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SPORTSFriday 16 October 2015

U.S. skier Bode Miller will skip 2015-16 World Cup circuit

PAT GRAHAM In this Monday, Feb. 2, 2015 file photo, USA men’s ski team member Bode Miller participates in a news conference, on the first day
AP Sports Writer of the World Cup Ski Championships, in Beaver Creek, Colo.
Bode Miller will leave all
the racing this season to his Associated Press
horses.
The six-time Olympic med- land. Among his good favorite fantasy novel. Fitness-wise, Miller said he great.”
alist is taking a break from friends is Bob Baffert, the “Each one of these horses “feels excellent.” He had Miller split from his sponsor
competing on the World trainer of Triple Crown win- is like my kid,” Miller said. surgery last November to Head and joined Bomber
Cup circuit to spend more ner American Pharoah. “When you really invest fix a herniated disk in his Ski, a company he’s col-
time with his family, test out “Our program is a super, su- yourself and your energy back and didn’t return un- laborating with that makes
a new line of ski equipment per elite training program,” into an animal, you’re til the world championships handcrafted skis in a race
and oversee a barn full of Miller said. “It’s training, but much more invested in three months later in Bea- lab in Italy.
promising thoroughbreds you can’t really call it train- the outcome. It hurts more ver Creek, Colorado. He U.S. men’s coach Sasha
he owns. ing. In ski racing, it’s condi- when they lose or when crashed during the super-G Rearick doesn’t think the
Don’t read this as any sort tioning. That’s what we’re they hurt themselves. But and severed his right ham- world has seen the last of
of retirement, though. Not doing — conditioning the you get a lot more when string tendon. Miller on a race hill. Far
yet, anyway, even if Miller (the horses) mentally and they win.” Miller skied in Europe and from it.
did turn 38 earlier this week. physically to compete.” Miller has captured 33 Chile over the summer with “He’s Bode Miller. He loves
He’s still keeping that door One of his horses is Raven- World Cup races and two no trouble — or hint of pain. it. He loves expressing him-
open, although he finds it heart, which will compete overall titles. He’s also “My hamstring seems to self on snow,” Rearick re-
“really unlikely” that he will this weekend at the Mary- earned three Olympic silver have no real impact on my cently said. “He loves push-
be flying out of the start- land Million Nursery. He medals and two bronze to ability to ski and my body ing the limits. If he’s got a
ing gate at the 2018 Winter picked out Ravenheart — go with the gold in the su- feels great,” said Miller. “My new challenge, find some-
Games in South Korea. saw the potential in him — per-combined at the 2010 back feels fine. In terms thing fun for him, he’s go-
“But it would be a cool and named him after his Vancouver Games. of that, everything feels ing to go full at it.”q
thing to share with your
kids, competing at a high
level,” Miller said in a
phone interview with The
Associated Press on Thurs-
day. “And fitness-wise, my
body feels excellent. You
never know, but I would
say it’s really unlikely I’d go
in ‘18.”
Skiing took a backseat in
May when he and his wife,
pro beach volleyball play-
er Morgan Beck Miller, wel-
comed a son.
“I haven’t slept in 4 1/2
months,” cracked Miller,
who has two kids from pre-
vious relationships. “My pri-
orities are so focused on
the baby and family stuff.
It’s really hard to manage
all the other stuff.”
He’s also getting more in-
volved in projects such as
training horses. He and a
business partner own 15
horses and a barn in Mary-