Get ready for a full dose of Bode Miller.
U.S. Ski Team men's coach Sasha Rearick said Tuesday that
Miller plans to race all five Alpine events at the Vancouver
Olympics. Miller's first event will be the downhill on Feb. 13, and
he'll also compete in the super-combi, super-G, giant slalom and
slalom.
A five-event schedule was not a given because Miller skipped
summer training while he debated retirement and is still not in top
shape after injuring his ankle during a team volleyball game in
December.
But Rearick said the biggest challenge for Miller would be
getting his equipment dialed in, not his fitness.
"I'm not so worried from the point of view of conditioning as
much as I am that he hasn't had much time skiing, and the setups
are still a challenge," Rearick told The Associated Press by phone
from Park City, Utah, where the Americans are holding their
pre-Olympic camp.
"That's going to be the biggest challenge -- getting all
those things set up. Right now in downhill he's going pretty good,
and he knows what he's going on; slalom is getting close. But in
super-G and GS we've got a lot of work to do. He's had no super-G
training and no GS training, so that's going to be important these
next days here."
There were questions over whether Miller would race the giant
slalom because he has not scored a single point in the discipline
on the World Cup circuit this season, whereas four other Americans
have -- Ted Ligety, Tommy Ford, Jake Zamansky and Tim Jitloff.
The U.S. squad gets four starting spots in each event. Ligety
leads the World Cup GS standings and will be among the race
favorites, meaning Ford, Zamansky or Jitloff risk sitting out.
Remember, at the Olympics the only thing that counts is
winning a medal -- there are no World Cup points to be had -- and
Miller is capable of finishing in the top three if he puts together
two solid runs.
Rearick said Miller will get the giant slalom start based on
his career record, which includes a silver medal at the 2002 Salt
Lake City Games, gold at the 2003 world championships in St.
Moritz, Switzerland, the 2004 World Cup title and nine World Cup
race victories.
Miller has not won a giant slalom since a December 2005 race
in Beaver Creek, Colo. His last podium finish in the discipline was
a third-place result at Lenzerheide, Switzerland, in March 2007.
In the two giant slalom races he entered this season, Miller
failed to finish his opening run in Beaver Creek and was
disqualified in Alta Badia, Italy.
Rearick pointed out Miller's seventh-place result in the
Olympic giant slalom test event in Whistler two years ago.
"He's got the experience," Rearick said. "He had a good race
even though he wasn't in form in Vancouver the last time there."
Miller has gone three consecutive major championships without
a medal, beginning with the 2006 Turin Games, where he made more
headlines for his late-night partying than skiing.
After a slow start this season, Miller showed his potential
again last month by winning a super-combi in Wengen, Switzerland.
"The only thing I'm expecting of Bode is to put down an
inspiring run every single race. That's what I want to see him do,"
Rearick said. "Go out and put down the type of skiing that he's
done all of his career and that has been inspiring to both himself,
the fans and the coaching staff. That's what I'm looking for, and I
expect that."
