Ski Racing - December 12, 2011

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“That was good,” Kasper said. “It’s my second-best result and
my third top- 10 ever, so I’m excited. It’s a good start to the sea-
son. I know I have more speed in me and when I’m fully healthy
I think I can show it.” His immediate post-race plan was to “take
a nice long nap and then fly to Europe.”
The team also got Ligety in 13th, which was really a disappoint-
ment after having been fifth in the first run. A big error in the
flush near the bottom of the course cost him dearly, but he tried
to keep it positive. “Thirteenth isn’t that bad,” he said. Especially
after an error that cost him several tenths.
Perhaps the most exciting U.S. performance wasn’t a finish.
Will Brandenburg, starting 36th, held the lead over Kostelic,
Hirscher, Deville and everybody else until he got caught up a
few gates before the finish line and exited the course.
Miller finished in the points, almost, but not quite, getting a sla-
lom start spot for the team in future Cup races.
“Brandenburg’s been skiing extremely fast, we knew that,” said
Rearick. “He was fast, a hundredth ahead when he went out
there. It’ll come, as long as he goes strong to the outside the
kid’s one of the fastest in the world. And big, big extreme hats off
to Nolan Kasper and the team that has worked directly with No-
lan the past six months: Josh Applegate, Chris Antinori, Adam
Perreault and Alex Moore, the conditioning coaches — the work
that those guys have done to set up a plan. And then to have
him come out here and execute, it’s just a magical day, a magi-
cal day. And Ted skied well his first run, second run he skied
well, too, had a little mistake there in the flush going into the
flat, and that was the difference in the places there. And Bode
got points. He got four and we needed five or six to get another
spot. It has been an amazing time in Beaver Creek.”