17 Year Old Alice Robinson wins Soelden GS

17 Year Old Alice Robinson wins Soelden GS

Postby jbotti » Sat Oct 26, 2019 9:16 am

Shiffrin second. That's huge for a 17 year old!!

BREAKING: 17-Year-Old Alice Robinson Wins First World Cup
The World Junior Giant Slalom Champion proved Saturday that she is not to be counted out this World Cup season, by pulling out her first ever World Cup win on the notoriously aggressive Rettenbach glacier in Soelden, Austria.

In March, the young New Zealander earned her first ever podium finish on the World Cup when she shocked the field by taking second in the World Finals giant slalom behind Shiffrin. Since, the tables have turned and Robinson now finds herself standing at the top of the podium, having pulled ahead of Shiffrin by sixth hundredths of a second to win the race in the second run.

Third-place finisher and 2018 Soelden champion, Tessa Worley, also had a strong showing, after jumping three positions in run two to earn the podium spot. Aside from Shiffrin, she is the only other woman to come within a half second of Robinson’s total time.

Other notable performances came from Norway’s Maria Therese Tviberg. The 25-year-old started at the back of the pack, wearing bib 58, to break into the top 30 on her first run. She then laid down the fast second run time of the day, and finished in sixth place – her career best.

The United States’ Nina O’Brien was the only U.S. starter aside from Shiffrin who was successfully able to complete both runs. She tied for 21st overall, her best World Cup finish to date.

Stay tuned for full race coverage.

Top 10 Results
Alice Robinson (NZL) – 2:17.36 – Volkl/Marker/Dalbello
Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) – +0.06 – Atomic/Atomic
Tessa Worley (FRA) – +0.36 – Rossignol/Rossignol
Mina Fuerst Holtmann (NOR) – +0.85 – Volkl/Marker/Dalbello
Federica Brignone (ITA) – +0.87 – Rossignol/Rossignol
Maria Therese Tviberg (NOR) – +1.03 – Head / Head
Franziska Gritsch (AUT) – +1.41 – Head / Head
Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) – +1.46 – Head / Head
Michelle Gisin (SUI) – +1.47 – Rossignol/Rossignol
Ramona Siebenhofer (AUT) – +1.50 – Fischer/Fischer
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Re: 17 Year Old Alice Robinson wins Soelden GS

Postby jbotti » Sat Oct 26, 2019 4:12 pm

Just watched the race and got it in before our power goes down (thanks PG&E!). Robinson looked solid and fast. Shiffrin was just too cautious on the second run and it cost her the win.

Nice to have some ski racing to watch!!
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Re: 17 Year Old Alice Robinson wins Soelden GS

Postby dj_61 » Sun Oct 27, 2019 4:30 am

What a great talent from New Zealand! Last years unior Worldchamp may be about to make history in the Worldcup. Finally the developments in NZ skiing are paying off in racing. This was about to happen.
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Re: 17 Year Old Alice Robinson wins Soelden GS

Postby h.harb » Tue Dec 31, 2019 2:29 pm

Lots of aggression, and talent, however, her set up is poor and her technique is reflexive, reactive and instinctual, not refined or developed. If she continues like this, I predict an ACL injury.
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Re: 17 Year Old Alice Robinson wins Soelden GS

Postby blackthorn » Tue Dec 31, 2019 2:54 pm

She suffered a knee injury recently and only just back into WC racing - last week in the top 10, GS Courchevel.

Here is an extract from a local paper from one of her coaches about her technique - and no doubt to be read as such ie a newspaper article.

A leading New Zealand ski coach has revealed the secret of Alice Robinson's success.
NZ men's coach Nils Coberger, of Arrowtown, said that, unlike her rivals, the Queenstown ski race sensation tried to carve the top of every turn, rather than drift.

''We've always believed that it's faster - it's just physics.''

In Solden, Austria, last weekend, the 17-year-old claimed the women's giant slalom (GS) title by 0.06 seconds from superstar Mikaela Shriffin - for her first World Cup win.

Coberger said he introduced the technique to the youngster when she came into his academy, at Queenstown's Coronet Peak, two years ago.

It was also bought into by her former coach Tim Cafe and current coaches Chris Knight and Jeff Fergus.

''I think she's truly going to change the way that people ski GS, technically,'' Coberger said .

''If you can bend the ski sharp enough and you're powerful enough and you've got the skill factor, which Alice has all of, it's simply faster.''
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Re: 17 Year Old Alice Robinson wins Soelden GS

Postby h.harb » Tue Dec 31, 2019 5:30 pm

The idea of carving the upper part of the arc may actually be hurting her. She drives that part of the arc already and then deals with pressure loading the ski too early. It is fine to create the angles in the "High C" as we call it in PMTS, however, applying pressure there, requires pushing the leg straight and that is what she is doing. If you watch her runs this causes many of her turns and her ski to run out or rail.

She almost did herself in at Killington causing her knee to bend way back and in the last GS in Lienz where she also did the same thing. There she ended up around 20th. She does not have a technique, she throws herself down the course for sure and uses her strength, but there is no finesse in this skiing. That usually doesn't end well. I'm not saying she will ever ski like Fenninger, (when Anna was healthy) no one could, but getting closer to that technique would sure add some longevity to her career.

BTW, the coach is full of it, no one is going ski like her or try to emulate her way of skiing. Many of the women GS skiers now are really thin and little, (Example. Marta Bassino) trying to ski like Robinson would be deadly to them. It will be interesting to watch Robinson's brawn approach versus technique finesse play out.
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Re: 17 Year Old Alice Robinson wins Soelden GS

Postby blackthorn » Tue Dec 31, 2019 6:01 pm

Indeed - my thoughts as well, but expressed far better and with infinitely more authority than I could.

That's why I put up the post.
Last edited by blackthorn on Tue Dec 31, 2019 8:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 17 Year Old Alice Robinson wins Soelden GS

Postby h.harb » Tue Dec 31, 2019 6:09 pm

Great, Thanks.
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Re: 17 Year Old Alice Robinson wins Soelden GS

Postby jbotti » Sun Feb 16, 2020 4:36 pm

Everyone that loves ski racing should watch Alice Robinson's 2 runs from yesterday's GS at Kranska Gora. Wow, she is comfortable with speed in a way that the other women are not. Fun to watch even if she will never be a great technical model.
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Re: 17 Year Old Alice Robinson wins Soelden GS

Postby HighAngles » Sun Feb 16, 2020 10:02 pm

jbotti wrote:Everyone that loves ski racing should watch Alice Robinson's 2 runs from yesterday's GS at Kranska Gora. Wow, she is comfortable with speed in a way that the other women are not. Fun to watch even if she will never be a great technical model.


Yeah, she clearly left nothing on the table. Interesting to see what's possible when a skier takes it to that level and is totally focused on getting down the run the fastest way possible.
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Re: 17 Year Old Alice Robinson wins Soelden GS

Postby blackthorn » Mon Feb 17, 2020 2:00 pm

It's great to see that she can win at this level again, and is not just a flash in the pan. She is young and has so much potential, and seems made of the right stuff. Kiwi skiers don't often achieve at this high level, and we are just going to have to accept the fact that she was born Australian!
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