Kitzbühel Super Combination soon

APA. Peter Schroecksnadel, president of the Austrian Ski Federation, remains for another two years until 2014 and thus a member of the 16-member FIS Council. The 70-year-old Tyrolean was on Friday the 48th FIS Congress in South Korea with 118 of 123 possible votes re-elected. Increasingly likely that 2013 is the first time an Alpine Kitzbuehel super combined on Friday to the host coming.

New members are Flavio Roda (ITA) and Andrei Bogarew (RUS), the former ski jumper Adam Malysz of Poland did not make it. FIS president Gian-Franco Kasper (SUI) was not up for election, he was elected in 2014.

The World Cup 2012/13 season begins as usual with the glacier in Sölden race, this time at 27-28. October walk across the stage. Experience will be the return of Madonna di Campiglio (Mr. slalom on the 18th of December) and for women in St. Anton (speed contests, 12-13. January) and Meribel in France (downhill / super combined on 23./24.2.).

A reform should soon come to Kitzbühel in Kitzbühel Since 1931 a "classic combination evaluation" of downhill on Saturday and the slalom on Sunday will be created. The winner of this classification is the actual "Hahnenkamm winner." This might now be concluded. The FIS is generally known in Korea as a combination to maintain the alpine core competition and needed to maintain the relatively new "super combo" in the Olympic program at least two World Cup competitions per season and gender.

In addition, we will present the Super Combined (one speed race and a slalom through in a day) in the best World Cup places. Apart from Wengen to the future in the men be Kitzbühel. The FIS had previously made it clear that it will continue for the "classic combination" in Kitz be no more World Cup points.

The final decision was postponed, however, among other reasons for the fall calendar conference in early October in Zurich, because men's race director Guenter Hujara illness in Korea was missing. Until then there will be further discussions between FIS, Austrians and Kitzbühel.

St. Moritz in South Korea in ecstasy!

Newsletter 4

Reached at the third attempt, the great goal! Today, on Thursday 31 May 2012 shortly after 12:00 Swiss time clock, could fall, members of the delegation of St. Moritz and the candidacy committee for the World Ski Championships 2017 happy in the arms and let their emotions run wild.

The team from the Engadine, in his third attempt competitors Cortina d'Ampezzo (Italy) and Are (Sweden) left behind and, after an impressive campaign with a friendly appearance at the conference in South Korea awarded the honor to perform 14 years after the last World Ski Championships this important occasion again in Switzerland to. Hugo Wetzel, president of the nomination committee, shortly after the announcement of the decision: "I am overjoyed. My team has been working for six years on this great goal and constantly persevere! The decision is important not only for St. Moritz and the Engadine for, but for the canton of Grisons, as well as for the whole of Switzerland. We will show the whole world can turn that we are organizing a great event. " Sigi Asprion Also, the mayor of St. Moritz, which beside himself with joy: "We are delighted huge. St. Moritz, it means that we again have a common goal that we all pull together and bring people back to a rope in order to achieve this. It is indescribable! " Urs Lehmann, president of Swiss-Ski: "The moment the announcement was a brilliant and wonderful moment that was very liberating for us all. Looking back, there is a reward for six years, highly professional work of the organizing committee. But for us there into the lot of motivation and energy to the whole system - but it is also an obligation, if we want to be in 2017 provided a strong team. " Matthias Remund, director of the Federal Office for Sport, who himself site was to support the candidacy, could not hide his joy as well: "This is great for St. Moritz, the Engadine, Grisons, indeed for the whole of Switzerland. We can now deliver world championships in a sport which is important in our country. This is a huge opportunity for alpine skiing in Switzerland - not only for the best, but also for the young and popular sport. We must seize this chance! " The announcement of the victory, which also attracted the public viewing in St. Moritz, many locals and guests, but now is not the end of a successful story, but the new start of a chapter. The St. Moritz Swiss ski together with the project, based on the experiences of recent years to develop and expand. But first, the team will celebrate the win - they deserve it!

IF YOU WANT THE TRUTH, FOLLOW THE MONEY

These are very difficult things to write about. Where the money goes, what it is spent on, why we cut our team, where will the money be assigned? What has always been an issue with me and a problem with me is the “need to know” type operation of the US Ski Team. When I worked there, at the highest level of our sport, my “need to know” from my point of view was everything. I am a “why” guy. I want to know why we do what we do as much as what or when or how. Actually, WHY and HOW are the two most important things I want to know! As I regress, I realize that the Ski Team plays a “need to know” type game like the CIA, especially with their field agents, so to speak. And when it came down to it, I was a field agent. So when I read stuff about how we are giving up on athletes for the sake of coaches’ pay, I can tell you that it is not true. I know what I made, and I know what they make now. We got paid poorly, especially for what we did, how much time we spent away from our families, how much we traveled and last, how well we did. But regardless of all that, this is about a larger point of view. About funding small numbers of athletes and letting the pyre burn. About cutting people who are or who have been good on the World Cup and about cutting the legs out of every up and coming athlete in the country knowing that even if they MAKE the US SKI TEAM, their parents will have to continue to pay tens of thousands of dollars for them to meet their dreams. It is a crock, and the ski team needs transparency on the issue. So, is there a theory behind it? Is there a thought? Or is the structure just too top heavy and administratively driven?

Let’s take a look at the most important thing to me, elite level results. The USST has decided to cut funding for all but the best 8 men and women. The A Team is funded, no one else is. When I started working with the USST Men’s World Cup Group in spring 2002, we had 30 athletes and I believe 28 were funded. And as I remember it, we spilt the last 2 guys so they were each ½ funded. Now, the men’s team funds 8, yes that is a single digit, 8 athletes. They are A Team named. The women also fund only 8. So when you look at it, girls like Julia Ford or Abby Ghent, both on their way up with excellent results trending toward World Cup scoring are paying a huge bill just to be part of it. The men’s team is the same. We have a regular WC slalom scorer in Dave Chodounsky funding himself. I know this is tough to swallow and it is tough to figure out what is going on. Is it because our organization is top-heavy? Is it a world-wide economic issue? Is it the value of the Euro versus the US Dollar? Is it the price of fuel? But even if it is any or all of these factors, then why don’t we adjust our spending and structure so athletes see the funding?

Let’s go with top-heavy first. Yes, Mr. Marolt makes a lot of money. But not that out of whack with others in his position world-wide. Yes, he could take a pay cut and give $200k back to the budget but that does not figure out to be that much of a positive. We could get rid of the COO position for sure. We could cut down from 160 or so employees to 130. But what does that do? That puts us in a funding situation similar to 2002 with underpaid, overworked coaches and staff. The answer seems to be raising more money. But then what? It goes up the chain. The higher-ups get more money but it never goes to the athletes and coaches. The answer is in the system. How do we do what we do and why? What if we worked on a different point of view? What if the Ski Team was just a development group for professional teams? Fully funded, fully focused on what they do with amateur or Junior level competitions as their goals? Then the World Cup was a group of corporate funded teams of multi-nation athletes? Oh wait, is that a motor-sport model? Or cycling? Yes it is. But why not? The FIS is lost in some weird old-school “amateur” program with limited advertising and access. It’s just plain stupid. The FIS just came out of their spring meetings with one main focus, keep athletes to the maximum size of patches on uniforms and headgear. WHAT? That is what we need? No, we all need more money, not restrictions. Create pro teams. The pro teams could be anyone. Obviously, Red Bull would have one. So would a couple of ski industry biggies. Bernie Ecclestone probably would. So would Johann Eliasch. Then you could hit up the big Euro companies. AUDI, BMW, MERCEDES, FIAT would all be in. Shell, OMG and others. Come on! Get into it and get out of the National Team Model! It is a model that is just wasting away and we are watching it happen.

Regardless, we are where we are right now because we spend no money on our athletes. So what is the theory? What is going on? Why are they stopping spending in the development levels while SAYING they are focused on development? Follow the money and where does it take you? It takes you to 2014. And let’s analyze that. If you look at the Men’s A Team, I have to think they are anticipating some attrition in the near future. Ted, as good as he is, and as young as he is, is going on 10 years on the World Cup and 30 years old when he goes to Sochi. And he is a smart guy with a lot of other interests, I would be impressed if he continued after 2014 but I would not be surprised if he moved on with his life. Bode is done, soon. His body is telling him so. Nyman hasn’t skied effectively in years. I believe in him but he crested 30 years old and has been injured a lot of late. Weibrecht is younger than both but again, I would not be surprised to see him move on to other pursuits after Sochi. So that leaves Ford, Kasper and Ganong as A Team guys with a future. Ford, GS and SG only. Kasper is a SL specialist and Ganong in DH/SG. That is great for them but there is a huge void. There is some talent and youth on the men’s B team and they will vie for some of the dollars. I just think that the Men’s team is throwing all their dough into the current A Team guys to push through Sochi and then readjusting after losing 5-6 athletes.

On the women’s side: Lindsey, Julia and Cookie all will be 30 after Sochi. And there are not many 30 year old women who continue racing after that 30th birthday. I could see Lindsey continue as she is chasing world records for victories and all of that. Resi will be gone at 29 by then and we need to watch Leann closely to see if she can stick around. But then what? Laurenne and Alice stick around in speed and Michaela in tech, of course. So on the women’s side you see the ski team throwing tons of money at the A team right now to push through Sochi and then they will reallocate that money to the lower teams as they move forward and retirements take place.

I am just throwing this out there as a POSSIBILITY. I do not know this to be true. And look at staff. Will Sasha continue after 2014? What about Hoedlmoser, or Chip White? There will be a lot of salary to be saved there as entry level guys in those positions will take less salary.

My point is simply that I think the ski team is throwing all the funding they can into the Schladming/Sochi charge and then will re-examine the money flow.

So when we get back into it, what is the real problem? I have this thought that if we raised another $2 million, only 10% of that would go to the actual operation of the team. When I last worked there, our overall budget was worth about $24 million and the men’s alpine budget was around $2.2 million including all salaries. Do the math. Same answer on the women’s team. I do not know the answer; I just know it does not work right in the current format. What would $200k do for each alpine team? Not much.

In closing, I would make sure I know where my money was spent if I was giving a lot of cash to the ski team. If I was on the Board of Directors or Trustees I would ask for the money to be spent on athletes and athletic programs.

Greg Needell | 4 Comments | Email Article | Share Article
tagged CIA, Ligety, Mancuso, Mikaela Shiffrin, Miller, Mt Hood, USST, Vonn, cook
View Printer Friendly Version

Email Article to Friend

Reader Comments (4)
I totally agree on the team aspect versus the country. I have been saying that for years!

June 9, 2012 | East Coast Shreda
I also agree on using the team model used in cycling and other sports. Would FIS go for it? I doubt it. For almost every problem ski racing has seen recently from plummeting tv ratings to injuries, I dare suggest FIS is responsible one way or another. It is an organization that passed it's "best before" shelf life date about 30 years ago. If it wasn't for the Olympics injecting some interest and money into the sport once every four years, ski racing and FIS might have died years ago.

But that is no secret. So the big mystery to me is why doesn't somebody step up and create an alternative? Unlike the failed pro tour in the 70's, now there are enough elite athletes unhappy with the system to create a viable tour. Free from an out of touch grandfather they could jazz up the format, use whatever equipment they see fit, attract new sponsors, even create new disciplines or do whatever the hell else they wanted. It's happening all the time in other sports.

For proof go on youtube and search the term "downhill". The first page results are dominated by mountain biking followed by skateboarding. Only one result is for skiing and it is for the old Robert Redford movie "Downhill racer". How could the world's first and arguably still most exciting extreme sport be relegated to also-ran status by sports that barely have any history?

Mismanagement by rigid old fogies who don't want change. Since they won't change then the only viable choice is to toss them aside and start from scratch.

June 9, 2012 | Mark
Whoa... a bit of fresh air here.
I find everything you wrote insightful, but just wish it had not been bundled this way. As if you did not want to go all-out about the bigger problem.
- The A-team strategy for Sochi? Looks plausible, and given that the most proven talent after the 1984 generation is in the discipline with the highest DNF rate (SL - Shiffrin, Kasper; hopefully we can add Brandenburg), 2014 is the last chance to max out on medals and satisfy U.S. media.
- The pro team alternative? Perhaps, though the bad and worsening record of pro skiing and even of sponsored teams in other snow sports. In skiing, very much unlike cycling, and even unlike motor racing, there is little room for teammates to help each other on the race course. The economies in training and coaching wouldn't be better than with the larger national teams, though it will be interesting to see how the NOR-CAN-SWE arrangement works out. The exposure is limited relative to cycling, where the Tour de France has the biggest live attendance of any sports competition in the world year after year, and the spillovers to industry are not nearly as strong as in motor racing. Even then, setting up teams on a basis other than nationality could make sense at the top level.
- Now for the big issue here: The numbers you mention regarding overhead are staggering!

These are the questions your post raises:
* 160 employees - of whom how many athletes and how many coaches? What are the rest doing? Other than perhaps fundraising and a lean administrative staff, what does the ski team need? Who fills these positions, and on what basis?
* 90% overhead - that makes the most corrupt of NGOs or the most bloated local administration look good. Where is the money going, besides training and racing? On what basis?

Now that would be worth discussing in full-length posts! Since Bryon Friedman's outburst no one has put this in the clear, and even then Friedman could be discounted as a matter of sour grapes. You have one of the most prestigious and enviable coaching positions at the club level, you have the experience within the ski team - go on and put out the questions, your opinion, and whatever information out without drowning it in other issues!

June 10, 2012 | fx
What is this NOR-CAN-SWE arrangement that you spesk of?

The lost bid of Planica for the Nordic World Championships 2017 now has consequences for the Slovenian Ski Association. President Tomaz Lovse resigned after failed candidacy caused some stir in Slovenia.

According to various media reports Lovse tried to force a decision in favor of Planica at the FIS Congress in South Korea through influencing members of the FIS council. FIS president Gian Franco Kasper confirmed that Lovse attacked him in emails. But in addition to that there was no contact with Kasper, said the FIS president.

Lovse rejected the accusations and accused Slovenian council member Janez Kocijanic of making false allegations concerning the chances of Planica's candidature. "There are no visible threats", Lovse said on the Slovenian website siol.net and added that he is an honorable man and was discredited.

Lovse was only president of the national ski association for about two years. The Slovenes are now looking for a successor. www,fis-ski.com

First of all I can say that you have nailed it on the head with respect to the strategy through Sochi. It is very short sighted, there is little doubt, and the justification is that the OWG is what pays the bills. It is interesting that this fact is left up to us to bat around rather than the organization come out and say clearly that this is the direction. There is no need for secrecy, particularly from a member supported, non-profit, and your analogy to the CIA is not so far off.

Second, the phenomenon at the heart of your post is one that is not uncommon to many professional sports. Look at Major League Baseball in the early 1900s. Players were pretty much an inconvenient necessity for the team owners. They were payed poorly and had few rights as employees. Things didn't really change that much until the players unionized much later. I remember seeing something about an effort to do so from a USST athlete last spring. I wonder what became of it. The bottom line here is that, as you pointed out, it starts with the FIS and their protecting of their own old asses and extends down to many NGBs.

And with respect to OUR NGB, it is unfair to put all of the blame on top heavy administration. Yes the very top is too heavy but there are many underpaid, overworked employees that make up the organization. There are a lot of good people working at USSA for very little money and get virtually none of the benefits that are common to their private sector counterparts. They do it because they love the sport, the culture and, most importantly, the athletes. In fact, more money was raised in the last fiscal year. Many employees are probably also wondering where does the money go. Yes there are many factors but there are ways to cut costs and put money into athletics without cutting jobs or salaries. There is a lot of overspending within the teams themselves. The way some groups travel might suggest they are on a corporate sponsored team's budget rather than and NGB's. There is certainly no excuse for the amount of money the CEO makes and all of the cursory benefits he receives, however, and this should not be overlooked regardless of what his cronies make in Norway. Part of the issue is the cronyism, no? As a side note, there is no more COO although he is still omnipresent in the wings and receiving a very nice severance I am sure. The real problem here is that the culture of the organization takes individuals who are qualified and zealous at the outset (including the athletes themselves) and converts them into bitter, non-believers when they repeatedly run up against the walls created by executive VPs higher, There is no "TEAM" within the walls of the COE and that is a failure from the highest levels.

For sure the professional structure of the Factory Team is the way to go. What a joke auto racing would be if all of the drivers raced for their nations. On could go on and on about this. Let's just say this is a change that has needed to happen for some time.

One last rant that is slightly off topic....why are there so many Austrian coaches as part of the USST Apline Staff? Is there a similar percentage with Snowboarding, Freestyle or the nubile Freeskiing staff? The answer is an emphatic NO. These teams seek out qualified Americans to staff their teams because they understand the athletes better which is a huge part of coaching at the elite level. There was a lot of money invested this spring is some high dollar Austrian coaches at the expense of qualified Americans. The result is teams are short on staffing and athletes higher up the chain are paying more. Let's scrap this practice or just scrap the whole Coaches Ed Dept because you are basically telling us that as Americans we know nothing about the sport.

Sorry to hijack your blog Greg. It's great stuff I just felt the need to add to it.

June 13, 2012 | nobody
Post a New Comment

I'll just throw this out there, so everyone can shoot it down. Would it make any sense to fund the B and/or C team athletes, but have the A team pay their own way? Can the A team skiers earn enough income through endorsements and prize money to be able to pay a significant portion of the team expenses, or even to fund themselves? This may be a way to evolve the system toward manufacturer teams; If an athlete doesn't want to pay the national team's cost of carrying them, they could join an independent or manufacturer team. Either way, the national team budget would go toward developing athletes to the point where they could earn enough to pay their own way. (Back when Bode went on his own, it always seemed to me like he was doing the team a favor, since they didn't have to pay his expenses. Maybe that should be the norm.)

June 14, 2012 | Bob Hill


I follow more cycling than ski racing and I enjoyed reading your blog. I don't think the cycling is very financially healthy and this sport had is problem. The only athletes that earned enough (support himself and family and not the oppositve) are the ones that can race in Europe. The superstar in Europe gets the big part of the team budget I think and the domestique earned the minimum. And the US domestique pro are doing less or ride for free. And the women are lucky if they get minimum wage. There were some good information from Gerard Vroomen on his blog.

So, I just think that your pro league financed by red-bull and others, it will be advantageous $ for the A-team guys like Ted, Bode and the B/C team will get almost nothing.
What is the coach-athletes funding for country like Autria, France, Norway compared to US?

I am sorry to hear about the lack of money for athletes and coach but it seems to be somewhat a trend in industry (bank, wallstreet) that the CEO/senior management earned the big bonus and regular employees that do most of the labor gets almost nothing.

June 15, 2012 | Nancy

www.skionline.ch

Lindsey Vonn: "I'm lonely!"

APA. Lindsey Vonn is lonely. It is difficult to find another relationship. "I can not even go out and just meet someone," the living in divorce Olympic downhill gold medalist in an interview with the magazine "News".

She remained determined to end her marriage to Thomas Vonn. Her maiden name she would not accept it, however. The question of whether they have a new friend, the superstar said no compared to the "News". "Men are difficult. I earn much money you want, some do not. Others like it not, that I am much in the media. This makes it difficult to find another relationship. It is really more difficult than I thought," said Vonn, who wants to go until the World Cup ski racing in Vail in 2015.

Private plans have failed because of their separation from husband: "I've always thought that I can start my career quickly after a family. But now, through the divorce, I think here, totally different, " said Lindsey Vonn.

Fatal accident at Davos: Paul Accola runs over boy

Terrible accident hay in Davos: Paul Accola runs over with the agricultural vehicle an eight-year-old boy who died of the injuries. Accola is married and has three children himself.
The family Accola takes the following position:
On Wednesday afternoon in Davos Platz, an eight year old boy from a mower of the contracting company Accola Davos GmbH collects and been run over. He was so badly injured that he died shortly afterwards in hospital.

The accident occurred shortly after 15 clock. Paul Accola was mowing his country machine, which had scheduled a front mower, a lawn. When reversing, he recognized the boy, who had been in the vicinity of the mower. The eight-year-old boy fell under the machine. Be flown with serious injuries he had on the shelf to the Kantonsspital Graubunden Chur. There, the boy died a few hours later. There is currently an investigation that seeks to clarify the exact sequence of events. Paul Accola and his family are deeply shocked and concerned family would like to express their deepest sympathy. Paul Accola is currently managed by members. The family requests the media Accola, in this respect at all for a very difficult and stressful situation, their desire for privacy. There can be no answer media inquiries. Paul Accola will issue an opinion at a later date.



Paul Accola with family

Fatal accident at Davos: Paul Accola runs over boy

Terrible accident hay in Davos: Paul Accola runs over with the agricultural vehicle an eight-year-old boy who died of the injuries. Accola is married and has three children himself.
The family Accola takes the following position:
On Wednesday afternoon in Davos Platz, an eight year old boy from a mower of the contracting company Accola Davos GmbH collects and been run over. He was so badly injured that he died shortly afterwards in hospital.

The accident occurred shortly after 15 clock. Paul Accola was mowing his country machine, which had scheduled a front mower, a lawn. When reversing, he recognized the boy, who had been in the vicinity of the mower. The eight-year-old boy fell under the machine. Be flown with serious injuries he had on the shelf to the Kantonsspital Graubunden Chur. There, the boy died a few hours later. There is currently an investigation that seeks to clarify the exact sequence of events. Paul Accola and his family are deeply shocked and concerned family would like to express their deepest sympathy. Paul Accola is currently managed by members. The family requests the media Accola, in this respect at all for a very difficult and stressful situation, their desire for privacy. There can be no answer media inquiries. Paul Accola will issue an opinion at a later date.



Paul Accola with family

Austrian ski federation president Peter Schroecksnadel cleared in 2006 blood-doping scandal
Text Size PrintE-mailReprints
By Associated Press, Published: July 7

TURIN, Italy — An Italian court cleared Austrian ski federation president Peter Schroecksnadel and biathlon chief Markus Gandler of any involvement in the blood-doping scandal at the 2006 Turin Games.

Following the court proceedings Friday in Susa, near Turin, the Austrian federation said in a statement that the verdict proves that “many accusations against Austria ski federation representatives were false.”

0
Comments
Weigh InCorrections?


Personal Post

Schroecksnadel said the federation “acted correctly from the beginning and this has now been confirmed by the court.”

Former cross-country coach Walter Mayer also was cleared, along with former team doctor Peter Baumgartl and cross-country athletes Martin Tauber and Jurgen Pinter.

However, three others were handed suspended sentences and fines: 20 months and $32,000 for former cross-country coach Emil Hoch, 18 months and $28,000 for biathlete and 2002 bronze medalist Wolfgang Perner and 16 months and $25,000 for biathlete and former world champion Wolfgang Rottmann.

Perner and Rottmann said they will appeal the verdict.

At the 2006 Olympic, Italian police raided the Austrian cross-country and biathlon team lodgings, seizing a large amount of doping products and equipment.

The raid followed a tip that Walter Mayer, a former team coach who had been banned from the Turin Games by the International Olympic Committee for a blood-doping scandal in 2002, was in the area.

An investigation into the matter led the IOC to impose lifetime bans on four athletes. One of the penalties was later reduced to a four-year ban by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The IOC also fined the Austrian Olympic Committee $1 million for failing to prevent the blood-doping violations.