ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP. We are coming into the homestretch of the 2010-2011 World Cup season and following the world championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, it could be easy for things to feel a little anti-climatic. Still, the ladies on the World Cup know how to hang onto their motivation for the final two weekends of the season.

The source of inspiration is pretty clear-cut for someone like Maria Riesch. The German may have a healthy lead in the overall standings (96 points over Lindsey Vonn going into this weekend’s technical races in Spinderluv Mlyn), but she knows that Vonn will surge ahead in an instant if she doesn’t maintain her momentum. Thus, even though the world championships – in her hometown, too – were unquestionably a high point for her (she won two bronze medals, remember …), she is far from feeling relaxed afterward.

“I’m not too relaxed because I’m fighting for the overall globe still,” Riesch said after last weekend’s races in Tarvisio. “But yeah, I’m having a really good season. I’m having fun with ski racing, but I still have to fight until the end. I’m still almost 100 points in the lead and there are four tech races coming up and just two speed races, so my chances are not too bad. But it’s a fight until the end.”

And naturally, Vonn is not planning on going down without a fight.

“I obviously would love to be ahead right now, but I’m not in a bad position,” said the American after earning three crystal globes – super-combined, downhill and super G – in three days in Tarvisio. “I’m skiing like I have nothing to lose. Sometimes that can be dangerous. I’m going to keep fighting until the very last race. Anything is possible. In ski racing, things can change very quickly.”

For others on the World Cup, the source of motivation at this point in the season is not so pressing. It varies for everyone. Take for example, some of the world championship’s most successful athletes. It would be easy to take their medals, take a deep breath and put their legs up for the rest of the season, but they keep going strong.

“I had such huge success and that’s hard … to still be motivated,” said Elisabeth Goergl, who followed up her two gold medals with two more podiums on the World Cup – in Are and Tarvisio. “I was tired and it wasn’t easy coming back into race mode. But every day is a new day. I just try to do my work. I just have to focus every day from the start. The only thing is get up, get off your ass and do your work.”

For Tina Maze, though, the whole fact that racing feels less like work now is a key ingredient to her continued success. Since earning the world championship super-combined silver medal and then giant slalom gold, the Slovenian hasn’t finished worse than eighth in any race (and won her first super-combined in Tarvisio).

“After world championships, we have fun on the slopes and for me, things are working out well,” Maze said. “I’m more relaxed. If I’m not relaxed sometimes I ski too hard and lose too much energy. The right mixture is the best – to be relaxed and to be focused.”

And as Julia Mancuso said, the best time to keep going fast is when she has proven her speed.

“It’s nice to have more opportunity to ski fast when it’s going well,” Mancuso said, adding that the season is nonetheless starting to feel long. “It’s a lot of racing, but more opportunities. And it’s fun to ski. I definitely can’t wait for a break … but it’s good.”

Not only is the simple fact that skiing is fun motivation to keep going hard for the last two weeks, but for Anja Paerson, it’s a physical necessity.

“I always want to race. It’s a drug for me,” she said, following her downhill win in Tarvisio last weekend.

And the girls who went home from world championships without medals … they are just having an easier time enjoying their sport at this point in the season.

“I was training every moment for the GS race there and it didn’t work out so well for me,” said Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg. “Now it’s warm and it feels a little bit like summer but of course, I want to stay focused and try to ski good and race good and of course, have fun.”

Then there are others whose goals for the season never were focused on medals. For someone like Switzerland’s Fraenzi Aufdenblatten, who is coming back from injury this season, she’s hoping to reach her high point in the next two weeks.

“It’s not easy to stay at your high concentration after a big event. I was not in Garmisch, so I tried to make that a positive thing for me,” she said. “Maybe some of the girls are tired and already have their medals and I still have some goals for this season.”

And of course, some racers can pluck up the energy required of two more weeks of racing knowing that there is vacation waiting at the end of it.

“I’m feeling tired and at the end of the season, it’s not easy to be concentrated,” said Italy’s Daniela Merigheti. “But we have two important weeks. For me, [the motivation] is the standings. I want to be top six in the downhill and faster in super G. I can be fast in the next two weeks and then … holidays.”

By Shauna Farnell
FISalpine.com
Wednesday 9 March 2011

  Tweet