Americans not named Shiffrin are on the podium? Cool

Who’re you and what have you ever achieved with the U.S. Ski Staff? American racers not named Mikaela Shiffrin are hitting the rostrum.

Miss Mikaela is idle — rightly so, constructing as much as tech occasions in Semmering, Austria after Christmas — and the U.S. Ski Staff has three podiums this weekend with yet one more day of racing to go.

Breezy Johnson had by no means made a World Cup podium earlier than this weekend. She now has two — consecutive third-place finishes in downhills in Val d’Isere, France. In the meantime, what within the vast, vast world of sports activities is Ryan Cochran-Siegle doing with a silver medal in downhill from Val Gardena, Italy?

Any dialogue involving Johnson should begin along with her first identify. How cool is the identify Breezy for a ski racer? Jokes apart, brava to Johnson. She has earned these bronze medals. It’s greater than 120 factors for her.

Earlier than the 2018 Olympics, Johnson fractured her tibial plateau. For individuals who are into harm trivia, Lindsey Vonn additionally did her tibial plateau throughout her large crash within the 2013 worlds in Schladming, Austria.

Johnson nonetheless made it again to the winter video games and completed seventh within the downhill. At solely 22, Johnson hoped to take off from there. Throughout summer time 2018, she did her ACL in coaching. In 2019, how concerning the PCL and the MCL?

Now 24, is she rising? One hopes, by the legislation of averages, that Johnson is due a number of injury-free years. Let’s see what she will be able to do. Her subsequent races will probably be in St. Anton, Austria, in the course of the second weekend of January.

Is that this the start of massive issues for Cochran-Siegle, 28? Given his age, it’s not as possible. As with just about everybody on the U.S. Ski Staff by means of the years with the exception Bode Miller — and even Bode had his charming moments — Cochran-Siegle is an effective man and also you need good issues for him.

Maybe extra importantly, the third era of Cochrans to ski, Ryan’s acquired his podium. His mom, Barbara Ann Cochran, was the 1972 Olympic slalom champion. Enjoyable trivia from the U.S. Ski Staff. Mother additionally gained silver at Val Gardena in the course of the 1970 worlds in slalom. (That is only the start of all of the Cochran trivia one may do.)

American ski racing followers, by and huge, are used to superstars. Over the past 20 years, we’ve been blessed to have 4 — Bode, Ted Ligety, Lindsey Vonn and Shiffrin. We’re all the time on the lookout for “the following Lindsey Vonn/Mikaela Shiffrin,” that are actually powerful acts to comply with.

Each snowboarding nation has methodically examined the lives of Vonn and Shiffrin to attempt to determine the magic system of reproducing the right skier like Vonn or Shiffrin. Spoiler alert: They have been born that manner.

Make no mistake, Vail’s dynamic duo has labored tirelessly throughout their respective careers, however these two simply began on a distinct expertise aircraft than most mortals. Lightning has already struck twice in a era with Vonn and Shiffrin. Are you hoping for the hat trick?

Possibly, we should always change our focus. As an alternative of on the lookout for the following Lindsey Shiffrin (simply ensuring you’re paying consideration), possibly let’s simply search for the following Breezy Johnson or Ryan Cochran-Siegle.

Congratulations to each and maintain it going.