ADVENTURE SPORTS BY WINA STURGEON 3/05/08
PHIL MAHRE SAYS "NEXT YEAR."
Phil Mahre, ski racing's favorite baby boomer, didn't qualify for the U. S. National Alpine Championships this year, and has too much integrity to accept the unearned entry that was offered to him.
But don't worry, the multi-medaled Olympian isn't giving up. He intends to come back for another try next season, and keep trying until he makes it.
His skiing was not an issue. Too much snow kept him out of some of the races he needed for enough points to qualify.
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
March 19 is SB day---snowboarder day at Taos Resort in New Mexico. That's when one of the few remaining ski areas that still bans snowboards drops the ban and allows riders in. The occasion will be marked by great celebration. Already, there is crossed-out graffiti on the "No Snowboarders" signs.
Some snowboarders are traveling to Taos from far distances, just to take part in what promises to be a big party atmosphere. Don't be surprised if some amazing guests show up to give away some mighty fine schwag.
HIGH PERFORMANCE CAMP FOR CURLING
Curling, once mocked in a Beatles movie, takes a lot more skill than most people realize. Now it will have its own high performance camp, just like other Olympic sports.
Green Bay, Wisconson, will be the place for the elite training camp held by the sport's federation on May 8-11. The nation's top curlers (sounds funny, dunnit) will be invited to be coached by members of the U. S. Curling association and the U. S. Olympic Commitee. The Federation says that there will be 10 coaches and trainers at the camp, there to work with the curlers who are the potential Olympians for 2010.
U. S. SKI TEAM MAY HAVE SOME THINKABOUTIT TIME
The U. S. ski team has never liked independants---or for that matter, independence. Skiers who wanted their own way got the highway. Athletes who didn't toe the ski team line got no help. Julie Paresian was kicked out for wanting her own coach, and was even forced to pay for the U. S. uniform she was required to race in. Kristina Koznick was distracted by having to raise money for her racing expenses after she decided to keep her boyfriend/coach instead of dumping him as ordered.
Bode Miller is the first skier to ever pull it off. When his moderate drinking became an issue because of a slip of the tongue on a TV show, the ski team tried to tightly reel Bode in, but he said he knew what he needed to win, and if the ski team wouldn't cooperate, he would hit the highway---in his own RV.
He did, and now is contending for the overall World Cup title, with seven races left in the season. The team, now left out of the major sponsor bucks Bode is getting, may be rethinking his deal.
Meanwhile, sweetheart Lindsey Vonn is close to clinching the women's overall title. If she and Miller both win, it will be the first double victory for the U. S. since Tamara McKinney and Phil Mahre won back in the 1980's.
PRIMAL QUEST SHOWS CHANGE IN ADVENTURE RACING
Adventure racing has changed, and the old image of large, heavily-geared teams and races that cost thousands of dollars in expedition preparation, is being replaced by hard-hitting endurance races done in a few hours, either with single racers or in smaller teams of two or three.
The new "Primal Quest" series, like the upcoming XTERRA at Utah's Snowbasin Resort, are good examples. Organizers refer to the Quest races as "A series of shorter, faster, high energy, adrenaline-fueled sprint races," which is also a good description of the new XTERRA event.
The first Primal Quest takes place in May in Richmond, Virginia, followed by another in October in Charlotte, North Carolina. Look for more adventure races that are day trips in endurance, coming to your neck of the woods soon.
SNOWKITING MASTERS SHOW SPORT'S POPULARITY
Snowkiting is when skiers or snowboarders glide up a mountain or across a white-covered meadow, pulled by a kite that catches the wind. The sport is, in a cliche, exploding in popularity. One of the world's top snowkiting destinations is Skyline, Utah, with an elevation and constant wind that provides great conditions for the exciting sport.
Snowkiters from all over the world just completed the fourth annual U. S. Open National Championships in Skyline, where some raced, and some just rode on windpower in the laid-back, no-lift atmosphere of a snowkite competition. It's almost like a wilderness gathering, with everyone relaxed and having fun.
For more info on this growing sport, go to snowkiting.com; where you will find where to rent the kites, how to use them, and where the upcoming events will take place.