Winter racing action heats up
• Miller remains best US hope — Bode Miller completed a big week of speed racing at Val d’Isere, establishing himself — in case anyone had forgotten — as the best speed skier on the US Ski Team. He posted finishes of 9th in Super G and 5th in Downhill, continuing his powerful return after two injury-ridden seasons. The Val Gardenia course was bumpy and icy, but Miller made it look like a cruise to lunch break.
On the Ladies side, Mikaela Shiffrin continues to show that she’s a dual event threat, with a strong 8th place finish in Giant Slalom. She went out a little conservatively in the first run and just couldn’t reel the field back in on the second run. Bib No. 1 is a rough place until one gains lots of experience.
• Snow back in action — Scott Snow, now racing for the University of New Mexico, took Bronze at Steamboat Springs last weekend, posting a career best Slalom FIS point result. Snow says he’s just starting to get the feel back, given that the season train-up as a college athlete is abbreviated compared to when he raced full time.
“But I had a lot left in the tank and am really excited about the upcoming races,” said Snow, who will race the NCAA Division I circuit this season, plus selected open FIS races.
• Christmas Camp — OK, it’s full-bore now. Both SARS and Independence have camps from Dec. 27-31. Look for the older athletes to be training in race courses while the younger ones work on fundamentals all over the mountain. Please give ‘em space — this is the next generation of Olympians!
• Junior Race Series sign-up — Registration closes Dec. 31, with no exceptions. Fliers are at the local ski shops. The series features free coaching, lots of prizes, lots of kids and lots of fun. Racers meet four Friday evenings in January from 5:30 until 7 p.m. No excuses, come join the fun! Forms are at the Alpine Shop and Sandpoint Sports.
• Potpourri — Any comments, recommendations or contributions to this column may be sent to Shep Snow by email at shep@thesnowschool.com. Negative feedback should be sent to someone else.
The Inside Edge runs every Thursday during ski season.