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#1
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And they're off!
The World Cup season kicked off this weekend with the traditional (okay,
it's not a very old tradition) GS races on the Soelden glacier in Austria. Tina Maze of Slovenia took the win and shoved Janica Kostelic and Anja Paerson down to the lower steps of the podium in the women's race on Saturday. In today's men's race, Hermann Maier just edged Bode Miller, with Rainer Schoenfelder taking third to earn his first World Cup GS podium. Miller's was the only US podium in the races, although Ted Ligety turned in a fine performance to take eighth in the men's race. The US women were their usual tech-event disappointment, alas, with Kristina Koznick turning in a lackluster 17th as the US's best performance. Soelden is a weird race, and not one that I'd use to predict anything regarding the upcoming season. Still, I think it will be a decent year for the US men. Some of the men are showing signs of fading without ever having hit the heights -- Chip Knight and Erik Schlopy come to mind -- but Daron Rahlves, while continuing strong in speed events, is more and more of a threat in GS, and youngsters like Ligety, Rothrock and Cochran are poised to do well. On the women's side, any of Julia Mancuso, Kirsten Clark, and Jonna Mendes could pull it together for a great year (and in the case of Clark and Mendes, I think it would be almost literally a "click" instead of some kind of incremental improvement). Other than that, it'll be Lindsay Kildow. Sarah Schleper and Kristina Koznick are in the category of, "If they were gonna, they already woulda." |
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#2
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Janica, 2nd by .34 with fastest 2nd run. IF she can stay healthy, and
that's a pretty bif IF, she'll will the overall this year and add a few more Olympic golds to her already impressive collection. The woman is amazing. Bode - not bad after almost losing a brother in a motorcycle accident a few weeks ago. Still, I'm not sure where he's going. I feel he's really tired of the whole thing. But, with Bode, that may be a good thing. Little less motivated, little less attacking, fewer victories, but more finishes? Could equal another overall. Just joking. You never know with Bode, which is why he's so fun to watch and listen to. I love his latest stance on doping in skiing. Priceless! BTW, I'll be watching him live at Beaver in December. :-) On Schlepper and Koz, their best events are SL. If Kildow can build on last year and hold that form throug the season, she'll be tough. And, I'm looking forward to watching another MN youngster come up through the ranks - Kaylin Richardson. |
#3
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Marty wrote:
Janica, 2nd by .34 with fastest 2nd run. IF she can stay healthy, and that's a pretty bif IF, she'll will the overall this year and add a few more Olympic golds to her already impressive collection. The woman is amazing. Oh, she's a miracle of medical science, all right. I wouldn't bet on that horse; some day it's gonna come up lame and never walk again. That was what, knee surgeries #34 and #35 in the offseason? Bode - not bad after almost losing a brother in a motorcycle accident a few weeks ago. Still, I'm not sure where he's going. I feel he's really tired of the whole thing. Take a look at the recent SI article -- it's really good (I'll find the URL if you can't find it). He's a smart guy, he figures the USOC is going to want to use him as one of their poster boys, and he's not happy about that. He has a lot of disagreements with the way things are. On Schlepper and Koz, their best events are SL. Yes, and they get such impressive, consistent podium results in that. My best event is SL too -- doesn't mean I ever win one! If Kildow can build on last year and hold that form throug the season, she'll be tough. She'll be more than tough -- after the 4th place finishes at the Worlds, she'll be out for blood, and now she knows how to get it. Also, while Bode Miller has some name recognition with the general public, Joe Sixpack wouldn't know Lindsay Kildow from a fire hydrant, which is to her advantage coming into this Olympic year. She won't have the scrutiny coming in as much; as long as she can hold it together when the Olympic hysteria takes over, she's got good chances. And, I'm looking forward to watching another MN youngster come up through the ranks - Kaylin Richardson. Maybe some decent results, but not enough experience to do much this year, I think. |
#4
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On Schlepper and Koz, their best events are SL.
Yes, and they get such impressive, consistent podium results in that. My best event is SL too -- doesn't mean I ever win one! Actually SL IS Kristina's strongest event and she does win. She has made the podium 20 times in her WC career (with 6 wins). The point is that she does and can win. Is she the best? No. Can she have a good day and win? Absolutely. Same for Schlepper. About Kaylin, I agree, she very young and very talented. I should say that I hope to see her come up through the ranks over the next several years. That is what I was thinking when I wrote what I wrote about her. Plus, I'm just proud to see another girl from MN make it to the WC. How about this... What do you think about Bode's thoughts on doping? :-) I think Alain and Hans have been robbed while the real cheats will never be caught. And, my money is on Janica. -- Marty |
#5
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Marty wrote:
On Schlepper and Koz, their best events are SL. Yes, and they get such impressive, consistent podium results in that. My best event is SL too -- doesn't mean I ever win one! Actually SL IS Kristina's strongest event and she does win. She has made the podium 20 times in her WC career (with 6 wins). The point is that she does and can win. Is she the best? No. Can she have a good day and win? Absolutely. Same for Schlepper. Schleper (one p) made it onto the podium once last year with her one win in the last SL of the season. Koznick did somewhat better -- she had three podiums last year, no wins. I think her best days are behind her. How about this... What do you think about Bode's thoughts on doping? :-) I think Alain and Hans have been robbed while the real cheats will never be caught. I don't think Knauss got robbed o' nothin'. That's just my gut feeling, not based on any evidence. I think he just plain got caught. Baxter's case is a little different: he never claimed that it wasn't on the label, he said he didn't read the label (and the ephedrine is not present in the European version of the product). As for Bode, it's unfortunate that there's so much sound and fury about the issue, because he's said some things really worth listening to. I like the way he has called bull**** on the claim that the purpose behind testing is to safeguard athlete health. It's not that they're deliberately working against athlete health, but like any institutionalized bureaucracy, they've lost sight of their original goal and of what that really means, and aren't really examining the best ways to pursue it. And, my money is on Janica. I think the women's races are going to be a crapshoot. If the Austrian warhorses (and Hilde Gerg) can hang on, they have a chance at the speed titles, but I think Kildow's as good a bet as anyone. In the tech races, hey, look out for Tina Maze and Tanja Poutaiaiaiaiaiananananen (I'm not even gonna try) as well as, obviously, Anja Paerson to eat your gurl Janica's lunch. I wouldn't put it past Janica to lie in the weeds and complain about her aches and pains and sniffles all season and save her best stuff for the Olympics -- she did it in 2002, after all. But them other three are healthier and that's gonna tell the story. |
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