes, and it’s amazing that he’s come from Italy to here and is going back to Norway, but my guys were asking why he got to start in front of them. They were joking around, but they had a point.”

Miller, who ground out four races at World Cup Finals last week, along with the constant media attention attending a World Cup overall bid, tested Nordica and Atomic tech skis in Italy for three days before flying around the world to Alaska for Nationals. He’ll go back to Norway next week to continue the equipment tests (including Atomic, Rossignol and Nordica boots, and Salomon skis).

At the team captains’ meeting, Patrick Riml, the head coach of the U.S. Ski Team’s women’s team, said that all athletes need to be at the start on time.

Several people said a double standard had been applied to Miller because he was the world’s best GS skier and because his points would help the penalty calculation. They pointed to the sanction applied the day before to Resi Stiegler, who missed a gate in the women’s slalom and skied down the lower half of the course at full speed, swearing loudly and not stopping in the finish.

At the urging of several of Stiegler’s own coaches, the jury sanctioned her. She was moved back 20 spots in the next race’s start order.

Miller’s verbal reprimand came near the finish area of the GS hill. Right before he went there, Miller said the jury hadn’t handled the day right. “She should have disqualified me,” said Miller of Shaw. “It’s on her ass. It discredits her as a TD. I should’ve been disqualified.”

According to Shaw, when Miller met with her a few minutes later, he apologized.

“There was no reasonable excuse for missing my first run, I just slept in,” said Miller in the finish area. “I have ten hours of jet lag, working on the most ridiculous schedule of the last two weeks. Much harder than anyone else here. Regardless, that’s no excuse. I missed it. Should’ve been disqualified. Instead they made me take both runs.”

Daron Rahlves won the first run, continuing to prove that he can supplement his speed results with giant slalom and make a bid for the World Cup overall in the next few years (a goal he’s stated several times this month).

Rahlves put serious effort into inspecting the second run, hiking to re-evaluate several blind knolls and tricky turns. Starting 30th on the second run, he negotiated a big hole on the upper pitch better than many of his peers, but got locked up on his inside ski and skied off course, handing the win to Cochran.

Chevrolet U.S. Alpine Championships

Men’s giant slalom

March 22, 2004

1)COCHRAN, James 2’08.38

2)ZAMANSKY, Jake 2’08.97

3)ROTHROCK, Tom 2’09.26

4)SPENCER, Dane 2’09.51

5)MARSHALL, Jesse 2’09.54

6)KNIGHT, Chip 2’09.68

7)HARDY, Greg 2’10.13

8)HARRISON, Jeffrey 2’10.37

9)SCHWING, Nathan 2’11.66

10)WEISS, Evan 2’11.99