U.S. Nationals: Cook eludes Vonn for DH crown

SUGARLOAF, Maine — Stacey Cook captured her second national title in two days, clipping Lindsey Vonn by less than a tenth of a second in the downhill at the Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships.
    Admitting that she was skiing without much pressure after winning the super G crown on Sunday — and feeling even more relaxed after joking with Vonn at the start of Monday’s race — Cook overcame a moderate breeze on the flat lower section of the Narrow Gauge course to clock a time of 1 minute, 11.69 seconds. Vonn, skiing right behind Cook in the No. 12 start position, carried more speed through the speed trap but lost time early in the race, failing to negotiate the steeper top section as cleanly as Cook. Vonn crossed the line in 1:11.78.
    U.S. Ski Teamer Chelsea Marshall, who grew up racing in the East and attended the Green Mountain Valley School, finished third in the national championship downhill for the second straight year, clocking 1:11.84. Leanne Smith (1:12.16) and J1 Laurenne Ross (1:13.38) rounded out the top five.
   

SUGARLOAF, Maine — Stacey Cook captured her second national title in two days, clipping Lindsey Vonn by less than a tenth of a second in the downhill at the Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships.
    Admitting that she was skiing without much pressure after winning the super G crown on Sunday — and feeling even more relaxed after joking with Vonn at the start of Monday’s race — Cook overcame a moderate breeze on the flat lower section of the Narrow Gauge course to clock a time of 1 minute, 11.69 seconds. Vonn, skiing right behind Cook in the No. 12 start position, carried more speed through the speed trap but lost time early in the race, failing to negotiate the steeper top section as cleanly as Cook. Vonn crossed the line in 1:11.78.
    U.S. Ski Teamer Chelsea Marshall, who grew up racing in the East and attended the Green Mountain Valley School, finished third in the national championship downhill for the second straight year, clocking 1:11.84. Leanne Smith (1:12.16) and J1 Laurenne Ross (1:13.38) rounded out the top five.
    J2 racer Julia Ford shot up 20 spots from her No. 29 start position to finish in the top 10 and send a buzz through the small crowd at Sugarloaf on Monday. 
    But it was Cook who stole the show at these championships for the second straight day. She admitted the downhill title is the “big title to win at national championships” and that her first DH crown is a special one.
    “I brought my game today, just barely enough to get over Lindsey,” Cook said. “To beat Lindsey two days in a row is a pretty special feat. I don’t think that happens very often for anybody in the world.”
    Vonn was visibly disappointed in the finish. The reigning World Cup overall and downhill champion — who has never won a U.S. downhill title but finished twice in both 2000 at Jackson Hole and 2004 at Whiteface — had targeted this downhill victory after after winning her second career U.S. slalom title on Saturday. Vonn certainly was relaxed entering this race, joking around with Cook before the start after trading jokes with Marshall while riding the lift before the race.
    “We rode up the chair together and we were joking on the way up, that she better watch out but I didn’t get her today,” Marshall said. “It’s nice to be up there with Lindsey and Stacey and be competitive with them.”
    Monday’s temperatures were the warmest of the week, and the winds had lessened considerably from their high point late last week. Both Cook and Marshall said the top section of the course was a bit gusty but not too bad.
    Cook added that the track was a little slicker during the race than in training earlier Monday morning. Because of last week’s poor weather, organizers were forced to pack men and women’s training runs in Monday morning before the actual races. Cook said she went back to her hotel room between the training run and the race and relaxed with teammate Libby Ludlow. Marshall, meanwhile, said the program was different than what she was used to but wasn’t a problem.
    “It was a little different because we didn’t get inspection in between [training and racing], but I thought it helped,” she said. “I’m comfortable on this hill because I’m from the East and have run it before but it was helpful for me.”
    Cook, used to running the buffed-out downhill tracks on the World Cup, praised the snow and course condition at Sugarloaf. And with less than 2 seconds separating the top seven in the final results, having the right wax for the gliding sections on the bottom of the course was key.
    “I think the most important part of this course is carrying the speed from the top,” Cook said. “As close as all the girls were I don’t think you can make any mistakes. I just tried to keep my composure the whole way and carry as much speed as you could. There’s a little wind that you’re battling so just tried to stay in a really low tuck here at the bottom and through to the finish.”