Johno McBride and His Downhillers Featured in CNN

The men's alpine speed team was featured in a recent CNN article by Rob Hodgetts entitled, "American downhillers: A need for speed," in which Head Coach John "Johno" McBride talked about his team's unconventional training methods, how they're a "band of brothers" on the road, and what his goals are for the team this season. 

"They all have an understanding of what it means to be downhillers. It's different to slalom skiers. These guys push each other to the edge of destruction. When you're going 90mph down a hill you know that if you go into the red room (the fence) there's a good chance you're going to be injured. There's a lot of consequence to what these guys do and creating this band of brothers, this 'American Downhiller' concept is something the guys can take pride in and support each other and hopefully encourage others to be a part of."

After a challenging 2017-18 Olympic season that saw two of the team leaders—Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah) and Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, Calif.)—out of competition due to knee injuries, McBride talks about his optimism for going where no U.S. male downhiller has gone before: the World Cup downhill title. "Have we been able to pull it together to make that happen. No? But I think it's possible," he said. "We've got guys who can win a title if they're healthy. Steven Nyman and Travis Ganong are in a place where they can be contenders."

McBride also discussed his unconventional training methods for spring camps, which have featured hiking 14ers in Colorado two years ago, and undergoing a four-day special forces training camp in Malibu, California this past spring.  

Read the full article at CNN.com