Ski Racing - January 25, 2010

and my skis didn’t turn around. I’m a little bit sad that I didn’t make more out of this weekend but I still had fun.” Julia Mancuso had another solid race. Her 10th place was her best super G result since the 2007-08 season while Chelsea Marshall (starting No. 41) tied her career-best super G result on the World Cup in 21st. Canadian Britt Janyk tied for 16th and her teammate Shona Rubens squeezed into the points in 30th.

“I felt like it was a pretty solid run. I could have been cleaner in spots,” Marshall said, adding that super G in itself poses challenges. “You only have one try. You don’t have training runs. Your inspection has to be right on ... just know where you’re going and trust it. I tried to keep things really simple and focus on what makes me ski well.” As for the pressure she was facing with a third-straight win, Vonn said every time she prevails over outside pressure she feels more prepared for the Olympic Winter Games.

“Any time I’m in a high-pressure situation and I’m able to come through it, it gives me confidence,” she said. “It builds confidence to know I’ve done it before. It builds experience. That’s what’s going to help me going into Vancouver ... to know that I’ve done it before and to trust myself and my ability.” Going from three unlucky tech races prior to her sweep in Haus, including the giant slalom crash that put her in the arm brace with a deep bone bruise, Vonn said the lesson she’s taking with her after these victories is that she can rise to the top again — and quickly — any time that she falls. “The most important lesson is to not count myself out,” she said. “Even if things aren’t going well you can always turn it around. I just have to stay positive and trust myself ... that’s what I’m going to try to do for the next couple of weeks and also for Vancouver.”

Flachau, Night Slalom, Jan. 12

The consensus among racers was that the night slalom in Flachau, Austria, was a big hit. Lindsey Vonn said the course was fun, fast and in perfect condition as far as snow consistency — though she didn’t get to enjoy it for very long.

It was Marlies Schild who satisfied the massive home crowd. Proving again that her broken leg and five operations that followed are all in the past now, Schild landed her second home-turf victory of the season (she also won last month in Lienz and was second in Aspen) and the 22nd win of her World Cup career, earning the new title of “Snow Space Princess” 2010. The victory came with the huge clamor of some 10,000 spectators in a coronation ceremony that ended in a massive display of fireworks. “I didn’t believe I could do it after the first run,” said Schild, who was fifth — more than a second back — after the first run. “But I tried to ski fast and I had a good run. I tried to do my best in the second and it worked out really well.” The noise was that much louder when another local favorite, Kathrin Zettel, landed her seventh podium of the season, in third place. The German team was led by Maria Riesch, who reclaimed the lead in Cup slalom standings (373 over Schild’s 320 ... previous leader Sandrine Aubert missed a gate in the first run and is now third in the standings with 316 points) with her second place finish, 0.34 seconds behind Schild. Six Germans finished among the top 25, although after the first run, it looked as if the winner of the race would come down to a battle between sisters. Maria Riesch was the first racer down the course and none of the next eight could touch her time. Then younger sister Susanne flew down and beat her by 0.12 seconds.