24-year-old Bode Miller is considered the United States' best hope in years for an Olympic medal in alpine skiing. In years past, the Franconia, New Hampshire native won a reputation as a go-for-broke competitor who crashed as often as he finished. Lately he's been finishing more often than crashing - and winning. Miller will head to Salt Lake City with four World-Cup first-place finishes to his name - the best performance by an American skier in almost two decades. Lately, Miller's unorthodox style has left the skiing world scratching its collective head, wondering, "What makes Bode win?" NHPR's Doug MacPherson reports.
THERE WERE TIMES WHEN, ON SCOREBOARDS AT THE BASE OF MOUNTAINS ALL OVER THE WORLD, THE LETTERS D-N-F -- ?DID NOT FINISH? -- SEEMED PERMANENTLY ATTACHED TO ?MILLER ? U-S-A.?
BUT BODE MILLER SAYS DESPITE A RECENT STRING OF VICTORIES THAT NOW HAVE HIM IN THIRD PLACE IN OVERALL WORLD CUP STANDINGS -- SECOND PLACE IN SLALOM ? NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED.
TAPE MILLER For me, it?s really strange because I?m doing ? I literally am doing the same things. I?m trying just as hard has I?ve always tried -- which is as hard as I can. Skiing as hard as I can as fast as I can almost all the time. :10
THAT IN ITSELF, IS CONSIDERED UNUSUAL. MOST OF THE 70 OR SO WORLD CUP SKIERS IN ANY GIVEN RACE TAKE A MORE MEASURED APPROACH ? GOING ALL OUT WHEN THEY THINK THEY CAN PLACE ? HANGING BACK A LITTLE WHEN THEIR MORE IMMEDIATE GOAL IS TO FINISH WELL ENOUGH TO HANG ONTO THE BETTER STARTING POSITIONS. BUT MILLER ? OR BODE, AS EVERYONE CALLS HIM ?SAYS HE MAKES NO SUCH CALCULATIONS.
TAPE MILLER It may seem different now, and it may seem like, oh, all of the sudden he?s reigning things in, and all the sudden he?s accepting the fact that he just can?t charge all the time. And coach is saying my tactics are better. When in reality my skills are better. I?m getting to the point where I can use the same tactics I?ve always used, only it works now. :16
BODE CREDITS HIS NEW SKIS AND BOOTS. HE SAYS HE?S STRONGER THAN EVER ? HE?S ACTUALLY LOST A FEW POUNDS. HE CREDITS THE SUPPORT OF FANS AND TEAMMATES. AND WHILE HE ADMITS TO BEING TOUGH TO COACH -- HE CREDITS HIS COACHES TOO. STILL, HE INSISTS ALL RESULTS ? GOOD OR BAD ? ARE HIS OWN.
TAPE MILLER because I?ve always felt like I was the one responsible for my results, I was the one responsible for my development, for my ability, and for everything really, I don?t let them accept any responsibility for that. And in that way, at the same time, I don?t accept their opinion as more than ? just something they?re going to say. I do take it for what it?s worth. I mean their have been times when I?ve really considered what they?ve said and thought about it. But at the same time, I know for a fact: they don?t know what it feel like to ski the way that I ski, and they don?t know what it feels like to compete the way that I compete. :34
AT 24, BODE IS A RECOGNIZED MASTER OF SLALOM. HE?S LEAD THE WAY IN THE SWITCH TO PARABOLIC, OR SHAPED SKIS, WHICH HAVE REVOLUTIONIZED THE SPORT. SHAPED SKIS ARE SHORTER, AND MUCH WIDER AT THE TIPS AND TAILS THAN TRADITIONAL, STRAIGHT SKIS, ENABLING A SKIER TO CARVE TIGHTER, FASTER, RADIAL TURNS.
SHAPED SKIS HAVE ALSO INTRODUCED A NEW ELEMENT OF DANGER TO THE SPORT. IF A RACER LOSES BALANCE ON SHAPED SKIS, HE CAN VEER WILDLY OFF-COURSE. IN DECEMBER, 22-YEAR OLD SWISS RACER SILVANO BELTRAMETTI WAS PERMANENTLY PARALYZED WHEN HE SKIED OFF-COURSE IN FRANCE, CRASHING CLEAN THROUGH A SAFETY NET AND COLLIDING WITH A PILLAR.
BODE?S UNCLE, MIKE KENNEY, A COACH AND FORMER PROFESSIONAL SKIER, SAYS NO ONE PERFORMS BETTER ON THE NEW SKIS THAN BODE.
TAPE KENNEY He?s more or less defining new techniques with the shaped ski it?s uh -- the actual feel that he?s feeling is his, and his alone. And I think that?s one of the elements that sets him apart from other athletes. He doesn?t try to get the technical cues that are the current status quo from coaches. He really goes on his innate feel for the skis. :24
BODE COMES FROM A FAMILY OF ATHLETES. HE CREDITS HIS MOTHER AND UNCLE AS THE GREATEST INFLUENCES IN HIS LIFE. BUT MIKE KENNEY SAYS THAT ALTHOUGH HE OFFERS SUGGESTIONS TO BODE NOW AND THEN ? HE KNOWS BETTER THAN TO TRY AND COACH HIM.
TAPE KENNEY when you have athletes like that, which I would consider the super talents ? there?s talented athletes who work hard to achieve great results, and then there?s the super talents. When you have a super talent, their feedback ? feedback on their own terms, and their own self confidence, are all they need to excel, and he was one of those athletes. :19
UNCLE MIKE SAYS BODE?S FLAT-OUT APPROACH TO EVERY RACE HAS HELPED BODE WARD-OFF THE DOWNWARD PSYCHOLOGICAL SPIRAL THAT HURTS SO MANY RACERS.
TAPE KENNEY Imagine if he came at 95 percent and failed. That?s when the damage gets done. I?ve been there myself. And that?s even a more horrendous mistake or unforgivable mistake for an athlete. But when you?re going at 100 percent, you know it?s one fraction of an inch over and your done, and that?s easy to forgive. But if you?re at 95 percent and make a big error, and put yourself out of a race or a place, or a qualifying, then that does mental damage. [LAUGHS] So I?m saying Bode has a built-in mechanism to be so close to the edge all the time, and that?s the way he?s always skied. :33
ALL OF WHICH MAKES FOR A VERY EXCITING RACER TO WATCH.
TAPE SFX: [SATELLITE TELEVISION BROADCAST OF RACE]
OC: ?. what a brilliant performance for bode miller of the united states of america. And bode miller, if he can ski like that in front of an american home crowd, he will be the Olympic champion. Brilliant skiing from the american.
BODE MILLER SAYS THE HIGH EXPECTATIONS DON?T TROUBLE HIM.
TAPE MILLER 512 I have an attitude where, I?m not afraid to lose at all. I mean, I?m coming into the Olympics with the intention of going all out, and if I ? if I fall, then I?ll accept that as, you know, what I earned. Because that?s what I?m going to give it is ?is I?m going to give it everything I got. And if everything I got is a ? is a crash [LAUGHS] then that?s all I?ve got. :20
FROM HIS FRANCONIA HOME JUST A FEW MILES FROM BODE?S ? A HOME WITH A STUNNING VIEW OF THE SKI TRAILS CARVED INTO CANNON MOUNTAIN, THE LATE POET ROBERT FROST WROTE: ?WHAT?S WORTH SUCCEEDING IN IS WORTH FAILING IN.? FROST WAS NEVER MUCH OF A SKIER. BODE HASN?T READ A LOT OF FROST. BUT BOTH MEN ARE ENJOYING STRONG REPUTATIONS FOR NOT BEING AFRAID TO TAKE CHANCES. FOR NHPR NEWS, I?M DOUG MACPHERSON.
