Aspen Slalom and Lake Louise SG
So after some exciting racing today we get to go straight ahead to the ladies’ slalom tomorrow and the men’s Super-G. Both of the races are on getaway days which is a set of problems all its own. After the Super-G in Lake Louise, all the teams headed for Beaver Creek will go to the ski preparation containers and start packing the cargo trucks headed for Beaver Creek. At the same time, the women will pack up in Aspen and do the same thing. Then they will stay close to Denver and the boys at the Calgary airport and then they will pass in the air headed the opposite direction. The girls will land in Calgary and drive up to Lake Louise. The men will drive up to the The Beav and then wait for the trucks to arrive. Usually, sometime around midnight, depending on weather and customs, the trucks will arrive in the parking lot at the bottom of the Beaver Creek Road in Avon. Usually the trucks arrive and the coaches and service guys all drive down to the drop off area and haul everything up to the hotels, then wake-up at six or so and head out for warm-up and inspection on the first training day. I am sure something similar happens with the ladies on their arrival up in Lake Louise.
But in between now and all the logistics that will happen over the next few days, everyone still has to race. Sometimes, it can be difficult for athletes and coaches to stay in the moment and do the job. It is often hard to not look at the immediate future and worry or stew about getting out to the next venue. It should not be but it can get in the way for some people. But on to what is happening tomorrow.
ASPEN
The girls race slalom on the bottom half of the hill they were on today for GS. Those who did well today can bring comfort and confidence to the hill and look forward to tomorrow. Without further ado, let’s look at the contenders:
Sarka Zahrobska (CZE): She is a very solid slalom skier and has been very consistent over the years. Her last three finishes in Aspen at fifth, first and first. I think that is pretty good. Also, her coach Pavel Stastny was clearly confident in her form as he was not panicking and looking for one more training day when many other teams were still training. She must be in a good place, or else they are way off? But I think she will do well again, as of now she owns the hill in Aspen, as do Tessa Worley and Kati Hoelzl in GS.
Marlies Schild (AUT): Always a good bet in slalom. And even a better pick on a hill like Aspen. She is super solid and big and strong. I will pick her for a podium in most situations. Starting number one will NOT hurt her chances.
Tanja Poutiainen (FIN): She should be in there tomorrow. I don’t know how she fell back today on the second run but she was in there in the first run of GS and I have always seen her as a better slalom skier. She starts number three.
Maria Riesch (GER): You all know how I feel about big, tall girls in slalom. They have an advantage with gravity and the ease with which a slalom gate is blocked when you can block it high on the pole compared with others without doing so unnaturally. Maria starts number four and that is good enough to contend.
Susanne Riesch (GER): A slalom specialist and Maria’s sister, Susi has come into her own over the last year or so. She has done well enough to crack the top seven on the WCSL. It is a drag to get into the top seven and then draw number seven. But Susi can overcome it and she is bigger than her sister. And even though she did not finish today in the GS, she did get a second run. It might have been her first chance at a second run in a World Cup GS? She will be feeling confident. She was fourth last year.
Sandrine Aubert (FRA): I keep talking her up and she has not done much since I started yapping about her last season. She also has her own “team” separate from the French team. Like Lara Gut and some others. And I will state right away I am not that big of a fan of that type of program. There are a lot of reasons why I feel that way and there is not enough time or space to go into that right now. But I do not think it works, because isolation is never a good idea for a human being for any reason. Anyway, she can do well, she might even win. But I am not going to pick her right now. If she starts to pull it together I will be the first to jump on the bandwagon.
AMERICANS
Lindsey Vonn starts in the number 10 position. That is some good luck and it will help her feel as though she has a chance tomorrow. I do have a problem, however. Lindsey did not have a good slalom result since Levi 2009 until Levi this season. Aspen started a string of mediocre to poor finishes or a lack of finishes in slalom. It is nothing to get too worried about but it is worth mentioning. Her tech events need some attention. We also start Sarah 28th, Julia 31st, Resi 34th, Megan 42nd, Hailey 50th and Laurenne 59th. Sarah has a good shot at a second run on a steeper hill and after a solid finish today she should be feeling good. Resi is making her return to the World Cup after multiple injuries. I wish her the best and hope to see her signature style at work. Megan, Hailey and Laurenne have their work cut out for them but with good snow and the usually high attrition at Aspen, they could post good enough times to land in the second run and make a charge.
CANADIANS
Anna Goodman, Mitch Gagnon, Eve Routhier, Brittany Phelan, Erin Mielzynski and Madison Irwin will make the start. Of the group, only Anna and Mitch are true World Cup slalom skiers. Gagnon has scored a few times and Anna was a regular in the second run and improving rapidly when she was injured last season. It just remains to be seen when she will be able to shake the mental cobwebs and start to find her speed again. She needs patience and we all need to be patient with her. I could see the NorAms providing that springboard for her and then doing well in Europe after Aspen. Mitch will be in the middle of the 30 by days’ end. But I do not think any of the others will be able to get it done. It is a big leap from the Nor Am and European FIS level to the big time. And even though Erin was in the second run last year, she qualified at over five seconds out. That will not happen this year with the better snow.
DARK HORSES
I don’t feel like she is really a long shot but she is also not a favorite. Fanny Chmelar needs to be mentioned. I was watching her ski the other day in Vail and she is excellent. She is very solid, very big, and very strong but also with a nice touch on the snow. She starts nine and I would not be surprised to see her in the top 10 at the end of the day. Also, you are pretty safe picking the younger German girls like Geiger and either Duerr girl. They can certainly compete. Sanni Leinonen (FIN) always makes me think she can get the job done and Aspen should be a good hill for her. She was 22nd last season and I keep waiting for a big breakthrough for her. But I think Anemone Marmottan will continue her great skiing and get into the top 15 again. She is quickly becoming a strong skier in two disciplines.
THE PODIUM: Schild, Zahrobska, Poutiainen
LAKE LOUISE
The Super-G is tomorrow and I would think that the American boys are evaluating their day, trying to be focused on tomorrow. Putting the DH in the past and moving on to tomorrow. I have been waiting for the numbers to post for tomorrow before I start saying anything. Last year, the USA and Canadian boys had a better Super-g than DH. And with the USA’s Chris “UncleVirgil” Brigham setting the course, the American boys should have an advantage.
FAVORITES
Without going down a list, I would look for good GS skiers who had good
DH results today. They do not have to have been great today but strong. Then, coupled with excellent GS skills, can bring excellent results. Ted had a great race last year in Lake Louise for instance. My favorites are going to include Svindal, Scheiber, Janka, Miller and Cuche. Walchhofer is coming off a high for sure and he was once an excellent GS skier. Scheiber is someone I will want to watch as he is a good GS skier and I would rate his SG above his Downhill and he tied for second today. The Canadians have a reputation as a good SG team as a whole, even without Kucera. Guay, Manny and Dixon are all excellent SG skiers. Hudec can get it done and he had a great result today. All the best guys are stacked on the start list between 13 and 22 when Benni starts. It should be exciting in that 15-minute time frame.
AMERICANS
Ted goes three, which I think is good for him. He likes a clean course and can lay down some nice arcs from top to bottom. Bode is 13 which I think is an advantage too. He is on the front end of all the best guys and if he can put down a Bode-like epic run, with all the high ranked guys watching at the start, they will feel pressure and take too many risks. Then Bode can come out on top. I always liked having him start ahead of the rest of the favorites because he has the ability to put pressure on everyone else. Marco starts 25. Have to wonder about him right now. It is not like him to be so far out at Lake Louise in DH and there was some talk around that his back is bad. Weibrecht is bib 28 and had a great SG last year. I hope he can lay one down again. Ganong 46, Biesemeyer 48, Brandenburg 55, Chris Frank 60, Nyman 62 and Fisher 65 all have tough numbers from which to strike into the top 30 but Fish was able to get it done last year.
CANADIANS
I think Dixon, Guay and Manny will all be in the top 15. Francois Bourque starts 32 which is a great start position. He has also been injured but he has been a high finisher in World Cup SG in the past and he is only 26 years old. This hill belongs to the Canucks and they are all excellent SG skiers. Ben Thomsen and Dustin Cook get another shot. I am sure they are getting training for the upcoming NorAms more than anything.
DARK HORSES
While I would not be surprised to see Jansrud (NOR) or Gorza (SLO)create a little noise, I would more expect a comeback from Stephan Goergl (AUT) to begin to get some results that match his history. He has been flat for a while and I think he will come out of it. He has been injured and people tend to forget when an athlete is not in their focus all of the time. It might not happen in Lake Louise but I look to him to start making a move soon.
EQUIPMENT
While I do not have the numbers to back it up, I seem to remember very strong results from Atomic and Rossignol in Lake Louise in SG. For instance, I believe that last season’s top 10 went like this: Rossi, Atomic, Atomic, Atomic, Rossi, Rossi, Atomic Rossi, Rossi, Head. So that is 5 Rossigonl and 4 Atomic and 1 Head in the top 10 last year in the SG. Just sayin’.
THE PODIUM: Svindal, Janka, Scheiber
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Greg “Grande” Needell grew up ski racing at Stratton Mountain,
Vermont. After graduating from SMS he skied for NCAA Division 1 St.
Lawrence University in Canton, NY where he was co-captain in 1986. Greg
returned to SMS to coach there for five years serving as the Head
Women’s Coach as well as the Head J2 Men’s Coach. He then moved to
Mission Ridge in Wenatchee, Washington in 1992 to become the Program
Director and Head Coach of the Mission Ridge Ski Club. In 1997, Greg
became the Head Coach at Mammoth Mountain, California.
In 2002 Needell was asked to join the U.S. Ski Team staff as a World
Cup SL and GS coach. From 2002 to 2008 Needell helped lead the U.S. Ski
Team Men to 43 wins, 105 podiums and 264 top ten finishes. Now at the
helm of Alpine Race Consulting, Needell offers his knowledge and
experience to clubs nationwide.
About the Author: Pete Rugh
