Cook goes back to back

Truckee skier Stacey Cook may loathe racing in cold weather, but her results competing in such bitter-chilly conditions suggest the opposite.

“The cold weather is just miserable, but for some reason I’m fast on cold days,” an elated Cook said by phone from Sugarloaf, Maine, on Monday, shortly after winning the women’s downhill title at the 2008 U.S. Alpine Championships.

The win came just one day after capturing the super G crown, giving Cook her second U.S. title in two days and the third of her career. The race-time temperature: about minus 9 degrees Fahrenheit, Cook said.

“It’s so cold. It’s definitely not California weather,” said Cook, a 2002 Truckee High grad who now skis out of Mammoth. “I can’t wait to get home.”

That familiar California sunshine will have to wait until Thursday for Cook, who plans to return to Truckee for two weeks after her season officially ends with Wednesday’s giant slalom.

While Cook is no fan of the nasty weather that altered the U.S. Alpine Championships schedule, she enjoyed soaking in the moment of her successive wins with her U.S. Ski Team on Monday.

“I’m pretty excited. It’s definitely cool to get two national titles in two days,” she said. ...

“It’s great because Lindsey (Vonn) is here looking to win also, and to beat her two days in a row is just awesome — because she’s been so dominant.”

Vonn, the women’s World Cup overall champion, placed second behind Cook in the downhill, posting a time of 1:11.78 to Cook’s 1:11.69.

Julia Mancuso of Olympic Valley is sick and did not compete in the Championships, said team press officer Doug Haney.

In Sunday’s super G, Cook finished five-hundredth of a second ahead of Leanne Smith (1:15.00 to 1:15.05) for the win. She also won the super G title two years ago in Maine.

“I wanted to end the season well. I kind of had a rough year on the World Cup,” said Cook, who finished 21st overall in the super G and 39th in the downhill. “I didn’t get the top results I was looking for. So I just wanted to ski well and stay clean and focused.”

Men's competition

Marco Sullivan finished third in the men’s super G at the U.S. Alpine Championships on Sunday, while Travis Ganong of the U.S. Ski Team’s C squad placed 11th. Both ski out of Squaw Valley.

Kevin Francis won the men’s super G with a time of 1:19.62 to edge second-place Bryon Friedman (1:19.73) and Sullivan (1:19.96). Ganong posted a time of 1:20.93.

Ganong’s 11th-place effort was good enough for the Junior National title, Haney said, adding that Ganong also won the combined title among Juniors.

Ganong also finished seventh overall in Monday’s downhill, while Sullivan missed the race because it was postponed and he had a plane to catch to Whistler, B.C.

Americans lead World Cup

The United States led the nations count of titles in the 2008 Audi FIS Alpine World Cup season.

Led by overall champions Lindsey Vonn and Bode Miller, American skiers earned five titles. Germany, Italy and Austria each had two.

It was the strongest showing ever for the USA, with three different skiers — Vonn, Miller and Ted Ligety — taking titles. Ligety won the giant slalom title, with Vonn adding downhill and Miller super combined.

“We’re turning the world upside down in Alpine ski racing,” said U.S. Alpine Director Jesse Hunt. “To have two Americans win the overall, it’s a special deal. And it’s by a number of different athletes. What it says is that we’re here to stay and dominate Alpine ski racing.”

Among local racers, Sullivan placed fourth in the downhill for the best finish of his career. Sullivan also was 28th in the overall and 30th in the super G.

Mancuso finished seventh in both the overall and downhill, fifth in the giant slalom, eighth in the super G, sixth in the combined and 28th in the slalom.

Cook finished 21st in the super G, 23rd in the combined, 39th in the downhill, 48th in the overall and 54th in the GS.

Audi FIS World Cup champions

Men

Overall - Bode Miller, Bretton Woods, N.H.

Downhill - Didier Cuche, Switzerland

Super G - Hannes Reichelt, Austria

Giant Slalom - Ted Ligety, Park City, Utah

Slalom - Manfred Moelgg, Italy

Super Combined - Bode Miller

Women

Overall - Lindsey Vonn, Vail, Colo.

Downhill - Lindsey Vonn, Vail, Colo.

Super G - Maria Riesch, Germany

Giant Slalom - Denise Karbon, Italy

Slalom - Marlies Schild, Austria

Super Combined - Maria Riesch, Germany

Nation Titles

USA 5, Germany 2, Italy 2, Austria 2, Switzerland 1

<i>The U.S. Ski Team contributed to this report</I>