Outlook: Williams moved to Park City for the summer to train under the
watchful eye of the national team coaches. The result, says Vordenberg,
was positive. “She is definitely skiing better than she ever has before,” he
says. This should make her a major contender for the Olympic team.
Extracurricular: She is majoring in sports science and has every intention of staying involved with athletes when she retires from racing. For
Williams, nothing beats a peanut butter and banana sandwich with a glass
of soy milk.
NORDIC COMBINED
A Team
GEPA (2 AC TION); USSA (DEMONG, LODWICK, SPILLANE); TOM KELLY/USST (LODWICK)
Bill Demong
Age: 29
Home: Vermontville, N. Y.
Equipment/Sponsors: Atomic
Olympic Appearances: 1998, 2002, 2006
Trophy Room: Gold and bronze medals
from the 2009 World Championships.
Outlook: Coach Dave Jarrett labels Bill Demong as “the consummate worker,” and says
he is right on track. Professional bicycle racing in the summer months keeps him competitively sharp and physically in
good condition. “It is awesome that he can excel at that, and it makes him
a better skier in the long run,” says Jarrett. “He is mentally ready to attack
this season and beyond. And, right now, he’s physically as good as he’s ever
been. His preparation has been great. He’s not in the shape right now that
he wants to be in February, but the plan has been executed very well. He’s
healthy and able to do everything one hundred percent.”
Extracurricular: Bike racing.
Trophy Room: Two gold medals from the
2009 World Championships.
Outlook: The bike-car collision this past summer during the Tour de France may have had a
bigger impact than most people think. According
to Jarrett, it was “a little more of an eye-opener
than he lets on.” Lodwick, Jarrett says, had never
been injured before. “It’s pretty well accepted he
lives something of a charmed life,” says Jarrett.
“He’s one of those guys who just knows he’ll get
a front-row parking space. It’s the way it is for him.” The accident, during which
he flew completely over a car, is a prime example of what Jarrett means. “Could
only have happened to him,” says Jarrett. “He landed, I think, on his feet on the
only little pull-out on the whole course. He didn’t hit any guardrails or trees or
anything…only Lodwick.” When we spoke with Jarrett in early October, Lodwick was training in Hawaii, getting some family time. His season plan is very
specific — kind of a Tiger Woods approach, according to the coach. “He’ll pick
and choose events, target for success and not chase continual World Cup points,”
says Jarrett. “His goal is the Olympics; the Cup is a means to the end.”
Extracurricular: Time with the family, hunting and fishing.
Todd Lodwick
Age: 32
Home: Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Equipment/Sponsors: Rossignol; Mossy Oak
Olympic Appearances: 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006
Home: Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Equipment/Sponsors: Atomic, Swix, Uvex; Visa, Steamboat Resort
Olympic Appearances: 1998, 2002, 2006
Trophy Room: 2003 World Champion, sprint.
Outlook: He tore his meniscus during the
July Fourth jumping event in Steamboat
Springs, and didn’t figure out this injury until August when the knee continued to get
sore and swollen and examination revealed
the tear. Spillane had surgery in mid-August.
Though his recovery has been progressing
very well, he elected to skip the team‘s training session in Lake Placid in October. “He’s
