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Nordic Men's Team
Nordic Combined skier Bill Demong clinched a spot in his second Olympics team when he posted the best World Cup result of his career for the second straight meet, finishing fourth.
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(Jan. 19, 2002)------
Next to him-- Todd Lodwick, who finished fifth in Steamboat Springs, before Christmas. He's had three World Cup titles in his career.
The two men are considered America's best hope for an Olympic medal. Shelley Osterloh reports.
Cross country skiing requires strength and endurance as athletes push their bodies from long distances.
On the other hand, ski jumping is over in seconds.
Shelley Osterloh/Reporting: JUMPERS ARE ONLY ABOUT TEN OR TWELVE FEET OFF THE GROUND, BUT THEY FLY FARTHER THAN THE LENGTH OF A FOOTBALL FIELD.
Yet these two opposite sports make up Nordic Combined.
America's top skier, Todd Lodwick, is a two time Olympian and eight time U.S. Champion.
Todd Lodwick/Nordic Combined: YOU TAKE TWO SPORTS LIKE SKI JUMPING, WHICH IS A QUICK TWITCH MUSCLE SPORT AND LIGHT WEIGHT SMALL KIN OF GUYS AND MORE OF FLYING SPORT, A LOT OF POWER AND QUICKNESS. WHERE YOU TAKE CROSS COUNTRY, THE MORE BIGGER GUYS, REALLY STOUT GUYS THAT CAN GO FAST, AND TRY TO PUT THOSE TOGETHER AND GET NORDIC COMBINED SKIING.
Training for one sport is opposite, almost counter beneficial to the other --- the trick is to find the balance and be good at both.
American skiers like Bill Demong think spectators will love Nordic Combined, if they give it a chance.
Bill Demong/Nordic Combined: SKI JUMPING, YOU HAVE THE HEIGHT AND SPEED AND THE DISTANCE AND IT'S AN AMAZING FEAT FOR THOSE OF US THAT HAVE NEVER DONE IT. WHEREAS CROSS COUNTRY IS JUST LIKE THIS GUT WRENCHING GRUELING SPORT WHERE YOU GO OUT AND HURT YOURSELF FROM ANYWHERE FROM 15 MINUTES TO 2 HOURS. AND TO SEE PEOPLE PUT THEMSELVES THROUGH THE TRIALS OF BOTH SPORTS IS EXTREMELY EXCITING TO WATCH.
The U.S. combined team finished tenth in Nagano. Both Lodwick and Demong expect a much better finish this time around.
