Mikaela Shiffrin

[markojp]

I have always been a fan of Mikaela Shiffrin but I think it was very poor how she and Eileen handled Coach Mike Day and his sudden departure. These USST coaches do not make a lot of money, they are on the road away from their family for many months of the year, and it's a tough job planning training, lugging gates, setting courses, coaching athletes etc. Everything is done for Mikaela and to treat coaches like that is not acceptable. Even though Mikaela may bring in the big bucks having a so called "Team Shiffrin" I think it defeats the entire purpose of having a US Ski Team. If she wants to run her own independent team like Bode Miller did for a while, that is fine, but I am not interested in donating money to the USST if the funds are going to one person and not the other athletes. Again I cheer for Mikaela every race, but I also want other USST athletes to enjoy success and be given the support they need to perform. A perfect example is the Palisades World Cup races where the entire men's team was outside the top 15 in both races. Look at the Italian and Norwegian teams as they are much more cohesive group and it shows on the score board!

So you have inside information on what went down?

 

[skiJ]

I have always been a fan of Mikaela Shiffrin but I think it was very poor how she and Eileen handled Coach Mike Day and his sudden departure. These USST coaches do not make a lot of money, they are on the road away from their family for many months of the year, and it's a tough job planning training, lugging gates, setting courses, coaching athletes etc. Everything is done for Mikaela and to treat coaches like that is not acceptable. Even though Mikaela may bring in the big bucks having a so called "Team Shiffrin" I think it defeats the entire purpose of having a US Ski Team. If she wants to run her own independent team like Bode Miller did for a while, that is fine, but I am not interested in donating money to the USST if the funds are going to one person and not the other athletes. Again I cheer for Mikaela every race, but I also want other USST athletes to enjoy success and be given the support they need to perform. A perfect example is the Palisades World Cup races where the entire men's team was outside the top 15 in both races. Look at the Italian and Norwegian teams as they are much more cohesive group and it shows on the score board!

dude.

I could not disagree with you more -

Mikaela Shiffrin always expresses appreciation for her teammates ( And the U.S. Ski Team ) . always, period. .

( Please) don't think Mikaela Shiffrin doesn't have a lot to do with the financial support the ' US Ski Team' receives through her Success !

( see those corporate Sponsors on the 'US Ski Team' uniforms they wear ?
That's what I'm talking about -

your "donate-ion " gets you a sticker. )


The situation with Coach Day , ,,, is Real.
Ski Racing is 93% Not as glamorous as fans think it is. And
the biggest grind is on the athletes, who have to train maniacly to have any hope of success...

( one of my favorite quotes is Bode -
" When you step in the Start of a World Cup Downhill,
You Have to know : you Are A Badass (!) "
( Bode Miller. 'American Downhiller' ( I think ) )


coaching is A calling - And it is also a 'chosen occupation' --

Mike Day may choose to continue to coach
( he Should very-nearly have his choice of Open jobs -

He has a resume that Only one (other) person can claim :
Seven years > coach for Mikaela Shiffrin.

That IS Success.


enough for now -
I hope you have a great weekend...


peace. skiJ

 

[James]

Well let’s just say they weren’t all sitting in Mikaela’s hotel room strumming the guitar and singing along when someone accidentally drops the news, Mike Day says F this and bolts for the airport.

People read into what they want to read into it based on what they want to believe. Reality is somewhere else.

Stars get way too much resources on the US team. This has been an issue from Lindsey, Ted, Mikaela. Discussed here many times. It’s a double edged sword, and those below get hacked.

AJ Ginnis was told he’d have to pay his own way for 20/21. Since it would be the same for Greece, where he was born, he went to the Greek team. Got his own coaches, friends from GMVS and UVM.

 

[no edge]

coaching is A calling - And it is also a 'chosen occupation' --

Mike Day may choose to continue to coach
( he Should very-nearly have his choice of Open jobs -

He has a resume that Only one (other) person can claim :
Seven years > coach for Mikaela Shiffrin.

That IS Success.


enough for now -
I hope you have a great weekend...


peace. skiJ

Any coach that has the opportunity to work with the very finest athletes will gain wisdom. Day was with Mikaela for a long time and his experience is incredible. Consider what Mike Day could bring to a development program, or a NCAA team or any race program. I suppose we will never come to know what he brought to Mikaela's skill set - skiing, strategy, conditioning and confidence/mental strength. Three's a crowd. Think about the challenge in working with Mikaela's mom. She's awesome but having two coaches must have been a pain in the ax.

It all makes sense except for the timing.

 

[skix]

One constant in Mikaela Shiffrin's development from the start has been Eileen Shiffrin. Based on racing results and the quality of Mikaela's character I'd say she is a great coach and team manager. If you can't work with her then you are the one with a problem not Eileen. Sure there's gossip but frankly I've heard similar about every powerful woman. Eileen Shiffrin deserves more credit. If you can't manage to work with her then grab a Kleenex and go cry in a corner.

As was asked above I challenge critics to name just what was mishandled about the Day dismissal. He was let go at a point in the season that allowed him to plan for next season. The reason it went public seems to be his choice. But by no means was the man entitled to be kept as coach when the athlete desired a change.

Regarding the USA team what they need is more money. Blaming Shiffrin for focusing on her own development is ridiculous. Racing, golf, motorsports, tennis and other individual sports don't work that way after all. Should Federer focus on helping the Swiss Olympic tennis team? Awards in FIS skiing focus on the individual with the nations rivalry tacked on. Personally I like to see Americans do well but enjoy the top athletes regardless of national origin. Skiing just is not a team sport. Forcing FIS World Cup athletes into that mode may help up and comers but that shouldn't be done at the expense of the top level elite athletes.

 

[dan ross]

As my best friend remembers Eileen- same class, Mt Greylock High School, class of ‘77, “Nice and focused”. Focused. If she was a man she might be compared to Mr. Williams at worst. Mom was a racer in said H.S. and a very good masters racer - she knew the landscape. Whatever the relationships between the various parties are ,it’ worked until it didn’t. Is the timing odd ? Yes. As they say in my business, it’s Show Business, not Show Friends. I’m all for loyalty and character, but ultimately this is a business and this seems like a business decision

 

[no edge]

But by no means was the man entitled to be kept as coach when the athlete desired a change.

That's how it works. Day will land on his feet.

 

[no edge]

As my best friend remembers Eileen- same class, Mt Greylock High School, class of ‘77, “Nice and focused”.

I didn't know that. Mikaela dropped by Jiminy Peak to see the junior racers last season. They were ecstatic - as was everyone.

Mikaela has her feet on the ground. It's not uncommon that mother daughter teams become symbiotic. They are very tight.

 

[dan ross]

I didn't know that. Mikaela dropped by Jiminy Peak to see the junior racers last season. They were ecstatic - as was everyone.

Mikaela has her feet on the ground. It's not uncommon that mother daughter teams become symbiotic. They are very tight.

I can imagine. Wow. Jiminy was my hill , everyday from. 7-18 years old -if there was snow I was there. That’s huge for those kids .Eileen grew up not 5 miles from Jiminy but skied mostly at the now defunct Brodie. I love that she did that. Pay it forward.

 

[maple19]

I have always been a fan of Mikaela Shiffrin but I think it was very poor how she and Eileen handled Coach Mike Day and his sudden departure. These USST coaches do not make a lot of money, they are on the road away from their family for many months of the year, and it's a tough job planning training, lugging gates, setting courses, coaching athletes etc. Everything is done for Mikaela and to treat coaches like that is not acceptable. Even though Mikaela may bring in the big bucks having a so called "Team Shiffrin" I think it defeats the entire purpose of having a US Ski Team. If she wants to run her own independent team like Bode Miller did for a while, that is fine, but I am not interested in donating money to the USST if the funds are going to one person and not the other athletes. Again I cheer for Mikaela every race, but I also want other USST athletes to enjoy success and be given the support they need to perform. A perfect example is the Palisades World Cup races where the entire men's team was outside the top 15 in both races. Look at the Italian and Norwegian teams as they are much more cohesive group and it shows on the score board!

All of the resources do not go to Mikaela and if you’re a donor to USST then you would know that. USST doesn’t even fund all of Team Shiffrin. Eileen isn’t on USST’s payroll and neither is her manager, both of whom travel to almost every World Cup race. Who’s paying for that? Mikaela is. And this has been confirmed by Albrecht.

Furthermore, Mikaela leaving USST would be a disaster, as I doubt she would acquiesce to USST using her name for financial gain under such circumstances. Stifel, for example, has been a tremendous support to the alpine team this year - who do you think they would rather sponsor if they had to choose? The winningest alpine skier of all time or a team of athletes with little name recognition outside of the (small) ski racing community? I really believe that such a move would hurt the other athletes much more than it would help.

Additionally, you seem to be under the impression that finances are the only thing holding USST back when that is certainly not the case. It is quite funny that you mention the Norwegians as a shining example, when Team Kristofferson - much like Team Shiffrin - is funded by the Norwegian team. If anything, they show that Mikaela is not the source of USST’s woes! USST has 99 problems but Mikaela isn’t one…

 

[James]

He was let go at a point in the season that allowed him to plan for next season. The reason it went public seems to be his choice. But by no means was the man entitled to be kept as coach when the athlete desired a change.

-He wasn’t “let go”. He left after it was made known to him he was not being hired for next season.
-He didn’t make anything public. No press, no statements. Still none.
Iirc, it was the US Ski Team that said he had left on a plane.
Obviously when the coach of the top skier just gets up and leaves in the middle of WCH, it creates a stir. It’s exceptionally weird, and doesn’t make anyone involved look good.

-No one’s debating the last point.

 

[markojp]

Pretty simple, we weren't there, and we don't know what went down. Doesn't bother me a bit not to speculate. I doubt if anyone involved cares a lick what I think anyway.... about much of anything for that matter.

 

[dan ross]

All I can add is that this was likely a very difficult decision, This isn’t like deciding what socks to wear today. it’s ultimately a business decision and business decisions can encompass the gamut of human emotions. Firing people, especially people you’ve worked with for some time is very difficult and I speak from experience.
It would have been worse if Day was fired just before the record was broken.

 

[BTaylor]

For some reason, I don't think Mikaela is getting a parade...

A 'Mikaela87' hometown celebration to be held Sunday, April 2. Free. And Shiffy is attending!

Mikaela Shiffrin to be feted in Vail for her record-breaking 87 World Cup wins

 

[4ster]

Something about most WC podiums today

 

[Pete in Idaho]

I spent the requisite 10 seconds to google “Mikaela Shiffrin Beijing 2022” and the first three videos that came up were all related to her crashing.

View attachment 196493

The consistency with which you take the complete and utter contrary position to the position any reasonable person would take is almost admirable.

And kind of useful - if someone is on the fence about what the right take is on a particular issue, they can just look at your position on that same issue and know with reasonable certainty that the exact opposite is correct.

it’s almost Seinfeldian:

George: "My life is the complete opposite of everything I want it to be. Every instinct I have in every aspect of life, be it something to wear, something to eat... It's wrong."

Jerry: "If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right."

Hi Wade, just talking about you yesterday in the bar at Silver Mt. all good stuff too. Didn't know you reached the Bitterroots, did ya?

 

[skix]

Good post race article with Shiffrin sharing insight into her difficulties the past few years. Includes kind words for Mike Day and also how she was inspired by words from Goggia.

Mikaela Shiffrin breaks giant slalom wins record at World Cup Finals

Mikaela Shiffrin won the last race of the season at World Cup Finals to break the records for most women's giant slalom wins and podiums.

olympics.nbcsports.com

 

[charlier]

#88 in GS for Mikaela Shiffrin with an amazing year of ski racing. It is her second giant slalom title with the first coming in 2019.

 

[no edge]

The close camera shows the difficulty of that course! You can see how she is more edged and harder on them than we usually observe . I liked that video - chance for Mikaela to work it.

 

[charlier]