OT: Olympics/Olde Coach/Mikaela Shiffrin

[Blakeon18]

https://nypost.com/2018/02/03/a-fam...elp-mikaela-shiffrin-dominate-in-south-korea/ I managed to mess up this link. Just google her name [Mikaela Shiffrin] and there are tons of links about her and her accomplishmensts.

One of the students at Warren Witherell's Burke Mt. Ski Academy [Olde Coach Himself founded the academy many decades ago] is someone to keep an eye on...Mikaela Shiffrin.
I hope the link works..it will take you to an article on just how good she is....with an eye on being the best skier... ever! My bet is that NBC is hoping for her to win golds and become one of the faces of the Olympics.

It's been almost 4 years since Olde Coach passed away....yikes! For sure he will be above the mountain rooting her on.

I remember that he mentioned he was up at the academy on a visit when Mikaela was around 13 or so.
One of the ski coaches called him into an office and asked him to watch a video of Shiffrin from a few days before. He watched...and when it was over he told me he cried [!] at the beauty of her technical skills.
Her specialty has been the slalom but he said she would expand as she grew older to the giant slalom/the super G and eventually to the downhill....she is only 22...plenty of time left.

 

[calpedaler]

Shiffrin has won a downhill this season.

 

[LesMis89]

I was remembering the same thing a couple of days ago. There was an Olympics promo featuring Shiffrin and I immediately thought of what Olde Coach said about her.

Happy memory but sure do miss his posts.

 

[jaundicedeye]

Mikaela Shiffrin was/is a prodigy and is no longer an unknown.
She will dominate and these winter Olympics will score great TV ratings because of her.
She's got it all goin' on. She will be America's new sweetheart!

 

[MilfordHusky]

We all miss Olde Coach and his posts.

 

[jimazee]

We all miss Olde Coach and his posts.

Amen...but even after 4 years (?) there are probably many here now who didn't 'know him'. The Boneyard is an ever evolving organism. It doesn't have hanging banners or a hall of fame .

Enjoy it while you may.

 

[Jim R]

We all miss Olde Coach and his posts.

Had the pleasure of chatting with him years ago. His commentary on the Boneyard is missed - always full of substance - He certainly belongs on the Boneyard's Mt Rushmore!

 

[msf22b]

I can't believe that is 4 years ago, that I drove West across Vt to find his modest house and an unforgettable lunch.

We had started PM'ing about skiing and he had sent me autographed copies of his two books that revolutionized the way skiing is taught worldwide.

He seemed in perfect health and vigor with plans to help one of his daughters move from one place to another and he proudly showed his two hall of fame trophies...one of the three Americans to be inducted into more than one; Jimmy Brown and Babe Didrikson Zaharias being the other two.

A few months later, he took ill, was optimistic and recovering and then gone.

A wonderful, influential gentleman...We ski at Burke regularly and see his handiwork; our favorite trail and where most of the training takes place appropriately named, "Warrens Way."

 

[slug25]

Warren had a place on Lake George and visited often in the summer. After reading his posts on the Yard, I hooked up with him for a round of golf. I was a single digit at the time and he kicked my butt.

 

[Blakeon18]

At one time Warren turned pro and tried to qualify for the Senior Tour. That was and still is a very hard thing to do since few spots are open each year. There is heavy bias to those players who have had success on the PGA tour....they are the ones who attract crowds and ratings. If they aren't as good as those trying to qualify without that past experience...they are OK with that.

He regained his amateur status at some point.

Say...Slug: did you play at the Sagamore Club? I once drove up to the first tee and the view of Lake George was just fabulous. There was a public course in Glens Falls...I forget the name...maybe that was the one you played? That seemed to be a favorite of his.

I believe at some point Warren won some area tourney and the first prize was a year's membership at Sagamore.

 

[Husky40]

https://nypost.com/2018/02/03/a-fam...elp-mikaela-shiffrin-dominate-in-south-korea/ I managed to mess up this link. Just google her name [Mikaela Shiffrin] and there are tons of links about her and her accomplishmensts.

One of the students at Warren Witherell's Burke Mt. Ski Academy [Olde Coach Himself founded the academy many decades ago] is someone to keep an eye on...Mikaela Shiffrin.
I hope the link works..it will take you to an article on just how good she is....with an eye on being the best skier... ever! My bet is that NBC is hoping for her to win golds and become one of the faces of the Olympics.

It's been almost 4 years since Olde Coach passed away....yikes! For sure he will be above the mountain rooting her on.

I remember that he mentioned he was up at the academy on a visit when Mikaela was around 13 or so.
One of the ski coaches called him into an office and asked him to watch a video of Shiffrin from a few days before. He watched...and when it was over he told me he cried [!] at the beauty of her technical skills.
Her specialty has been the slalom but he said she would expand as she grew older to the giant slalom/the super G and eventually to the downhill....she is only 22...plenty of time left.

 

[Husky40]

I rarely post, but have read the Boneyard for many years (started back when it was Rivals), and loved to see what Olde Coach had to say not only about the UConn women but about anything he chose to talk about. So knowledgeable and a seemed like a real gentleman. I really miss his posts, especially as I watch Mikaela Shiffrin representing the U.S. I'm sure he would be so proud of her! His background in snow and water skiing amazes me. What an athlete and visionary. I remember reading a post on the old Summitt years ago criticizing him and saying he calls himself Olde Coach but he's probably never coached anything. If only they knew. Here's to Warren Witherell, aka Olde Coach. I just watched the feature on Mikaela on NBC -- hopefully they'll show it again in prime time. It shows her at Burke Mountain. Warren's legacy lives on.

 

[Blakeon18]

Congrats to Mikaela for winning the giant slalom last night. Second place after one run....down 2 tenths of a sec. She basically blew away the field in her second run....won by about 4 tenths of a sec.
As I understand it this is her second best event. Slalom is #1...that is tonight...I think.
Win tonight...that would make a great Olympics. The wind troubles have messed up the schedule...that may make it harder to enter more events....but I think she plans to go for the Super G and maybe the downhill as well. Win any of those and it's gravy.

Great start for Olde Coach's protégé.

 

[scubadog]

Great runs by Mikaela yesterday. She creates great angles and has the strength to ride the edge throughout the whole turn. Too bad she won't be able to run Super G on Saturday because of the compressed schedule.

 

[VAMike23]

Congrats to Mikaela for winning the giant slalom last night. Second place after one run....down 2 tenths of a sec. She basically blew away the field in her second run....won by about 4 tenths of a sec.
As I understand it this is her second best event. Slalom is #1...that is tonight...I think.
Win tonight...that would make a great Olympics. The wind troubles have messed up the schedule...that may make it harder to enter more events....but I think she plans to go for the Super G and maybe the downhill as well. Win any of those and it's gravy.

Great start for Olde Coach's protégé.

I was so psyched that she got the gold last night (morning for her) !!

This way she not only has another gold, but it could allow her to relax a little bit knowing she has 1 in her pocket , so she can ski more freely. She could probably win the slalom with her eyes closed, but for the other remaining events the extra confidence or freedom could really help.

Go Mikaela !!!

 

[ChicagoGG]

Somewhere OC is smiling....miss him and his posts. Pulling for Mikaela in the rest of her events!!

 

[VAMike23]

Mikaela Shiffrin’s Gold Rush Begins With a Bang

-- smiling upward, easier for Olde Coach to see

 

[scubadog]

I still have copies of " THE ATHLETIC SKIER " and " HOW THE RACERS SKI " !

 

[Blakeon18]

Disappointing 4th in her speciality...the slalom. Won't be in the Super G today...apparently will be in the downhill next week.

 

[Fishy]

Disappointing 4th in her speciality...the slalom. Won't be in the Super G today...apparently will be in the downhill next week.

She skipped the Super G, but her skis didn’t.

She loaned her skis to Esther Ledecka who just dumped the whole race on its head.