Alpine nationals: Brandenburg sets pace for juniors

Santa Claus has nothing on Will Brandenburg.
    The Spokane, Washington, racer has made a list, and he’s checking it more than twice.
    “I’m really excited about how the year went. Going into the year I wrote the goals down. I’ve accomplished all of them, and then some. It’s been a dream season so far, for sure,” Brandenburg said Saturday after finishing fifth — the top junior — in the 2007 Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships super G. “Just to be able to ski with these guys, be able to be around such a good group of core guys, there’s nothing better. Nothing I would rather do.”
    The act of putting his goals down on paper — something all national teamers do — helps him stay focused, Brandenburg said.
    “Everyone sits down, from [Saturday’s winner] Bode [Miller] to the D team guys like us, and we all just sit down and write down our goals, see what we can do,” Brandenburg said. “As the season progresses, if you break them, you write new ones. If you don’t, you keep striving for those. It’s a good way to push yourself to try to get to the next level. I think it’s a must that everyone needs to do.”
ALYESKA RESORT, Alaska — Santa Claus has nothing on Will Brandenburg.
    The Spokane, Washington, racer has made a list, and he’s checking it more than twice.
    “I’m really excited about how the year went. Going into the year I wrote the goals down. I’ve accomplished all of them, and then some. It’s been a dream season so far, for sure,” Brandenburg said Saturday after finishing fifth — the top junior — in the 2007 Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships super G. “Just to be able to ski with these guys, be able to be around such a good group of core guys, there’s nothing better. Nothing I would rather do.”
    The act of putting his goals down on paper — something all national teamers do — helps him stay focused, Brandenburg said.
    “Everyone sits down, from [Saturday’s winner] Bode [Miller] to the D team guys like us, and we all just sit down and write down our goals, see what we can do,” Brandenburg said. “As the season progresses, if you break them, you write new ones. If you don’t, you keep striving for those. It’s a good way to push yourself to try to get to the next level. I think it’s a must that everyone needs to do.”
    Brandenburg has enjoyed a stellar week at Alyeska so far, finishing as the top junior in the downhill and super G as well as in the FIS downhill on Thursday.
    “You just kind of know it’s out there,” he said of his goals list. “You don’t focus too much on it, because then you build pressure on yourself. That’s something I’ve had a problem with in the past, building too much pressure to perform. You try to attain it. You try to put yourself in the best situation to be able to achieve those goals.”
    Brandenburg, 20, raced for Schweitzer Alpine Racing Club before being named to the D team.
    A new year’s baby in 1987, Brandenburg is a legitimate four-event threat now. In 2002, he was fourth in GS at the Topolino Children’s Games. In 2004, he was the J2 nationals combined champion. This season, he was fifth in downhill and 14th in GS at world juniors. On the NorAm circuit, he was 10th overall, fourth in GS, 11th in super G, 21st in slalom and 24th in downhill.
    “This season I was focusing everything on tech,” he said. “I didn’t race a speed event until mid-February, and then speed all of a sudden clicked and started going real well, so I started doing more and more of that. Now it’s more four-event. Everything’s been going great. I really didn’t expect speed to come, because I wanted to really build my tech side of things. But Fischer supplied me with great skis, and all of a sudden I’m fast.”
    Saturday, Brandenburg started 16th and finished in 1 minute, 8.32 seconds, .57 behind race winner Miller, good for fifth place. Travis Ganong, in 10th, was the second-best junior racer in the super G.
    “I wanted top five today,” Brandenburg said. “I’m happy. I didn’t think I was going to get it when I crossed the finish line, but it seems like a couple of people had some troubles up there.
    “I had a solid run. I couple of mistakes, but nothing too big, so I’m happy with my performance.”
    He said the lighting was difficult for the race, which began at 10:30 a.m.
    “It’s worse than yesterday by far because there’s no light on the track — it’s flat light the whole way down. It’s tough to see little bumps and ripples, stuff like that. All in all, they’re doing an amazing job preparing the hill. It’s good for everyone,” he said.
    Friday, Brandenburg was eighth in the downhill. He was 10th in the FIS downhill on Thursday.
    Brandenburg said his Fischer ski setup has been a key to his success, and the World Cup surge by U.S. Ski Teamer Steven Nyman — another Fischer skier – hasn’t hurt.
    “The great thing about being on Fischer is having a guy like Steve, something who helps the younger athletes so much,” Brandenburg said. “I didn’t know him at all going into this season, then all of a sudden he became almost like a mentor, someone you could really follow and look up to, from a lot of aspects, how he holds himself and stuff like that. How he helps me with my skis is amazing — can’t ask for anything more or a better role model.”
    After the tech events at nationals, Brandenburg — who stands 6 feet and weighs 195 pounds — will focus on summer camps and some work in the weight room.
    “I need to work out a lot — I’m kind of kind of scrawny, a little skinnier than everyone else,” he said. “I need to put on some weight, put on some muscle, work really hard, go train down in New Zealand and Mammoth and Chile, then next year we’ll see.”
    Saturday, he said his sister and brother-in-law were in attendance. His parents, who trekked to Austria to see their son compete at world juniors — got an audio taste of the Alyeska super G.
    “My dad is on the phone,” he said, “and my sister holds the phone up to the radio so he can listen to it.”