Mikaela Shiffrin

[markojp]

That's good to hear. And, yeah, not what made it's way to me. No matter. She admits it was a far less than great training block. Weather, surface, smoke.....COVID. That's in the rear view mirror. Training and drilling is always serious for her, from my observations. Always with a purpose.....

When I saw her toward the end of her stay, smoke was not an issue at all. Surfaces were quite good, even according to many of the coaching staff... we spoke to Karin H who was there with the women's speed group. The days we were there, there wasn't much need for salt during the early shift. I'm guessing she might have felt a bit like a fish in the bowl because of all the other camps that were going on concurrently, particularly since she was in lane 1 next to the lift.

 

[ski otter 2]

An article in the Washington Post about Mikaela today:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/10/09/svrluga-mikaela-shiffrin-father/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F2c0ddde%2F5f8089c79d2fda0efb440027%2F597373f49bbc0f1cdcf5af52%2F37%2F70%2F1a11bd2d30345d2f3df5776d463581de

 

[4ster]

This quote from the above article seems very telling...

“My capacity to focus is just so much smaller than it’s ever been,” Shiffrin said. “Focus is the thing I lean on. That’s my thing. Now, I can ski three runs and be like, ‘I can’t do this. I feel like it’s dangerous. I’m going to go do a run and make a turn and just break down in the middle of it.’
“In order to ski, I have to have a certain level of focus, and it just wasn’t there. Holding everything together and holding myself together for the duration of a training day, it still is hard. I’m getting that balance back. Some days are difficult, and some days are pretty okay.”

 

[Muleski]

I just read this on SkiRacing.com, in an article about Paula Moltzan's second ever WC GS start, and first at Soelden:

"As far as race day planning, Mikaela Shiffrin spent time on Monday with Moltzan and the three other starters to talk about race tactics and the best way to execute the course. Shiffrin had some good insights into her mental approach, as well as tactics for gaining speed, where speed is lost, and what it feels like to have a good run at Soelden."

I was both surprised, and very pleased to read that. This, to my understanding is not something that MS has done in the past. In fact one of her biggest blowups with her teammates was when her mother demanded that the USST form her own team/training group of one. That occurred after a couple of athletes were beating MS in training, at Squaw. Eileen {mom} evidently was in the face of the then head W's tech coach {MS's coach} for giving the other athletes not just plenty of coaching time, but sharing "her secrets." Like industrial trade secrets. Just nuts.

The coach felt his job was to coach, and improve performance of all of the girls. It was. small group. The others largely disappeared from the team system, the coach quit over it, it took some time to line up Mike Day to coach her, and since MS has clearly been the very definition of being "OP"...her own program. I have heard very little of her sharing any advice. Sure she might share the RedBull heli for a photo video op, and might share a hug in the finish area. But they often demand complete privacy if at all possible. Don't dare try to video her training, etc.

This sounds like real advice, real help, probably including some real video.....which to me sounds very encouraging. And not doing helping, sharing, and more in the past is one thing that she, her mother and team have been apparently hammered on this summer. By some very well known people in the sport. My opinion is that Tiger Shaw should have been much more of a CEO of the USSA/USST, but has been very focused on the Alpine Team since day one. Almost like a Program Director above Jesse Hunt, his friend who is the Alpine PD. It's also been pretty general thinking that Tiger has no control over Eileen Shiffrin, and the line is that "she is the most powerful woman in ski racing." The families have been close friends for many years.

So Mikaela doing this kind of advising, and sharing, helping and caring.....to me that is very good news. A very nice and encouraging change. Two thumbs up!

Does it mean she is coming back soon? Does it mean the opposite? Not a clue on that.

 

[James]

Maybe it’ll bring back more interest in ski racing for her to help out the others.

 

[Muleski]

Maybe it’ll bring back more interest in ski racing for her to help out the others.

The "interest" seems to be there. She and her team are in Soelden right now. They scrapped the plan to fly back to CO. She has been training. The back issue is a bit confusing. She will not start on Saturday, though. Impossible to know what's going on in her head. What I hear is the lack of her usual heavy training, and feeling she is not ready for whatever reasonS. I still suspect a lot going on in her head, but I have no insight as to that. Just my guess.

 

[hbear]

Combined with her training volume being a large component of her confidence on hill. One that needs the training volume to fill the confidence bucket from what I've heard.
Many people believe she's got natural feel, I've heard more like having countless miles and just knowing what to do because she's logged so much time in vs. being an inate feel.

 

[4ster]

 

[Muleski]

MS, barring a sudden change of plans, will be starting on Saturday at Levi.
Wishing her well. I believe that there is a lot on her mind. Lots of articles about her return in the U.S. press.
I’ve had more than a couple people pretty close to her program express that they “just don’t know if she wants to keep doing this.”
I hope she skis pretty well{pretty fast, with some fire} and is happy with her day and being back.
We’ll see.

 

[4ster]

Can’t wait!

After long break, Shiffrin grateful to be racing again

Set for a return to ski racing after 300 days away, Mikaela Shiffrin is looking for the answer to a question she has been asking herself since March. How will it feel to compete again? “Hopefully it is a positive experience. And I don’t mean, ‘hopefully I win,’ but hopefully it is a positive...

skiracing.com

 

[James]

Hard to read much into that other than she’s not raring to go. It could be positive or not. It’s hard to see how two minutes competing will change the outlook.

 

[Muleski]

And, as we seen for all of her career and longer, “the press”, including the USST releases are not always that accurate in hindsight. A former coach of hers, still close to both M and Eileen, as told me that he is of the opinion that she does not want to do this. Whether it is a “not now”, a “not this season”, or permanent is a big question.

Perhaps she gets back on the horse, loves it, and is back full force. With a smile.

Complex young lady. Wish her the best.

 

[Swede]

She seemed happy (and confused, in lack of a better word) in post race interview. Said that mid first run she suddenly remembered just how much joy there is in skiing. But it was obvious that she has had her doubts. Also said that she wanted to see that her back responded in a good way.

 

[Green08]

This season is anybody's guess for the moment. The two big events that could loom large in keeping Shiffrin going for a couple more years, are a potential second Olympics (seems like an obvious one), and Killington.

I think this season would have been radically different if she could have had a "normal" race at Killington. She has family connections to the area and region (grandparents, Burke, Dartmouth, West Lebanon), and it is a home soil crowd that is high energy and huge fans of hers. It would be a venue with so many emotions and energy at work to help process the grief. Not this year. But perhaps it could serve her well next season.

 

[Muleski]

Hearing some chatter that MS may not be racing in the upcoming PGS, in Lech. No details, but sounds like she will not be on the start list. One comment made to me was: “she hates the event, anyways.”

Think it’s more than that. Next event, the two SG’s at St. Moritz, 12/5-6.

I would not bet the farm on this, but my friend “usually is in the know.”

 

[Muleski]

Just looked at the Lech start list.
MS is not starting. USA is starting Allie Resnick in her first WC. She was 2nd and 3rd in the two recent GS’s at Copper.
No other info from me...

 

[James]

Understandable. I’ll try not to call it worthless.

 

[Primoz]

I was thinking it was public knowledge for some 3 days now, that Shiffrin is not gonna start in PSG. Well I guess it wasn't

 

[Muleski]

I was thinking it was public knowledge for some 3 days now, that Shiffrin is not gonna start in PSG. Well I guess it wasn't

For some reason, it wasn’t at all in the USA. Still nothing in our press. Not sure why. Nothing from MS’s team, the USST, skiracing.com. Sort of strange. If I had to guess, there has been a lot of PR and mainstream press that has pushed the story that “she’s back....”, and, well, is she?

Goes back to the back injury before Soelden. Wish I had a dollar for everybody who has commented “What back injury?” to me.

Now of course, we’re hearing that her next start will be the two SG’s in about 10 days, at St. Moritz. I think it will just be a “different” season. Maybe she’ll point just toward the WC’s and blow off the majority of the schedule? Perhaps she’ll take the entire season off? Or....maybe she’ll jump right back in.

Lots of opinions. No idea......

Absolutely do not blame her for not racing a PGS, on our Thanksgiving {still a lot of family issues} She and her mom are also very COVID “concerned” and that may have something to do with it. Some call them germaphobes. Nothing new.

I would say that ot sounds like MS and Eileen have no concerns or plans to have her contending for an overall globe. Or likely any discipline globes. Give three to Vhlova!

Onward.....good luck to Allie in her first WC!

 

[Primoz]

It is strange for sure. I think I saw first news in media yesterday or even Monday, that she's skipping Lech, so I was really pretty sure you guys know all this already. Those infos on "unofficial" channels are different thing and they were there even before Levi, but ok that's not really public thing. But once it's in newspapers, I though it was everywhere not just Europe Might post something like this next time, as this year I will obviously have more then enough time for this sort of rumors