Skokinarciarskie.pl

[frau_kanzlerin]

W związku z historycznym dokonaniem Johhny`ego nie może tu zabraknąć tematu o Amerykanach

Na początek artykuł i ciekawy wywiad ze strony usskiteam.org

Combined Sprint Gold to Spillane!

VAL DI FIEMME, Italy (Feb. 2 - Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO), picking up confidence because of fast skis, broke open the nordic combined sprint Friday at the 2003 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in the final 150 meters and won the first nordic gold medal for the United States in Olympic or World Championships history. The individual champion, Ronny Ackermann of Germany, was second, Felix Gottwald of Austria third.

NBC will have Worlds coverage Sunday 1-3 p.m. EST.

"Our wax team gave me great skis," said Spillane, who was fourth behind three Germans - Georg Hettich, Ronny Ackermann and newcomer Matthias Benz, after jumping. "I was riding Fischer rockets. Rob [Powers, chief technician], OJ [Oyaseter, combined waxing tech] and the rest of the guys - we've got an awesome waxing team - did a great job."

In grabbing the first nordic combined medal of any color, he finished 1.3 seconds ahead of the other medalists (a photo finish was decided in Ackermann's favor by the jury) with Hettich fourth, 2.1 seconds out. Todd Lodwick (also Steamboat) was 26th after jumping and moved up to 19th in the 7.5-km while Jed Hinkley (Andover, NH) was 37th and Carl Van Loan (Webster, NH) 41st.

LEAD PACK FORMED QUICKLY
Spillane started the three-lap, 7.5-km race 28 seconds behind Hettich, two seconds back of Menz, whom he quickly passed. Gottwald, in seventh place after jumping, was 35 seconds out, but he closed on Spillane in just over a kilometer and they skied up to Ackermann and Hettich, creating a lead pack of four.

They skied together into the third lap. Spillane said he was able to rest for about 30 seconds as the group - with Spillane tagging along easily in fourth - slowed its pace for a while. "That gave me the break I needed. I knew I had great skis and with that I was really set to go."

As they came out of the hills, carrying speed to the big roller leading in to the stadium, Spillane - who had three top-3s in December in 48 hours in Trondheim, Norway - said he knew he was in good shape for a medal, perhaps to win.

"I was definitely surprised with the result," a wide-grinning Spillane, 22 and a graduate of Steamboat's Whiteman School, told journalists.

"I was going, and I just started skiing as fast as I could. It's a surprise to me - I've never sprinted like that - but I knew I was in good position for a medal...and maybe to win."

DID ACKERMANN AND GOTTWALD FORGET SPILLANE?
Gottwald and Ackermann, who each earned three medals at the championships, looked at each other during a post-race press conference and said they hadn't been caught napping when Spillane came tearing into the final meters. "We overlooked nobody," said Gottwald, who collected the bronze to go with his individual silver and team gold. Ackermann, the World Cup leader and defending World Cup champion, won the opening event and anchored the silver-medal team relay.

"Johnny was behind us but he was the strongest in the end," Gottwald added.

Spillane's view: "They were playing around at the top on the third lap, and nobody wanted to lead. I really had a good chance to recover for maybe 30 seconds, which was just what I needed. And then they went again and it was fast to the finish, the last K and a half we were really moving…and fortunately, I had enough strength to stay with them for the medals…

"I don't think they realized I had as fast skis as I did." He posted the sixth-fastest 7.5-km time in skiing to gold.

As he prepared for the post-race media blitz, Spillane – who skied in a lightweight white ski cap, reached into his backpack and pulled out a (dry) black baseball cap with STEAMBOAT written across the front, representing the Steamboat Ski Corp., which has sponsored him throughout his career. "Y'know," he said to his coaches, "I just figured, as we headed out this morning, 'Maybe I better bring this.' Good thing…"

Spillane, who grew up two blocks from Steamboat's Howelsen Hill ("Every morning I looked out there and saw people jumping and I just wanted to be part of that sport," he said), said moving to the K120 hill - away from the 95-meter hill used in the individual event - was a big boost.

SPILLANE CHANNELED NERVOUSNESS IN POSITIVE WAY

He was "nervous' in the start, he explained, but that's better than being worried. After some psychological counseling by Ski Team sport psychologist John Anderson following his disappointing 24th in the individual comp, Spillane said he was ready for the sprint. "Nervous is okay – that means you have some expectations; the problem comes when you're worried," he said.

"I like big-hill jumping. I think the K95, and all small hills, are just more boring...and I didn't ski well on the 95-meter," he said. "I was really happy to get to the bigger jump; the bigger the jump the better it is for me."

He also said he and jumping Coach Corby Fisher had gone over basic technique, tweaking his style so he can take advantage of his good feeling for Predazzo's 120-meter jump. Spillane had the longest jump in the final training round Thursday and third-longest jump in the trial round Friday.

Making the victory even more enjoyable was the fact Spillane's parents - Nancy and Jim - plus younger sister Katie were in the sun-bathed crowd as temperatures rose into the upper 40s once again. His younger brother Ben is still in school in Steamboat. (Spillane cashed-in frequent flyer miles on United Airlines as a birthday surprise for his sister so she could attend the championships.)

U.S. Head Coach Bard Elden said, "Jumping, he was back to where he can jump to; both Corby and I knew where he can jump to…and in cross country, the whole season it's been 'Does he go today or doesn't he?' He's been very inconsistent…

ELDEN: "…HE JUST LOOKED AT ME AND NODDED…"
"I told him – trying to convince him – he can be one of the fastest skiers out there. Today, he was confident. He totally went inside himself and did his race. He came up that last hill and I told him 'There's 17 seconds to [Norway's Kristian] Hammer' and he just looked at me and nodded." Spillane wasn't concerned about anyone behind him – "I only looked forward today," he said.

Lodwick, in tears in the finish area while Hinkley and Van Loan were leading the shouts of jubilation with various forms of rodeo yells, said, "These are tears of joy. I won the world juniors championships in Italy [Asiago – 1996] and Johnny wins in Italy today. There's no sweeter music than hearing your national anthem when they raise the flags of the guys on the podium. This is almost beyond unreal."

The USA had won only three previous nordic medals in Olympic or World Championships - none in combined: Jumper Anders Haugen 's bronze at the 1924 Olympics, the first Winter Games in Chamonix, France - although he didn't get the medal until 1974 when Norwegian historian Jakob Vaage discovered a scoring error that moved Haugen from fourth to third (Haugen accepted the medal from the daughter of the by-then-deceased previous "medalist" in special ceremonies in Oslo); and Bill Koch's silver in the Olympic 30-km in Seefeld, Austria, in 1976, and his 30-km bronze at the 1982 World Championships in Oslo.
_________________
kes hüppab ja suusatab.

[Google]

[frau_kanzlerin]

Q&A: Spillane Talks About Title

Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) made history Friday by winning the first ever U.S. Nordic Combined gold medal in World Championships (or even the Olympics). After the race he spoke with media via a teleconference hosted by the USOC.

Q: What was your strategy going into the 7.5k race, because those three loops tend to be pretty tough as you go along?
I just wanted to go out and conserve as much energy as I could. My plan was to jump on Felix and hang with him for as long as possible, hopefully get up to that group and see where I could go to from there. The first part of the day I had some really good screws and felt really really good and I was able to hang with them till the end. And that’s how I finished.

Q: When did you decide you were going to make a jail break? It looked like you caught them napping.
I really pushed hard the last half of the third lap. And I knew if I could just maintain contact with the group until that last big hill going down to the finish. I knew if I was still up with them at that point I was definitely going to have a chance, and with the way I was feeling and the ski’s that I had. So my plan was to stay right behind them going down the hill and try to carry as much speed as I could past them and it worked out really well.

Q: Thinking back to Soldier Hollow and the disappointment you experienced. Does anybody outside your team and coaches know how hard you’ve worked to get to where you are today?
At Soldier Hollow we were extremely disappointed. You know everybody tried their hardest and it just wasn’t our day. There was a lot of motivation to get back on the ball and really try to show the world what we are made of, because the USA can be a force in Nordic skiing. We are really starting to improve. Last year we were a little young and immature, and we couldn’t do what we wanted to do. But I learned a lot from that experience last year and I take it and try to apply it to all of my training. Train every day, or jump every day at least. And it’s a big sacrifice, but I love what I do and everything about it. To be the best Nordic skier I can be I really needed to train every day. It was also a big sacrifice to leave my family and friends and move to Park City, but it’s definitely paid off. I trained really hard over the summer. I got a new jump coach and a new head coach and both of them have had a huge impact on my sport and my life. Everything has been going really well right from the beginning of the season so I’m pretty happy with the way things have gone so far.

Q: Your colleague Kris Freeman has also had great success here, when you two were going nose-to-nose, who was winning.
Kris was up there in the cross-country portion of the race, but obviously overall I got in front. I think I am a better jumper than he is. He’s always a pretty competitive guy, always a lot faster than us at a young age. He’s a good guy and I’m excited to see what he can do out here.

Q: Tell me exactly how far from the finish line you were when you jumped them and pulled ahead.
About 150 meters, 150 yards something like that.

Q: Now over those 150 meters, did you realize you were winning this thing?
By the time I had 100 meters left, I pretty much knew I had it. I had so much adrenaline flowing. I felt just awesome. I just needed to make sure I didn’t put my pole between my legs or something. I felt well in control, just so much excitement and so much adrenaline made it feel pretty easy.

Q: After you took the lead did you look behind you, and after you won, who did you look to celebrate with?
I kind of knew where the guys were, so I try not to look behind because it slows you up a little bit. But definitely when I got to the last twenty yards I looked back to make sure everything was fine and under control and then I celebrated a bit, but after I got through the finish line I was looking around for anybody to talk to, I was just so excited. I saw my jump coach first. It was just an unbelievable feeling to cross the finish line first and it was a long time coming.

Q: What did the other skiers do afterward; did they come and congratulate you?
The other competitors were just very courteous, a lot of good sportsmen out there. It’s a pretty big group of guys they are all very competitive, but at the same time all very gracious. So it was great to have them all come up and tell me congratulations.

Q: How much did tracks break down during race?
Didn’t break down at all, not much change in snow in the day. Not big difference, very consistent throughout course.

Q: How do you manage the extra pressure?
I’ve worked with the sport psychologist, and spent a lot of time learning how to channel the energy and use it the right way. I use focus techniques. Especially in the spring, when its all or nothing. You try to use it to your benefit. Nervousness is a good thing. Worried means you haven’t done the proper training.

Q: Are you aware that back in Colorado Springs the USOC is in the biggest turmoil in history?
We are aware, but our job is to come out here and ski as well as we can. Fortunately the last few years we’ve had really good support and it’s paying off now. We’ve seen all the (Ski) teams have better and better results. These last few years have been awesome and they’ve provided all the teams with all the training they’ve needed. And we are starting to see the benefit in that now.

Q: You were jumping the biggest jumps that were seen yesterday in training? What difference does it make when your jumping a bigger hill compared to a small hill?
It’s really two different kind of theories to who can ski big hill and small hills well. Guys who ski small hills well are a little bit stronger athletes, maybe not as technically correct, but just different types of guys. On bigger hills its more technical and I think a lot more fun. I seem to do better on bigger hills. I really enjoy it. I got into this sport because its fun to fly—that’s essentially what we are doing out there—and jumping those big hills have always been the highlight for me and that is why I’ve always done better on them. That’s still no excuse for how I skied off the small hill, I definitely under performed and think I could have done a lot better than I did. I was disappointed with the way I finished, I was trying to stay really strong and turn things around as quickly as possible cause on those big hills I can compete with anybody.

Q: Did you and your coach work anything out between these jumps, or just go back to basics?
Well we did a little extra technique work. I knew the way I was jumping on the small hill would work on a big hill. It wasn’t exactly where it needed to be, but it was definitely really close. But unfortunately for me it was a really difficult hill, really flat hill that requires a person to be really strong-- strong mentally and strong physically. It’s kind of a roll of the dice out there on that small hill. Today we took one step back from the small and big hill, but by competition rolled around we had taken two steps forward.

Q: Can you put this win in perspective, what it means to you, what it means for the program and any future athletes wanting to get into this sport?
It means a lot. We have a quite a few skiers in this state and spread out all across the country, but unfortunately in the past, we haven’t really given them anything to set their sites on. There hasn’t been a guy who has made that step ahead or really taken control out there. I think that now I can hopefully be that for them. I think that the U.S. has a ton of potential. They need something to grasp in order to say ‘hey we can be the best’. This gives them something to strive for. And hopefully this is just a stepping-stone for a lot of more athletes to get up there. In jumping, cross-country and Nordic combined there is a ton of potential right now. Tons of talent and hopefully we can just all make this next big jump together.

Q: How much does it mean to you to be that first guy to get that nordic gold?
I’m obviously just so thrilled to be that guy to break the barrier, but it was a real team effort for sure, definitely everybody gave their part. Everyone had a hand in it for sure.

Q: With the other U.S. ski teams doing so well, does that play with your mind and help you believe you can do it to.
Definitely, We all feed off each other; we stay at the same motels. We eat at the same restaurants. And the whole groups energy—when one of us wins—goes up. You can especially feel it when we live with each other. Everyone has a lot of confidence and its very contagious. I’ve been in Park City since April of last year. I think I will have to be in Park City for quite a while still. There are no other training facilities in the U.S. like it. It is definitely the best.

Q: Three straight podiums, what change in your training did you do prior to these wins to get you into the position to get three straght?
I kind of have a new outlook on jumping and I think that’s the main difference. I skied well last year, lot of top-10’s but I had the wrong idea on what it took to make a good jump. New jump coach, Corby Fisher, really helped me learn what it is that makes you go far. Took double the jumps this summer. Trained as much as possible. Relearned what it was that a good ski jump is. My jumps were very aggressive before. I took it all back, started from scratch and made it more of a consistent jump. Jump in all kind of conditions. Last year if I jumped in the top-30 I was pleased. This year if I don’t jump in the top-5 I am upset. In Park City I jump on plastic.




Friday, February 28, 2003

-- Best in the World! --
_________________
kes hüppab ja suusatab.

[kiimi]

w takim razie bez zdjec sie nie obejdzie

[kiimi]

:happy:

[kiimi]

i jeszcze <--- chyba juz przesadzam a w ogole to fajne ma imie

[Irm]

aaaaaaa! nie lubie Amerykancow, ale lubie niespodzianki! brawo!!!!!!!!! :brawo: :brawo: :brawo:
_________________

[Google]

[frau_kanzlerin]

Ja w kombinacji uwielbiam wszystkich, zwłaszcza jak się zrobi tak mistrzowskie zagranie jak Johnny! Ale przechytrzył chłopaków, myślałam, że padnę, choć bieg oglądałam już wiedząc, kto zwyciężył... bomba! :happy:
_________________
kes hüppab ja suusatab.

[Irm]

a ja nie wiedzialam i prawie na zawal umarlam.
_________________

[kamischka]

ech, Irm, znam ten ból, ojciec co pięc sekund wpadał do pokoju mnie uspokajać, wydzierałam sie chyba na pół bloku:P tak sie kurcze chłopakami emocjonowałam:) koffam takie biegi, a nie jak nikt z nikim nie rywalizuje, bo już ma taką przewagę po dkokach ( to nie jets aluzja do Ackera:P)
anyway, brawo Johnny :brawo: :brawo: :brawo: :brawo:
_________________
'it's nice to fly, it's nice to run; it's very easy, it makes fun!'

[Irm]

ja na szczescie bylam u babci, babcia sie moim stanem psychicznym na szczescie nie przejmuje. heh. i moimi wrzaskami i gadaniem do siebie lub telewizora.
tylko ostatnio malo stolu nie pogryzlam z nerwow - wtedy by zauwazyla, ze cos ze mna nie tak. COS. hehehehe...
koffam kombinacje!!!!!!
to 8932894824932894 razy wiecej emocji, niz skoki, gdzie ZAWSZE wygrywa nie ten, co ja bym chciala!
_________________

[kiimi]

i jeszcze Johnny

[Google]

[Irm]

boskie zdjatko!!!!!!!!!
_________________

[kiimi]

teraz karetka tez potrzebna??????? P:P

[Irm]

nie, ja tylko na Felixa tak reaguje.
_________________

[vesta]

[Irm]

a ja nie mam dywanow, bo jestem na kurz uczulona. a kurz sie na dywanach zbiera. mam drewniany parkiet...
_________________

[vesta]

oj! przykro mi z powodu Twojego uczulenia... mam siostrę alergiczkę... A co do palcatu to niezbyt ważne w co biję, byle bić...
_________________
Qui veut seulement tout envoyer en l'air
Je saurais comment faire je crois
C'est inscrit dans nos genes
Je sais qu'on est capable de tout
Envoyer en l'air, sans regard en arriere

[Irm]

nio, alergia to nic przyjmnego.
_________________

[kamischka]

[frau_kanzlerin]