Better days to come for U.S. skiers, Macartney

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December 1, 2:19 AM

by Meri-Jo Borzilleri, Olympics Examiner

 

But with two Americans as defending World Cup overall champions in Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn -- who took two fourths in Aspen -- and perhaps unprecedented depth, don't expect too many more oh-fer weekends on the World Cup circuit.

Besides Miller, again skiing independently of the U.S. team, and Vonn, there's Olympic gold medalists Ted Ligety and Julia Mancuso, and veterans of a men's downhill team that landed at least one U.S. skier on the podium in each of the nine World Cup downhills last season. That's impressive.

One of those guys, Scott Macartney, will be intriguing to watch as the White Circus heads to Beaver Creek next weekend (men) and Lake Louise (women), then to Europe for the bulk of the winter.

Macartney's results this weekend (59th, DNF) in Lake Louise were uncharacteristic but understandable. They were his first races since January's frightening crash on the infamous Hahnenkahm at Kitzbuhel, Austria, left him with major head trauma.

The nerves showed during Saturday's downhill, where Macartney mis-timed the course's only major jump in blustery, flat-light conditions.

The video of Macartney's Kitzbuhel crash, which has gotten a couple million hits on YouTube, is so scary it comes with a "graphic content" warning. It has made him something of a celebrity even outside ski circles. Read about his return to the World Cup circuit, and his honest assessment of whether he can regain the speed and confidence necessary to compete at the top level.

"To have Scott come back here and be able to race is incredible," said U.S. head coach Sasha Rearick Saturday. "He had a great day [Friday, when he was fifth in training] and I think today he had nerves, but to get it over with is good. We're so excited to have him back. He's skiing well."
 

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