USST head men's coach, Miller's coach both leaving

BORMIO, Italy — Phil McNichol, head men’s coach of the U.S. Ski Team, and Bode Miller's personal coach Johno McBride both announced Saturday that they are stepping down.
    McNichol, who joined the U.S. staff in 1997 and coached Miller to his first overall title in 2005, goes out after guiding Ted Ligety to the giant slalom title on Friday. ''It's good to leave when the guys are doing well and the team is in a good place,'' McNichol said. ''The whole federation is moving in the right direction. I wanted to leave it better than it was when I started.''
    McNichol is leaving to spend more time with his family. U.S. Alpine Director Jesse Hunt said he hoped to have a new coach in place soon, possibly before the U.S. Alpine Championships, which start next week at Sugarloaf USA in Maine.
    U.S. women's head coach Patrick Riml is a possible candidate, but Riml said nothing had been decided. ''We've got to go back for nationals, talk about it, and then we'll see,'' Riml said.
    Said McNichol, “I have a 100 percent confidence in Jesse’s ability to look within the staff first and look within the greater community if he needs to.”
    “Phil is definitely going to leave a long legacy,” said Ted Ligety. “He has had a lot of good years and coached a lot of guys to the top. He is going to be missed for sure.”
    Miller broke away from the U.S. team before this season to train and race on his own. McBride, a former U.S. coach, led the breakaway squad and Miller clinched his second overall World Cup title on Thursday.
    McBride also said he wanted to spend more time at home, with his newborn child, and told Miller of his plans on Saturday. ''I'm not coming back on my own accord,'' McBride told the Associated Press. ''The most I'll do with him for next season is maybe some preseason dry-land training and one or two races.''
    McBride said he wasn't sure if Miller would hire someone to replace him. Miller's staff also includes former U.S. coaches Forest Carey and Mike Kenney, Miller's uncle. ''He's looking at how to improve his situation,'' McBride said. ''He's looking at different options.''
    McBride also ruled himself out of the U.S. job. ''I'm not going back to the national team,'' he said. ''Not because I'm not interested in the job, but because I don't want to do it for the same reasons I don't want to work with Bode anymore.''
    With Lindsey Vonn taking the women's overall title, it was the first U.S. men's and women's sweep since Phil Mahre and Tamara McKinney accomplished the feat in 1983.“To see what Ted did and to see Bode regain his form and Lindsey dominate the downhill and two Americans win the overall and show that our country is also in the game is a monumental achievement,'' McNichol said. ''I'm proud of all of them.”
    McNichol said he expected he would remain involved in developing and promoting ski racing, whether on the event or the product side. “I can tell you that I am taking a break,” McNichol said. “I am not using the word retirement, and not using quitting. You know, I still have a lot of passion for the sport. I want to see what else is out there.”

— Gary Black Jr. contributed to this report.