Worlds profiles: Cook poised to prove her worth

The tide may be changing for Stacey Cook going into Sunday’s world championship downhill race in Val d’Isere.

Cook, a member of the U.S. Team for the last six years, has been frustrated with her results so far this season.

Her best World Cup finish on the tour this year was a 25th place in the Zauchensee super-combined. Otherwise, she simply hasn’t executed … until she landed in Val d’Isere a few days ago.The tide may be changing for Stacey Cook going into Sunday’s world championship downhill race in Val d’Isere.

Cook, a member of the U.S. Team for the last six years, has been frustrated with her results so far this season.

Her best World Cup finish on the tour this year was a 25th place in the Zauchensee super-combined. Otherwise, she simply hasn’t executed … until she landed in Val d’Isere a few days ago.

Cook, or “Cookie” to coaches and teammates, finished 22nd in Tuesday’s super G race – a result, though better than her Cup finishes, was nothing she was too thrilled about, especially when muted so explosively by teammate Lindsey Vonn’s gold medal. However, things took another step up for Cook later in the week. She finished sixth in the downhill portion of Friday’s combined race, then 16th overall, despite spending very little time on slalom skis.

After the combined downhill, Cook was all smiles and a little surprised at her success.

“I definitely had some mistakes in there so I was a little bit surprised by my time,” she said. “I carried some good speed. I’m just going to learn from what I did right and try to fix what I’m still doing wrong, then put it all together on downhill day.”

Putting her skills together is something Cook manages to do regularly in training, but come race day, somehow things just fall apart. Though she was last season’s national champion in downhill and super G, Cook hasn’t had a World Cup top 10 finish since the Tarvisio super G in 2007.

“I’ve really had a tough year, just beating myself into a wall with slow result after slow result,” she said. “And I’ve had the speed. I’ve been fast in training all year, I just haven’t done it on race day.”

Friday was a race day, and Cook proved a point to herself. She knows she’s got it in her.

“To finally be fast on a race day means a lot to me,” she said. “I know what I did that was fast. I know I can still be faster, so I’m going to keep my focus and stay happy and have fun.”

And since Cook has found herself here at the world championships, she’s ready to make it happen.

“Until this point in the year, I’ve been bummed after every race. [The U.S. Team]  gave me the opportunity to come here as a gift,” she said. “I definitely didn’t earn it as far as criteria. When they believed in me enough to send me here I was like, I’m going to prove them right. Go out there and have fun and give it everything I have.”