Downhill Notes - U.S. Ski Team

Each day we get a bit of inspiration for our U.S. Ski Team members from their Alpine Press Officer Doug Haney. Check out today's words below and join us in Beaver Creek for the Men's Downhill at 11am. It's going to be a packed house so get here early, stake your claim in the finish stadium and enjoy your only opportunity to see the U.S. Men's Ski Team on U.S. soil.

Complete Audi Birds of Prey information can be found HERE.


FROM DOUG:
As Baby Huey famously said two winter's ago, "It's game day at home!"
He was amping a young Andrew Weibrecht in the start house at the Birds of Prey downhill - the downhill, America's downhill. If you don't know Huey (AKA Peter Lavin), watch Weibrecht's 2007 run again and hang on. It's going to be a ripper again this year at Birds.

ANDREW WEIBRECHT 2007 BOP DOWNHILL:


The War Horse started 48th in yesterday's super combined, and skied to fifth in the downhill portion. He's been in a zone since opening the speed season in Lake Louise last week with two outstanding results. Somewhere in Portillo, Chile this summer he found the flow, found the fall line and found out how to control the immense amount of speed his cannon ball body creates. Hell yes - keep an eye on bib 47 today.

Bode also skied a pretty sweet downhill yesterday landing seventh with ease and he was trucking in the slalom portion before drilling a hole on the flats and taking a dive. Good news is he's fine and fired up to get back in the gate today for the downhill, a race he's won twice and finished second in once. It was cool to see him race yesterday, no matter where we are in the world, the crowd goes absolutely mental when Bode is on course. He's No 8 for the U.S. Ski Team and will be relaying all the goods up to the other boys at the top.

The Marco Rocks Fan Club rolled into town Thursday night and won't stop partying until sometime tomorrow. Expect things to get loud when Sully rolls out of the gate in bib 27. Go get your own green hat, those things are like gold at the Beav.

THE MARCO ROCKS FAN CLUB AT THE 2008 BOP:


Nyman's up to bat next with 28. For only being on snow something like six weeks, Nyman has been skiing really well in training at Beaver Creek. He likes things with flow and Birds is just that, from rolling flats, to perilous steeps to high speed turns and big jumps, it has it all and Steven makes it look good.

Take a hike with him, he'll tell you about it:


Mac, Fish and Worm are also in the box. Mac's back and is already ahead of where he was last year after returning from injury. Fish is a total freight train. He scored his first WC points here last season and hasn't looked back and Worm has all the skills to make it happen here too.

Universal Sports is firing this thing up LIVE online at 11 a.m. MT, then our good friends at NBC will be on the air with the polished DH package Sunday at noon MT. They do interviews, hang with the Team, it's cool.


Onward,

Doug Haney
Alpine Press Officer
United States Ski and Snowboard Association

Posted in: Birds of Prey,Birds of Prey World Cup Race Week,Doug Haney,downhill,U.S. Ski Team