tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36989421360477214282008-10-28T13:57:27.248-04:00By Marina KnightMarina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-5989836328030561192008-10-26T13:15:00.002-04:002008-10-28T13:41:05.367-04:00

The men raced their season opener Sunday under sunny skies and cold temperatures. The race began an hour later than the women's race, so shadows on the hill became a factor. Listen to what Ligety has to say after the race: Video courtesy U.S. Ski Team

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-56102726780226702722008-10-25T22:06:00.008-04:002008-10-28T10:45:10.831-04:00

Racing got underway on the World Cup today in Soelden, Austria. The women raced high on the Rettenbach glacier, despite thinner than normal cover. The men take to the hill tomorrow. It's always exciting to watch the first race of the season. We get to see how new skis react to the conditions and we get a sense for who's well-prepared for the long string of races ahead. Soelden is always a bit of

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-4452974244867560572008-07-04T09:15:00.002-04:002008-07-04T09:19:53.532-04:00

Lindsey Vonn , this year’s World Cup overall and downhill champion, has been nominated for an ESPY Award and voting is currently underway. She’s up against LPGA Tour golfer Lorena Ochoa, former University of Tennessee and current WNBA basketball player Candace Parker and IRL race car driver Danica Patrick in the Best Female Athlete category. Fans can vote at both www.espys.tv or via cell

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-85143986137545592522008-04-04T11:52:00.000-04:002008-04-04T11:53:07.114-04:00

Taking stock at the end of the World Cup season, three things stand out glaringly. First is the glare from the globes won by Lindsey Vonn, Bode Miller and Ted Ligety, along with many other standout performances to remember as we wait for October again. The other two things that stand out are more ominous, and they call into question what is happening behind the scenes on the U.S. Ski Team heading

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-62966578232682110832008-04-04T11:51:00.001-04:002008-04-04T11:51:58.972-04:00

It all came down to the wire at the finals in Bormio. Americans Lindsey Vonn, Bode Miller and Ted Ligety each had to continue the fight they began in late October to capture World Cup glory. They all succeeded. For Miller, it was his second overall title, for Vonn it was the first, and Ligety (who put down one of the most exciting performances of the year) held off Austria’s Ben Raich to win the

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-33543194237768065262008-03-05T14:12:00.001-05:002008-03-05T14:14:22.036-05:00

By Marina Knight As the end of World Cup racing begins to wind to a close, a few highlights stand out. Before we get to that, keep in mind that the excitement is far from over, because several titles will be hotly contested in upcoming races. Before the finals in Bormio, the men have a giant slalom and slalom at Kranjska Gora and the women have a downhill and combined at Crans Montana. American

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-31194087239887068882008-02-27T14:05:00.002-05:002008-02-27T14:10:04.844-05:00

By Marina Knight Every once in a while something happens that makes you stop in your tracks and for a moment the earth feels like its frenzied spin slows for a second. This week the ski world learned it had lost one of its best friends. Paul Robbins, a prolific and widely loved writer with an encyclopedic knowledge of just about everything to do with ski racing, died Saturday at his home in

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-85359825551977205492008-02-21T13:48:00.001-05:002008-02-27T14:03:27.983-05:00

By Marina Knight You’ve heard of the Flying Cochrans, but what about the Flying Marshalls? Vermonter Cody Marshall did it again, scoring for the second time this season in a World Cup slalom. Marshall was 23rd at Zagreb, Croatia, on Sunday, and previously came in 19th at Wengen, one of the most challenging slaloms of the season. Marshall’s story is an inspiration. He was overlooked by the

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-57933072616704891492008-02-14T15:51:00.002-05:002008-02-19T16:02:15.799-05:00

By Marina Knight In the race for the coveted overall World Cup, two Americans are leading the way. Lindsey Vonn is in a deadlock with Austrian Nicole Hosp, and Bode Miller holds a 98-point lead over Austrian Ben Raich. The men have 10 races left and the women have 11 before the season closes, giving each a chance to seal the deal against the Austrians. Interestingly, both Miller and Vonn

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-57493368110928535282008-02-05T15:49:00.001-05:002008-02-19T15:56:51.919-05:00

By Marina Knight They say history repeats itself, so when Fischer skis debuted a new slalom ski, featuring a hole in the tip and a semicircle cut in the tail, old-school racers may have recognized the technology as a new twist on an old idea. Decades ago, from 1975 to 1985, Fischer produced downhill skis with a similar goal: to absorb more vibration and ski quicker edge-to-edge. A few weeks

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-63777959493303559672008-01-25T08:22:00.000-05:002008-01-25T15:35:58.697-05:00

By Marina Knight January has been an exciting month. There’s Bode Miller’s streak of success that propelled him into history as the winningest American skier ever, Lindsey Vonn’s sheer domination in downhill (she won this weekend at Cortina), Herman Maier’s comeback at Kitzbuehel, Jean Babtiste Grange winning three slaloms in a row, and Mario Matt’s win Tuesday at Schladming, a hill he’s

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-54631389617290668802008-01-16T15:53:00.000-05:002008-01-16T16:00:30.021-05:00

By Marina Knight It’s difficult not to write about Bode Miller, when he keeps injecting himself into the headlines. The excitement he has peppered into the World Cup in weeks past continued at Wengen, when Miller won the downhill, placed fifth in the slalom and was third in super-combined. The downhill win tied him with Phil Mahre for the number of World Cup wins; one more for Miller and he’s

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-85662903591499745312008-01-09T10:47:00.000-05:002008-01-09T10:53:55.055-05:00

Resi Stiegler recovers after a bad crash in Lienz, Austria. She broke her left forearm, right shinbone and tore ligaments in her right knee along with bruising her face and hip after crashing halfway down the course in the first run. Stiegler will be sidelined for eight weeks.

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-13336825081125700952008-01-08T16:46:00.000-05:002008-01-08T16:56:37.941-05:00

Ted Ligety was third after the opening run of slalom at Adelboden, then skied out second run. Meanwhile, Jimmy Cochran came in 8th. Ted's interview after a hard GS crash at Adelboden. Listen to Jimmy after his first run of slalom at Adelboden. Then hear what he had to say after the second run...8th place!

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-19627891900343781612008-01-02T15:27:00.000-05:002008-01-02T15:34:42.022-05:00

By Marina Knight Let’s talk about Bode Miller for a minute because for the first time in a while (and I don’t mean this as a knock) he’s done something great. Saturday, he won the downhill at Bormio, Italy on a rugged Stelvio course. It’s the same track he won on in 2005 at World Championships. The win was the first this season for Miller, who, compared to previous seasons has been off to a

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-47266214938919083332007-12-21T07:02:00.001-05:002007-12-21T07:05:55.302-05:00

Here is a screen shot of Jimmy Cochran coming through the bottom split at Alta Badia with the green light. Cochran reacts with disbelief as he checks his time at the finish of the Gran Risa.

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-42437224856354272052007-12-18T09:02:00.000-05:002007-12-18T09:05:00.071-05:00

Jimmy Cochran and Ted Ligety after the giant slalom at Alta Badia. By Marina Knight Alta Badia, Gran Risa. It just kind of rolls off the tongue. After two days of men’s speed races in Val Gardena, they took to the Gran Risa at Alta Badia, in the heart of the Italian Dolomites. It’s a storied and revered hill that twists and pitches; a win there is better than three wins anywhere else. Its

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-61083178892979442882007-12-09T12:58:00.001-05:002007-12-10T17:59:01.725-05:00

It’s official now: You are more likely to see a pig fly than see Lindsey Vonn beaten at Lake Louise. She won the downhill there Saturday for the fourth year in a row, this time by nearly eight-tenths of a second in the zero-degree cold.“I trusted myself, knowing the line and not thinking twice about it,” she said.Vonn didn’t have the fastest speed — she clocked 123 kilometers an hour, while Anja

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-82435069355418344712007-11-28T13:59:00.000-05:002007-11-28T14:07:39.476-05:00

By Marina Knight Erik Schlopy is back. After being sidelined with a nagging knee injury, the U.S. veteran blasted back onto the scene Tuesday with a Nor-Am Super Series win at Keystone, Colo. During the season’s opening World Cup giant slalom in Austria, Schlopy missed a second run after a tentative attempt on the Rettenbach glacier, and Schlopy finished 11th in A Nor-Am on Monday. The win

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-55992090713080423782007-11-27T11:27:00.000-05:002007-11-27T11:32:35.755-05:00

Ski fans are getting luckier and luckier as coverage of the sport improves. This year, there are several ways to follow the action from the comfort of your couch, assuming you have a high speed internet connection. Hopefully, one day we will get access to Eurosport, but until then here are the best ways to watch. WEBCASTING The World Championship Sports Network, WCSN.com WCSN.com provides live

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-36322243384608786902007-11-27T11:18:00.000-05:002007-11-27T11:26:25.881-05:00

By Marina Knight The weekend was a blur of action with the men stopping in Lake Louise for speed events and the women racing tech in Panorama. Though Marco Sullivan, a Tahoe native, was the only U.S. skier to podium (second in the year’s opening downhill) there was plenty of excitement from the slopes. Local skiers, Lauren Ross and Jessica Kelley sparked excellent runs in giant slalom. Kelley

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-42617596716855105762007-11-14T09:26:00.000-05:002007-11-14T09:29:58.231-05:00

By Marina Knight Over a meter of snow fell in the Austrian region of Steiermark this weekend making for a pair of snowy slaloms at Reiteralm. Both men and women raced on the relatively easy, but long hill owned by the Austrian ski federation. Originally, the races were scheduled for Levi, Finland, but a lack of snow forced cancellation. Reiteralm has been the back up for several World Cup races

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-69636711899636469002007-11-07T17:02:00.000-05:002007-11-07T17:03:10.695-05:00

By Marina Knight During the pause between World Cups, the head of international ski competition called for a mass movement to save the sport of alpine ski racing. The message came via a video on Ski Racing’s Web site. As Gian Franco Kasper ranted on, it was difficult not to wonder what the heck he was doing. He set up a thesis for why kids’ interest in the sport is waning this way (the entire

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-490494213372115932007-11-06T14:22:00.000-05:002007-11-06T14:27:39.732-05:00

The World Cup slalom races scheduled for Levi, Finland, this weekend have been moved to Austria because of a lack of snow. Last year, races in Levi were cancelled for the same reason. Instead, the men’s and women’s slaloms will be held in Reiteralm. The Austrian resort also served as a substitute locale for races canceled last year in Val d'Isere, France. The move bodes well for the Austrian

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3698942136047721428.post-79800815488073298442007-10-31T12:02:00.000-04:002007-10-31T16:54:03.476-04:00

By Marina Knight After a long spell of waiting, World Cup action returned this weekend in Sölden, Austria. The tour kicked off with a men’s and women’s giant slalom high on the Rettenbach glacier in Ötztal, Austria. As usual, in the days leading up to racing the whole valley became a hotbed of rabid ski fans. Sölden is a great place to hold the first races because it’s just a few hours drive

Marina Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09160478256828612295noreply@blogger.com0