Sölden: U.S. women battle nerves, excitement

It’s time. The first World Cup of the season is upon us, and the world’s alpiners have been training all summer to prepare for this moment. Some racers have clear heads, and others have the jitters, and it’s no wonder.
IT'S TIME. The first World Cup of the season is upon us, and the world’s alpiners have been training all summer to prepare for this moment. Some racers have clear heads, and others have the jitters, and it’s no wonder.
    The Rettenbach Glacier in Sölden, Austria, “can have you banging your teeth all the way down,” men’s head coach Phil McNichol told Ski Racing. The training area is called “the Ice Box” after all, and until Friday the racers haven’t been able to train on the site where this weekend’s GS will be held.
    “The hill has a pretty good pitch and it is usually pretty icy,” said Katie Hitchcock, who will be starting for the U.S. team on Saturday. She has never skied it, but heard the course is gnarly. As for getting over her fears, she just waits them out.
    “All I think about is when it is going to be over,” she said.
    U.S. women’s head coach Patrick Riml on Friday said his racers simply need to trust themselves and their ability but acknowledged that may be difficult.
    “It’s definitely intimidating when you go up there the first time but it looks tougher than it really is,” Riml said of the Rettenbach.
    Joining Hitchcock in the start house Saturday are teammates Julia Mancuso (starting No. 7), Resi Stiegler (No. 27), Lindsey Vonn (No. 32), Megan McJames (No. 39), Caitlin Ciccone (No. 42), Stacey Cook (No. 56) and Lauren Ross (No. 58). Hitchcock will start No. 48.
    “The organizers did a hell of a job preparing everything, the snow is great,” Riml said. “The girls are confident, all they have to do tomorrow is ski like they can. They don’t have to do anything special, just go out there and ski and they should have a good result.”
     For Ciccone, racing in Sölden is particularly satisfying being that she was on the start list for Sölden last season and wasn’t able to race. It was going to be her first World Cup, but the race got canceled at the last minute due to poor snow conditions.
    “I was so bummed when they canceled it last year,” Ciccone said from Sölden. “I wanted to race so badly.”
    Her chance is here — though it’s now not her first World Cup — and she’s not worried about the course. “No thoughts, clear head,” she said. “Thinking too much is never a good thing, so seriously I don’t think that far ahead.”
    Ross is a surprise starter after sitting out all of last season with a left-knee injury, but Ross is feeling strong.
“So psyched about Saturday,” she told Ski Racing in an e-mail. “Feelin' good.”
    This first race is the place for the athletes to bring all their hard work over the summer to the pitch and put their new equipment to use.
    “I am super-excited to race and see the new equipment in action,” Ciccone said. “It’s fun to get in a race situation, the excitement of having something on the line — no matter how hard you try to simulate a race — it is just never the same!”

— Sam Flickinger contributed to this story