Ski Racing - December 27, 2011

sition like an injury really brings out the toughness in you; how you have to overcome the adversity like that.” McKennis also credits the U.S. success to the group’s ability to problem solve and break down a course. “We really do all work together and we ride up the chair lift and talk about the course and figure out where you need to go and what we each think is right,” she says. “That’s really cool, that we all try to figure out what’s fast and where you need to set up the line or watch out for the terrain here and there. The reality is that we are all pretty much best friends — we spend a lot of time together. I think that also helps, since we all enjoy being with each other.” After a summer training camp in Chile all involved called the best ever and nearly a month of early season speed runs in Colorado, the U.S. women started the speed season in North America in memorable fashion. Vonn swept all three wins in Lake Louise before becoming the first woman to win on the Birds of Prey course. Julia Mancuso tacked on her second podium of the season in the Lake Louise super G. In total, the team racked up 12 top- 20 results in the first four speed races of the young season to get off to another promising beginning.

While Hoedlmoser is enjoying the top-10s and podiums he’s seeing now, his eyes are on the continued American dominance of women’s speed. He looks at the new Copper Mountain speed center as a prime breeding ground for future talent. “In the long run, we are going to see some changes over the next couple of years, especially with the young athletes, because they are going to get more and more comfortable with speed in the early ages,” he says. “I think the big outcome of the center we will see in a couple of years when the young athletes have been able to train some real downhill in a safe environment.”