Twenty-one-year-old Keely Cashman took home her first FIS World Cup top-10 result in the Val d’Isere super-G on Sunday, finishing 10th.

Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic, best known for her surprising win in the PyeongChang Olympic super-G, won her first World Cup super-G. Just .03 seconds behind her was Corinne Suter of Switzerland, who made it three podiums in a row in Val d’Isere. Federica Brignone, who sat out Saturday’s downhill after crashing hard in Friday’s race, was third.

Running bib 35, Keely attacked from the back for the third time this weekend with her typical no-holds-barred style and was thrilled to come down and see herself in 10th place. “It’s pretty crazy,” she said. “These are my first World Cup speed races in Europe, so I didn’t know what to expect. I wanted to ski confident and to ski how I know I can ski and I knew if I did that, it would work out. I’m happy with the results.”

Keely’s star has been rising quickly over the past few seasons, culminating in a win of the 2020 NorAm downhill and overall title and a bronze in the 2020 Junior World Championship alpine combined. While she raced a handful of North American World Cups last season, this season, she’s racing in Europe with the team. And so far, so good. Over the weekend in Val d’Isere, she put down a 17th place in the first downhill, 16th place in the second downhill, and finally cracked the top 10 in the super-G.

Keely credits a lot of her success to her Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team teammates, who have helped the World Cup rookie learn the ropes and inspired her with results like Breezy’s podiums in Val d’Isere. “This is my first year with the speed crew,” said Keely. “It’s awesome to have a lot of older girls to take me under their wing. They’re super helpful. Watching Breezy do so good this weekend hypes everyone up and everyone is just so pumped to ski. When everyone is building off each other, it’s good for everyone.”

On top of that, the speed training offered by Copper Mountain, Colo. at the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center this November was crucial, and it's paying off for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team speed crew—both men and women—as they racked up personal bests and podiums this weekend and looked comfortable in the process. 

Rounding out the U.S. team, Isabella Wright was 33rd, and Breezy Johnson—who caught an edge and had a great recovery, narrowly missed doing the splits—37th. Jackie Wiles crashed and did not finish.  

Next up, the women have a short break for the holidays before the tech team heads to Semmering, Austria December 28.

RESULTS
Women’s super-G

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Sunday, Dec. 20
9:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast NBCSN

Sophie Caldwell Hamilton led another huge day for the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team, finishing second in the freestyle sprint in Dresden, Germany, Saturday. 

Eight Americans advanced to the heats, with four advancing to the finals. Sophie took her 10th career individual World Cup podium as Jessie Diggins posted her best result of the season so far, finishing fourth. "Wow! What an incredible day for the team," Sophie said. "Two men and two women in the finals, Julia (Kern) and Logan (Hanneman) in the semis, JC (Schoonmaker) with a near miss to semis, and Hannah (Halvorsen) qualifying for her first World Cup heats!"

In the men’s race, both Simi Hamilton and Kevin Bolger advanced to the finals, with Simi finishing fifth, and Kevin posting a World Cup career-best result in sixth. "So psyched to get to the finals for the first time, and especially racing with Simi," Kevin said. 

Racing under a brilliant blue sky along the banks of the Elbe River at the Robotron Ski Arena in downtown Dresden, the Americans came into Saturday’s individual freestyle sprint fresh, fast, and ready for results. Jessie, Sophie, Julia Kern, and Hannah Halvorsen all qualified for the heats, with Hannah qualifying for the first time and scoring her first career World Cup points. Four U.S. men qualified for the heats, including Simi, Kevin, Logan Hanneman, and JC Schoonmaker. Gus Schumacher finished 43rd and Tyler Kornfield was 52nd.

"What a day!" Jessie said. "For me, the best part was that I really, truly had fun out there! Seeing Hannah make the heats for the first time brought such an adrenaline rush, and seeing so many of our boys in the (semifinals) and then Sim and Kevin in the final, and of course Sophie skiing like a boss!"

In the opening quarterfinals, JC skied an impressive race to finish third in the first heat. He looked to advance to the semifinals as a Lucky Loser, however, in the third heat, Logan snagged one of the two Lucky Losers slots and knocked JC out. Kevin displayed patience and tactics in his quarterfinal heat, coming back from the fifth position to finish second. Simi won his quarterfinal heat. Jessie won her quarterfinal heat as Sophie and Julia each finished second in their respective heats to advance to the semifinals.

In the semifinal round, Sophie was second and Jessie advanced to the finals as one of the Lucky Losers. For the men, Simi and Kevin skied in the faster second semi-final heat, finishing third and fourth respectively with both of them advancing as Lucky Losers.  

In the finals, as is so often the case on the tight Robotron Ski Arena out and back course, it came down to a drag race for the podium with Switzerland’s Nadine Faehndricht taking her first World Cup victory. Sophie was second at 0.32 seconds back, while Anamarija Lampic of Slovenia was third. "I felt better and better as the day went on and was definitely motivated by the success of my teammates throughout the day," Sophie said. "It was a course filled with turns and bumps and broken poles, which made an exciting day and I was thrilled to land on the podium."

In the men’s final, Italy’s Federico Pellegrino took his 15th career individual World Cup sprint victory. Great Britain’s Andrew Young was second, and Russia’s Gleb Retivykh was third.

Rosie Brennan, who is not competing in Dresden in order to continue her preparation for the upcoming FIS Tour de Ski January 1-10, continues to lead the overall World Cup standings. Jessie moved up to eighth in the overall World Cup standings, and Sophie is 16th. 

Up next, all 10 U.S. Ski Team athletes will team up in pairs for the freestyle team sprint Sunday in Dresden. "I’m so proud of this team and the atmosphere we’ve created in our little bubble, and we’re really feeding off one another’s happiness," Jessie said. "My own day was exciting as city sprinting isn’t exactly what I’m known for, but my body felt good, and I’m just so pumped for the team sprint here tomorrow!"

RESULTS
Women’s freestyle sprint
Men’s freestyle sprint

STANDINGS
Women’s World Cup overall
Men’s World Cup overall
Women’s World Cup sprint
Men’s World Cup sprint

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Sunday, Dec. 20
6:45 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men and Women's Team Sprint - LIVE, Dresden, GER, Streaming Peacock
5:00 p.m. FIS Cross Country Men and Women's Team Sprint - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Dresden, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:00 p.m. FIS Cross Country Men and Women's Team Sprint - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Dresden, GER, Broadcast NBCSN

Ryan Cochran-Siegle took second place and his first FIS World Cup podium in Val Gardena, Italy to lead three Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team men into the top six. Bryce Bennett was just off the podium in fourth and Jared Goldberg was sixth.

The Norwegians again showed their consistency, with Aleksander Aamodt Kilde taking his second win in two days. Beat Feuz of Switzerland was third.

Ryan, who has mostly been lauded as a giant slalom and super-G specialist, was surprised to find his first World Cup podium in a glider’s downhill. “Coming here, I didn’t think this would be a hill I should worry too much about,” he said. “That way it made it easy. This isn’t a hill I should do well—it’s such a gliding hill. I just focused on the skiing and it allowed me to perform well.”

But Ryan’s low-key style and textbook technique gave him an edge, which left him only .22 seconds off of the lead. “I had just a nice neutral approach to this hill,” he said. “You have to ski with a good intensity but not overdo it and just focus on the next turn ahead. They did a fantastic job getting the hill ready and it was a lot of fun to ski. I think I tend to do well when I’m having fun.”

But maybe Ryan’s podium in Val Gardena was written in the stars. Fun fact: His mother, Olympic slalom champion Barbara Cochran, took second place on this hill in the FIS Ski World Championships slalom in 1970. With his podium, Ryan became the first American man to grab a World Cup podium in speed since 2017, ending the longest U.S. men's downhill podium drought. 

The Val Gardena track has always treated the Americans well and the team hinted that they were podium hunting in the downhill training runs, but the men showed that they wanted those results, packing in four men in the top 15 and three of those in the top six. Bryce Bennett was just behind Ryan in fourth—his best result since he was fourth in both Bormio and Val Gardena in 2018. “I keep getting the wooden spoon here—the old fourth place—and I’m getting pretty over it!” Bryce joked. “One of these days it’ll happen. I’m feeling better skiing and more comfortable.”

But more seriously, Bryce couldn’t have been more excited for his teammates. “I’m so pumped for Ryan,” he said. “He worked super hard. He’s one of my best friends on the team and I couldn’t be more excited for him. He’s just really good at skiing. You can’t argue that. I’m psyched for him. I’m psyched for Goldberg—he had a great day. It’s what we needed as a team.”

Jared Goldberg, who showed strength in the downhill training runs with a win and a fourth, placed sixth—his best World Cup result in his career and a promising platform to build off of for the 2020-21 season. Travis Ganong rounded out the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team men in the top 15, taking 14th place. Sam Morse also finished in the points, taking 29th—only his second time scoring points in his career. Middlebury skier Erik Arvidsson was 58th.

Next up, the men pass the baton to the tech team, who have a giant slalom in Alta Badia, Italy on Sunday and a slalom on Monday, then a night slalom in Madonna di Campiglio on Tuesday. The speed team has a short break for the holidays before heading to Bormio, Italy for a downhill and super-G.

RESULTS
Men’s downhill

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Saturday, Dec. 19
10:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - Same Day Broadcast, Val Gardena, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Dec. 20
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
11:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom - Same Day Broadcast, Alta Badia, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Monday, Dec. 21
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Tuesday, Dec. 22
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Streaming Peacock
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Streaming Peacock
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel

Breezy Johnson went two for two, pocketing her second downhill podium in two days in Val d’Isere, France, skiing into third place.

The podium looked eerily similar to Friday’s FIS World Cup downhill, with Sofia Goggia of Italy taking the win and Corinne Suter of Switzerland in second. Friday’s downhill saw Corinne win and Sofia in second. Breezy was third both days.

It was a bumpy ride for the women on the dark track, but Breezy was able to power through it, using all the strength she worked so hard for in the gym this summer. She flew into the finish .27 seconds off of Sofia and only .03 seconds behind Corinne, showing that she’s gunning for those higher spots on the podium.

“I just want to see what I can do,” said Breezy, whose two third place finishes in Val d'Isere are her first two World Cup podiums. “I want to go in and ski my best. After injury, I’m just trying to seize every moment and seize every day, so maybe I’ll put a threat in there with Goggia and Corinne!”

Breezy has been plagued by knee injuries throughout her career, causing her to miss the 2018-19 season and some of the 2019-20 season, but she hasn’t let those obstacles keep her from her ambitions.

“These podiums have been coming on for a while,” said Breezy. “I definitely have a goal to win a World Cup and go for a World Championship medal this year and I think this is just the beginning. We just keep working. My goal every day is to ski my best and if it’s the best it’s pretty freaking sweet. I want to see how far I can push myself.”

It was a solid day for the rest for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team women, stacking three in the top 20. Attacking from bib 44 and in only her fourth downhill World Cup start, Keely Cashman was well on her way to a top-10 result, but skied up on to the net Bode Miller-style and lost time. However, even with that exciting recovery, she still finished 16th, a personal best for the 21-year-old. Just behind Keely was Jackie Wiles, who finished in 17th place. Isabella Wright did not finish, but is OK and skied down.

The women race super-G on Sunday to finish off the weekend in Val d’Isere.

RESULTS
Women’s downhill

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Saturday, Dec. 19
5:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast NBC
9:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Dec. 20
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Streaming Peacock
9:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast NBCSN

U.S. Nationals

The 2020-21 season kicked off last month with a flurry of high-level competition at Copper Mountain.  Two races were held in each event, one National Championship and one FIS, and many athletes notched personal best results.  It was exciting for domestic athletes to be able to race toe-to-toe with U.S. Ski Team members to start the year.  Congratulations to the juniors who achieved podium-level results: Isaiah Nelson (USST/BHSC), AJ Hurt (USST/SVST), Allie Resnick (USST/SSCV), and Ava Sunshine Jemison (BMA). There was a tremendous amount of momentum for the whole country coming out of the series, and a special thanks goes to Copper Mountain for hosting such exceptional races! 
 

Copper Speed Projects

Directly after the U.S. Nationals finished, U.S. Ski & Snowboard hosted open, club-facilitated developmental speed training on the Copper Mountain Speed Center.  Coaches from around the western U.S. brought U14, U16, and FIS-level athletes to work through a speed progression under the leadership of U.S. Ski & Snowboard staff.  Reaching 200 athletes over the course of 10 days, the athletic focus was on basic speed skills: jumping, gliding, aerodynamics, and skiing over terrain.  The FIS athletes had the bonus of finishing their five-day training block with two SG races under blue-bird skies.

COVID-19

Both the U.S. Nationals and the Copper SG races featured extensive COVID mitigation measures to ensure that the races were run as safely as possible.  For the Nationals, every athlete, coach, and official was tested upon entry, and then again once more during the week.  For the FIS SG races, every athlete, coach, and official was required to complete a daily health check before arriving at the venue.  In each case, it was successfully shown that ski racing can move forward with thoughtful steps taken to mitigate congestion points at the start, finish, and on course during inspection.  Granted, there is risk with almost any activity we undertake in this pandemic, but as an individual, naturally socially-distanced, outdoor sport, alpine ski racing has distinct advantages that should allow us to continue doing what we love this winter! 

In spite of the successful precedent established at Copper, we are having difficulties hosting races this December.  Some of the challenges have been weather-related, but in other cases, the local restrictions have been too strict for us to operate.  Still, it is encouraging to see the Western Region moving forward with FIS races in Jackson, WY this week, and we will look to build on that example after the holidays. 

In spite of all the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has wrought, the stark reality has forced us to be thankful for what’s most important: our collective health, the chance to remain engaged at work and school, and the opportunities we have to enjoy the outdoors.  This winter, more than ever, skiing will prove to be a vital part of our lives.  The slow start to the racing season is only a small hiccup in the larger picture and one that has the side benefit of allowing our athletes to train more and hone their skills for the long-term.  Let’s all work together to make the most of the current situation.

American Tara Geraghty-Moats won the first-ever women’s FIS Nordic Combined World Cup in Ramsau, Austria, Friday.

“This is something that I have dreamed about since I was about 10 years old,” she said after prevailing by 1.5 seconds over Norwegian Gyda Westvold Hansen, who had a 39-second advantage over the American going into the 5k cross country portion after scoring the highest in the ski jump. Tara finished fifth in the jumping portion and then had the fastest skiing time at 13:19.3 to seal the victory. Anju Nakamura of Japan was third.

The two-time Continental Cup champion came into the event a bit unsure of her jumping, but in the end, she relied on her experience to propel her to victory and the record books. 

“Coming into this competition I was really uncertain of myself because I had not put a bib on in 10 months,” she said, “and I had 10% of my ski jumping training that I had hoped to have. But all day long I just kept telling myself that I could do it one step at a time.”

Three other Americans also competed. Annika Malacinski was 28th, Alexa Brabec finished 29th, and Tess Arnone was 30th. 

Two other World Cup Nordic combined stops that were to include men’s and women’s events this season have been canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic. The first women’s nordic combined event is scheduled for February at the FIS World Nordic Ski Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany.

“A huge thanks to my team and the FIS for finally inviting the women to the big leagues,” Tara added.

RESULTS
Women’s Nordic Combined

Ryan Cochran-Siegle led the way for the U.S. men in Val Gardena, Italy, finishing in eighth place—his first top 10 in a FIS World Cup super-G.

Val Gardena’s striking beauty didn’t distract last season’s overall World Cup champion Aleksander Aamodt Kilde of Norway, who took the win ahead of 2019-20 super-G globe winner Mauro Caviezel of Switzerland. Kjetil Jansrud of Norway was also on the podium in third—his sixth super-G podium in Val Gardena in the last seven seasons.

Ryan skied a clean and fast line on Val Gardena’s dark Saslong track to take his first top-10 result in the discipline. He had threatened a number of times last season, snagging three top 20s in the Beaver Creek, Saalbach-Hinterglemm and Hinterstoder super-Gs before the season ended early, and was excited to finally crack the elusive result bracket.

“My main focus was just to carry speed as much as I could—trusting that, not trying to be perfect and letting it go, letting it flow,” said Ryan. “I think I executed in places pretty well. Obviously still a good amount of time off the top Norwegian, so there’s still a lot to learn, but I had fun with it and trusted it and really enjoyed it. I think between my set up and approach to the whole day, it was a good day.”

Behind Ryan, Jared Goldberg attacked from bib 57 to take home 23rd place—his best super-G result since 2018. Keep an eye out for him in Saturday’s downhill. He won the first training run and was fourth in the second and he wants that result.

Travis Ganong, who was fourth in last week’s Val d’Isere super-G, also finished in the points, taking 25th place. Bryce Bennett was 33rd.

Sam DuPratt was also scheduled to race in Val Gardena, however, he crashed and sustained bilateral lower extremity injuries in the second of two downhill training runs. He has been treated locally and will return to the U.S. for further care. He is amazing everyone with his resilience.

Also missed in Val Gardena is Steven Nyman, who holds the title “King of the Saslong,” as he’s won three times (all three of his World Cup victories) on the track and has four top 10s. Steven is currently recovering from an injury home in Park City, but provided his teammates advice for the weekend’s races.

Next up, the men race downhill on Saturday in Val Gardena.

RESULTS
Men’s super-G

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Saturday, Dec. 19
5:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val Gardena, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
5:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val Gardena, ITA, Streaming Peacock
10:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - Same Day Broadcast, Val Gardena, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Dec. 20
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
11:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom - Same Day Broadcast, Alta Badia, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Monday, Dec. 21
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Tuesday, Dec. 22
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Streaming Peacock
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Streaming Peacock
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel

On a sunny day in Val d’Isere, France, Breezy Johnson grabbed her first FIS Ski World Cup podium to lead three Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes into the top 25—including Keely Cashman in 17th from bib 46 to grab her career-first World Cup points. 

It was a tough day with a lot of brutal crashes in Val d’Isere, including four athletes in the top 25 and American Alice McKennis. Alice skied down following her crash but will sit out Saturday’s downhill and Sunday’s super-G as she undergoes further evaluation. Both Austria's Nicole Schmidhofer and Italy's Federica Brignone crashed, causing significant course holds for Breezy, but she wasn't phased. The races was tight in the top three, with Switzerland’s Corinne Suter in first, by .11 seconds over Italy’s Sofia Goggia in second place, followed by Breezy in third, .20 seconds off the pace. 

Breezy started the week off strong, finishing second in the first downhill training run on Wednesday, and winning the second of two downhill training runs on Thursday by a massive six tenths. Breezy’s go for broke style served her well in Friday’s race, but it still hasn’t hit her. “I don’t think anything has sunk in yet, so I think I’m probably just going to keep it that way and just keep working towards tomorrow,” she reflected post-race. “The snow in most places was actually a lot better, it was just a little bumpier in some spots, and a lot faster with the race wax and everybody going for it. It was a good race.”

If you watch Breezy, her approach to downhill resembles Olympic champion Picabo Street’s hard-charging style. Mentally tough and physically strong, Breezy is destined for the top of the podium. “I was happy with it...I try to go out and ski 100% every day,” she added. “There were a few mistakes for sure, and places to clean up for tomorrow and I’ll keep working, but I’m obviously very happy. I love Val d’Isere, this is where I first felt at home on the World Cup—I came here in 2016...I did well after some really bad training runs, and that was the first time I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I belong on the World Cup.’” As far as tomorrow goes...for Breezy, her eyes are on the prize. “After the training runs, and today, I’m hunting for the win tomorrow,” she said. 

Keely Cashman skyrocketed from bib 46 to land in 17th and grab her first career World Cup points, while Jackie Wiles—who has been skiing consistently fast in training runs—landed in 23rd. When asked about how it was today, Keely said, "slightly scary, but mostly fun." Bella Wright also started for the Americans, but finished just outside the top 30, in 35th. 

Up next, the women have a downhill on Saturday, followed by a super-G on Sunday. 

RESULTS
Women’s downhill

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Saturday, Dec. 19
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Streaming Peacock
5:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val Gardena, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
5:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val Gardena, ITA, Streaming Peacock
5:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast NBC
9:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast NBCSN
10:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - Same Day Broadcast, Val Gardena, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Dec. 20
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
9:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast NBCSN
11:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom - Same Day Broadcast, Alta Badia, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Monday, Dec. 21
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Tuesday, Dec. 22
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Streaming Peacock
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Streaming Peacock
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel

There is, quite possibly, no venue on the FIS Ski World Cup circuit quite as aesthetically spectacular as Val Gardena, Italy. It is a downhill track like none other, requiring skill, power, courage, and stamina. The terrain is unlike any other. Nine jumps. 17 larger bumps. Athletes jump up to 262ft and are 20 feet about the ground. Imagine that. The infamous “camel humps.” It’s a doozy. It also happens to be a favorite track for the Americans. Just ask veteran Steven Nyman, who has won three times here. Buckle up, because it’s going to be quite the weekend. 

In the first of two downhill training runs, the Americans went 1-2. Jared Goldberg, followed by big ol’ Bryce Bennett...who, as we know, loves this track. Day 2? Those Attacking Vikings threw down: Aleksander Kilde first, Kjetil Jansrud second. But guess what?! Jared, once again, the fastest American, in fourth. Ryan Cochran-Siegle fifth. Bryce seventh. Sam Morse 19th. Former World Junior Downhill Champ and Middlebury Alpine athlete Erik Arvidsson will be checking out this real-deal track for the first time. He's stoked. "That was SO much fun," he said when he came down after his first training run. Giddy up!

Caught up with three-time Saslong victor (we like to call him, “King of the Saslong,” though he doesn’t agree with that title), Steven Nyman. Here’s what he had to say: “Obviously it’s a bummer, but it is what it is, and I’m trying to help the boys in any way that I can. My words of advice to them are: ‘You gotta nail that first big right-footer...give yourself space, don’t try to gain anything there. It’s just about cleanliness and carrying your speed through that flat. When it comes to terrain, you need to be confident...like know it like the backside of your hand and just go over every blind roll, and know where you’re going without hesitation because that’s going to set you apart from 95% of the guys. Everybody is going to hesitate, and as Americans, we have an advantage, growing up, playing in terrain parks, and understanding terrain better than the Europeans. Fight, fight, fight for aerodynamics wherever you can.’”

Again, he reiterated that he’s “not the ‘King of the Saslong.’” “It’s Kristian Ghedina [from Italy, with four victories on the Saslong]...or, actually, it’s Leo Mussi [Steven’s and Kristian’s technician, who has won seven times on the Saslong], then Kristian, then me,” he added with a laugh. To put it simply, the Americans love this track and you’re not going to want to miss the action this weekend. First up: super-G Friday, followed by downhill day on Saturday. Sunshine all ‘round'. In super-G, watch Travis Ganong, who was fourth last weekend in Val d'Isere, France to match his career-best in the discipline. He's en fuego at the moment, and his super-G set-up is dialed! 

Speaking of sunshine, the women brought the heat in both downhill training runs over in Val d’Isere, France, with Alice McKennis Duran first, Breezy Johnson second, Jackie Wiles 11th, and Keely Cashman 28th on day one! Day two: more of the same. Breezy in first, with a commanding .63 second lead. Jackie Wiles ninth. Alice McKennis Duran 11th. Keely Cashman 30th. The women’s speed crew is healthy, confident, and back with a vengeance. Watch out, world. Of course, Breezy was quick to call it “Fool’s Gold,” and added that she hopes she didn’t “peak too soon.” With two downhills and a super-G at Val d’Isere, there’s bound to be some big-time results in France. Oui Oui!

Follow all of the action on Peacock TV, NBCSN, and the Olympic Channel...because we’ve got a stacked pre-holiday week of alpine action for y’all.

RESULTS
Men’s downhill training 1
Women’s downhill training 1
Men’s downhill training 2
Women’s downhill training 2 

START LISTS
Men’s super-G
Women’s downhill 

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Friday, Dec. 18
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Streaming Peacock
5:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Super-G - LIVE, Gardena, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
5:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Super-G - LIVE, Val Gardena, ITA, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, Dec. 19
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Streaming Peacock
5:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val Gardena, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
5:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val Gardena, ITA, Streaming Peacock
5:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast NBC
9:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast NBCSN
10:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - Same Day Broadcast, Val Gardena, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Dec. 20
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
9:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast NBCSN
11:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom - Same Day Broadcast, Alta Badia, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Monday, Dec. 21
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Tuesday, Dec. 22
11:34 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Streaming Peacock
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Streaming Peacock
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel

As we head into the season, there are still many logistical challenges that we’re all still sorting out. How can we ski in groups, especially with really young kids that need more help from adults? How can we ski enough if we have to limit the number of hours in our program? How can we adapt our teaching to be more effective at a distance? Our Eastern Youth Development Coach, Kathy Okoniewski, took these questions on and collaborated with a number of folks around the region to put together some amazing ideas for you. It is especially relevant with the slow start that many ski areas have had to the year, and we thought it would be perfect to dedicate this newsletter to the topic. So here it is!

Developing passion and skills through freeskiing, mountain adventures, and on-snow games.

By Kathy Okoniewski

These are challenging times. As I talk with many of you around the Region, there is great concern about keeping our athletes safe, engaged, and learning. More than ever, our kids need sport as a way to stay active, be social, and feel connected as a culture. In my opinion, we have an opportunity this season to rethink, reprioritize and reboot our system. It’s an opportunity to train more and freeski more, which is the cornerstone of long term athlete development (LTAD).

Check out this video with Ted Ligety:

https://videos.usskiandsnowboard.org/alpineed/category/videos/general_ 

As alpine skiers, incredibly, we have the ability to participate and still stay distanced and masked! However, this becomes a challenge for our youngest skiers, as we often rely on help from coaches and parents for a multitude of things, including loading and riding lifts with them, assisting with bathroom breaks, and chaperoning while warming their toes. That will be a challenge in this environment, and so we’ll need to engage parents in the process more than ever!

We all know that volunteerism takes commitment and an attitude of teamwork. It sometimes requires memberships and training. These volunteer requirements may seem unnecessary or time consuming, but I can assure you that this is the moment when good parent involvement will have a huge impact on the health of our sport, as well as their child’s connection with snowsports, their coaches, and their skiing community.

With the limitations around this season, we have an opportunity to enjoy and improve our skiing so much more than a season filled with too many ski races.  This is the time when we can ski, play, have mountain adventures and improve our fundamental base together as skiing families. One of life’s greatest joys is to learn new things with the people we love!

As parents, we should not try to take the place of the coaches, and we shouldn’t try to coach the technique and tactics of a sport we do not have the experience or knowledge for. That’s not always easy to do when we want to help.

But here’s what we can do to help improve their skiing and their experience:

• Go skiing with your kids wherever they want to go. Try to ski all day! Get that important mileage!
• Be a playmate on the hill
• Do skiing challenges together - get your child to teach you!
• Work to improve our own skiing 
• Be supportive of their team, teammates, coaches, and club
• Encourage independence and respect
• Be on time
• Be prepared
• Read organizational emails

HERE ARE SOME CONCRETE SUGGESTIONS FOR GOING REMOTE AND DOING MORE WITH LESS GROUP TIME:

GMVS - Bingo Parent/Child Challenge:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZkqBTULvOfER06ltMYORD2P3MVnHUBDFK8jqMXuIRXw/edit

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d_39j6J-GeJSf6Zd0qAC6MEON57M3gJfkn3Ul61nfqA/edit

NYSEF - All Mountain Vertical Challenge and on snow games:

https://www.nysef.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/352/2020/12/NYSEF-Program-Activities.pdf

Gould-Sunday River - Five Games to play on snow:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kJRLgKTqNYLU0x4EeOESmV5vNtoRZvpzyCu35ieBQ8E/edit

Gore/NYSSRA Future Stars - Scavenger Hunts/All Mt. Adventure:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1giguCgs0W0W3HU27mJNis0NwRvAu-fUvDVg0neFPRPw/edit

Run by run: Coaching for athletes & coaching for parents:

As a parent, you can be incredibly helpful in this sport. Once the clubhouse floor has been swept and the gate shed is organized, get your boots on! 

• You can help the littlest kids get on the lift and ride safely to the top. They need the help, and they are hilarious. 
• You can take a ski lesson and start working on your own skiing. 
• THEN, when the ski program breaks for the day, go ski! Let your child show you around the mountain. See if you can get them to lead some of the activities they did with their coach that day. Explore their favorite places on the mountain. 
• No programming at all one day? Or a half-day? Go remote. Coaches: generate some themes and/or drills and get the kids to coach their parents and demo for them that day.

Lastly, if you’ve ever been into the Killington Mountain Ski Club, you’ll see these great signs:  (As a parent of 4, these really resonate with me!)

Thank you to all the parents! And a HUGE thank you goes out to leaders and coaches around the East who have shared some of their curriculum for keeping our athletes engaged and excited about skiing!