2010 Winter Olympics Skiing - Looking Ahead

Now that the 2009 ski racing and events competitions are in the history books don't think that the racers, jumpers and freestylers are resting on their laurels or crying over missed gates. Be assured that, with the start of 2010 Winter Olympics approaching closer with every tick of the training clock ,coaches and athletes are chomping at the bit to hit the gym and the summer snow.

Due to injuries or bad timing some world class competitors don't make it to the Olympic competion year and some that do may not be there four years down the road. So, all these world class athletes will approach 2010 knowing that it is the most important competition of the season and may be their only shot at an Olympic medal. A racer could win six races in a row leading up to the Olympic race - but it is the one with the Olympic Gold medal around the neck that gets remembered.

Competition is at a fevered pitch, skills will be honed to personal bests - and in that respect it is akin to the Kentucky Derby. The best and the almost best face off and on any given day, well you know the rest.

As the atheletes start to train I'm going to start polishing up the foggy Olympic crystal ball and see which teams are the teams to watch. Which individuals loom as favorites or as the dark horses. I will preview all the 2010 Winter Olympics Skiing disciplines and events. A look back at who came out on top in last years races and competition events is a good place to start. Most of the ski racers competing in Vancouver will be the returning veterans who have raced on their country's World Cup A Team.

2009 was an especially good barometer season because, not only was it a tune-up for the 2010 Winter Olympic games in Vancouver, BC, but it was also a World Championship race year in Val d'Isere, France. Every ski racer and competitor dreams of World Championship and Olympic Gold.

My 2010 Winter Olympics Skiing series will start right now with 2010 Winter Olympics Skiing - Alpine Ski Racing - A Look Back at 2009 World Cup Racing by Nations, a review of individual medal counts and top ten finishes by nations. I will then put the microscope on each sport and discipline therein.

Over the summer and fall, into the winter World Cup season let's keep our eyes on the Olympic rings and we'll all build up to a fever pitch on February 12, 2010.

Get your cow bells and Olympic trading pins ready - we're off to the races.

More: U.S. Ski Team News | 2010 Winter Olympics

_{Squaw Valley USA Olympic Rings Copyright Mike Doyle}