For those of us eager for the Winter Olympic Games to get here, there was a teaser this weekend as the season began for world cup skiing at the FIS Audi Alpine World Cup event in Solden Austria. Results included:

Men’s Giant Slalom: Daniel Albrecht (Switzerland), Didier Cuche (Switzerland), Ted Ligety (USA)

Women’s Giant Slalom: Kathrin Zettel (Austria), Tanja Poutiainen (Finland), Andrea Fischbacher (Austria)

The next event will be November 15 and 16 in Levi, Finland.

Post from: EveryJoe

World Cup Skiing Season Begins

Park City, UT – It was a match made on the U.S. Ski Team. Two-time Olympian Lindsey Kildow (Vail, CO) and Team alum Thomas Vonn married Sept. 29 at Deer Valley Resort’s Silver Lake Lodge. A fresh dusting of early season snow on the mountains provided the perfect backdrop for the skiers’ nuptials.

(Source)

Skiers tie the knot on “a fresh dusting of early season snow on the mountains” as backdrop. They called it perfect. It made me nauseous. Heh. Er, didn’t you find it a tad bit overkill? Fine, fine. It’s appropriate and downright typical for skiers to wind up getting married with that sort of scenery, cliche or not.

Hmmm.

I wonder how their offspring will turn out. Keep the Olympic genes within the family, eh? Hehe. Poor kids. Lots of pressure.

Post from: EveryJoe

A Very Olympic Marriage

A SINGLE-MINDED PURSUIT OF GLORY

Irish Rowing team to compete in opening World Cup regatta

ISAF World Sailing Rankings

FIS releases 2007-08 sport calendars

Triathlete Robertson to return in Madrid

It’s all about the athletes and the sports in World Cups, World Championships and, of course, the Olympic Games.

Post from: EveryJoe

Speedlinking 06-01-07

(Tell me — is he competing in Vancouver 2010 again? :mrgreen: )

I reckon the mere fact that it’s on the news, it means it’s a big deal. Oh sure, it means he’s free of the *club* rules set by the US Ski Association. He practically has complete control over where his career should play out and how. But it also means his sole shouldering of training and racing costs. Real bummer.

The decision means the former World Cup champion will have to pay his own training and racing expenses.

Miller won four world championship gold medals in 2003 and 2005, and was overall World Cup champion in 2005.

But he struggled at the 2006 Winter Olympics and last season’s World Championships, failing to win a medal.

n the World Cup last season he had just four race wins and said he was frustrated by new US federation rules that compelled him to stay in hotels with his team-mates rather than in his own mobile home.

The US team, troubled by publicity surrounding Miller’s late-night drinking habits at the Turin Olympics, also introduced a rule banning athletes and coaches from drinking alcohol together and at team functions.

Like I said, Brilliant.

Source: BBC Sport

Post from: EveryJoe

Bode Miller Goes Independent

Three-time Olympian Kirsten Clark, the only skier to win four consecutive U.S. downhill titles, will retire after this month’s Alpine championships.

(Forbes)

She’s been in the competitive skiing circuit for the last thirteen years.

The Olympic Games she participated in are the following:

Nagano 1998
Salt Lake City 2002
Torino 2006

Clark won the silver medal in the super-G during the 2003 world championships.

Source: Forbes

Post from: EveryJoe

Kirsten Clark Plans to Retire

The super-G could be eliminated as an Alpine discipline to shorten the number of races on the World Cup calendar.

[washingtonpost.com]

According to the article, the reason behind the “contemplation” is because the skiers complain about having to race too many and they’d end up tired and yea, I guess, the risk for injury is higher. Ultimately, it’s for the FIS to end up with a clearer racing calendar.

This would mean if truly dropped from the World Cup circuit, the Super G will no longer be raced in the Olympics, too. Hmmm.

I reckon there’s a way to go about this dilemma. Why not limit an athlete’s eligibility to enter to a specific number of events per competition. These skiers who complain can voluntarily limit themselves to competing to X number of events. Only logical, wouldn’t you say? Besides, you’d know for yourself just how much you can actually take, so I’d say, live with it. Hehehe.

Source

Post from: EveryJoe

Do you agree with eliminating the Super-G?

2005 FIS World Champion Nina Li successfully defended her title Saturday at the 2007 FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships at Madonna di Campiglio. Ranked 4th after the first jump, she reclaimed the gold with a solid second jump as leading athletes made mistakes.

[First Tracks!! Online Ski Magazine]

Kudos to China for bagging the gold. It’s a strong indication of what the rest of the world can expect from them in Vancouver 2010 for the Winter Olympics.

Assoli ‘Oly’ Slivets of Belarus won the silver and Jacqui Cooper of Australia, World Cup ski season’s star, was left with bronze.

Hmmm. I’ve never seen snow. :lol:

Source: First Tracks!! Online Ski Magazine

Post from: EveryJoe

FIS World Champion Nina Li Defends Title

TARVISIO, Italy (AP) — Julia Mancuso won a World Cup downhill Saturday and Renate Goetschl finished second to take the season’s discipline title.

(Read the article)

Winner
Julia Mancuso (1 minute, 52.67 seconds)

1st Runner Up
Renate Goetschl (1 minute, 52.84 seconds)

2nd Runner Up
Emily Brydon (1 minute, 52.88 seconds)

Current World Cup Standings
Marlies Schild (1,148 points)
Julia Mancuso (1,139 points)
Nicole Hosp (1,103 points)
Renate Goetschl (1,099 points)

I just thought you guys would like to know. :lol:

Source: USA Today

Post from: EveryJoe

World Cup Winners | World Cup Standings (Downhill)

Goetschl has won six races this season and vaulted atop the overall World Cup standings last weekend with two victories and one runner-up finish in San Sicario, Italy.

[Summit Daily]

It was just a decision to compete for one more season after she had her knee fixed. She’ll be competing against Americans Julia Mancuso and Lindsey Kildow.

Goetschl is part of the Austrian powerhouse. Though, Olympic super-G champion Michaela Dorfmeister retired at the end of last season, the team is still packed with ranked skiers.

Joining Goestchl are Nicole Hosp, twice runner-up in super-G this season and won it at last year’s finals, Christine Sponring with two third-place finishes in San Sicario, and Alexandra Meissnitzer.

Meissnitzer, who will likely retire at the end of this season, won the super-G at the 1999 worlds in Vail, Colo., took bronze at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and last year’s Turin Games. Her best World Cup finish this season was fourth in December in Reiteralm, Austria.

[Summit Daily]

Check the article for the full story.

Source: Summit Daily

Post from: EveryJoe

Goetschl, An Almost Retirement Turned Worlds Favourite

The American skier had considered skipping the downhill on the Olympia course, which is notorious for its big jumps. It was the same course used at last year’s World Cup finals, where Miller hurt his knee.

[International Herald Tribune]

If you’re interested with what the article had stated on what Miller’s side had to say about the matter, I recommend a looksie. Hehe.

Quick trackback on LTT’s coverage on Miller boy here:

Bode Miller earns solid spot for Sunday’s downhill (11 February 2006)
Bode Miller Leads Men’s Combined (14 February 2006)
Miller Disqualified (14 February 2006)
A Ligety Win. (14 February 2006)
Oh no, Bode…not again!!! (19 February 2006)
Austria – Alpine Skiing Powerhouse!!! (21 February 2006)
Arakawa (JPN) Ahead! (24 February 2006)
B-0-0-0-de’s 0lympics at T0rin0 (25 February 2006)
Jeopardy & Olympics (30 May 2006)

Post from: EveryJoe

Bode’s Back With Vengenance at the Worlds