Ski Club Vail’s Lindsey Kildow, a four-event racer on the U.S. Ski Team, reports regularly from the World Cup tour in collaboration with Denver Post ski writer John Meyer.
Sestriere, Italy – It was a great weekend: I got my revenge on the course at San Sicario where I crashed last year during the Olympics, finishing second in super-G, fourth in downhill and first in another super-G.
After having such a horrible crash at the Olympics, I felt like I had some business to finish there. I worked hard all summer to redeem myself through this whole season, but I felt like the races at San Sicario were the best opportunity to get even.
Just getting second place in the first race Friday was enough for me to turn the page, but to win Sunday made me feel like the issue was settled for good.
The course was different from the way it was prepared for the Olympics, because there wasn’t enough snow to create the artificial terrain features we faced at the Olympics. It was a lot safer and pretty fun to race. It had some pretty nice turns.
It was fun, it was different and I definitely didn’t think about the crash when I was racing. The terrain where I crashed wasn’t there this year.
We have had lousy snow conditions week after week this year, and the San Sicario races were the first since early December that took place on what you would call winter snow. It was really cold, man-made snow, clear skies, perfect conditions top to bottom. It felt like winter, finally, and it was awesome.
Austria’s Renate Goetschl won the downhill Saturday, and she’s probably too far ahead now for me to catch her and win the season title. I have a better chance to overtake her for the super-G title.
But for the next couple of weeks, we set aside our concerns on the World Cup to focus on the alpine world championships, which begin Saturday in Are, Sweden. In skiing, the world championships occur every other year.
I’m really excited about them. I really like the atmosphere up there. It’s a lot different than the past two big events that were in Italy, the 2005 world championships in Bormio and the 2006 Olympics. I like the hills and I hear the snow is really good this year.
I think I’m ready to prove myself. My first world championships in Bormio, I had tons of pressure because I’d been on the podium several times that season. I had no idea how to handle major championship pressure, but I still ended up finishing fourth twice. Now I feel like I’ve matured a lot, and I learned a lot from the Olympics. I think I am a stronger athlete, especially mentally.
Alpine World Championships at Are, Sweden
Saturday: Men’s super-G
Sunday: Women’s super-G
Feb. 8: Men’s super combined
Feb. 9: Women’s super combined
Feb. 10: Men’s downhill
Feb. 11: Women’s downhill
Feb. 13: Women’s giant slalom
Feb. 14: Men’s giant slalom
Feb. 16: Women’s slalom
Feb. 17: Men’s slalom
Feb. 18: Team event
