2022 WAWC POST notes – Competitors’ improvement potential.
Category for young folks a few tenths from greatness.
7/21 original notes Calibri
7/22 Post notes in Times New Roman (Calibri italic here. Can’t change font. I’m undeft.)
These are original notes, unchanged from post-season 2021 and 2022.
2020 Overall and Discipline rankings included for recent reference/context.
Katharina Liensberger – Steady and (to me) unsurprising rise to Slalom excellence. Couple of years to settle discipline strategy before hitting prime. Apparently wants Overall cup, so Speed training next. I don’t see Speed hitting this season—half-event calendar at most. Will probably first focus upon improving GS. Waiting until 2022-23 for Speed perhaps wise, to allow some summer training this year and full-on 2022 summer. Very cool customer; poised and comfortable turning it on. Could be great. (age 24)
2021 5th 903 pts. GS-10 SL-1
2020 16th 401 pts. GS-13 SL-3
2022 16TH 607pts GS-21 SL-4
Significant points drop-off, though strong late-season SL improvement -- 1 each 1st, 2nd, 3d. Not sure what’s up. Snagged silver at Beijing, so could do it when fully motivated. Consistent, good SL; erratic GS; a few DNFs. SL globe’s accolades could have distracted her. (Will she run some Speed this year?) Suspect she’s committed to a fine 2023.
Breezy Johnson -- Spirited, semi-extroverted, way into conditioning. Solid technical DH; a touch more speed and she’s top-5 every race. DH potential probably on-course—stay healthy and trajectory will put her right there for event globe next 3 seasons, as prime begins. 2021 DH break-through. Spiff up SG to <15 to help own/team stats. Skidding off at Val di Fassa 2/27 cost her DH season 3d place at least. Personality/leadership seems key for US speed morale. Great kid. Easy to root for. (age 25)
2021 17th 367 pts. DH-4 SG-30
2020 38th 162 pts. DH-20 SG-41
2022 30th 322 pts. DH-12 SG-25
Breezy’s injury at Cortina (training run) a colossal bummer. She was THERE, neck-and-neck with Goggia for a generational brawl to the DH globe wire. Beijing medal in the bag, too. Crap!! She’s rehabbing fiendishly. Please, please let her fully recover her chops for 2023 DH title run, and for a Worlds podium. Huge heart. No one is more deserving.
Alice Robinson - Everyone’s freaking out about Alice—begin next season now so we can watch her! Second GS run at Lenzerheide legendary the instant she finished. Podium lock when she’s on, no question, though speculation until she runs a full consistent season of GS, and SG, which so far is her only other discipline. (One top 10 in six races over 2 years.) Kind of inscrutable, given our peeks at her massive talent. Six years to expand and develop before usual prime. Wow. (age 19)
2021 19th 326 pts. GS-8 SG-31
2020 19th 310 pts. GS-5
2022 44th 177 pts. GS-33 SG-22
Took a tentative stab at Speed; GS plunged. GS 3 DNFs; 11th best result. (4 top 10s in SG; two DH 2nd places in European Cup. EC starts indicate her team knows she needs practice.) A scrappy, unsettled year. Perhaps “transitional”? Youth and supreme talent will bear her out, I’m sure. (Red Bull perhaps annoyed by this performance; they’ll stick to the project, though.) Shouldn’t be a big deal. Change from Volkl to Salomon may make a difference? If she regains top-3 GS chops and develops top-6 DH and SG, she’ll be in Overall title hunt for years. I’ll guess she begins keeping stride second half of 2024 season. Personal grit yet to be tested.
Meta Hrovat - IMO, nearly Alice Robinson’s peer for intrigue/potential. Wonderful 2nd GS run at Lenzerheide for 3d place--attacked upper pitch like Alice did. No speed starts yet; mediocre Slalom may bode speed exploration, which is (always) risky but could spotlight her. Develop SL and could run for years with Katarina and Alice for Tech globes. Friendly kid—cheerful English, bit of a hippy vibe. (age 23)
2021 29th 252 pts. GS-10 SL-48
2020 25th 279pts. GS-9 SL-23
2022 47th 167 pts. GS-15 SL-41
Treaded water. GS placements okay (barely) but DNFs hurt. 2 top-10 SL European Cup; WC still lagging. No speed entries. Looks like she’s trying to develop Tech, but I’d think her SL should be further along, and GS consistently top-8. She’ll be okay. Must hit it this off-season!
28 July 2023. SO glad she’s back! (Took 2023 season off.) Will Feature her and Ilka Stuhec together. This past season Ilka began a bitchin’ revival.
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