Bode Miller
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2008-07-10T23:53:39Z
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{{MedalTableTop|Bode Miller.jpg|200px}}
{{MedalCountry | {{USA}} }}
{{MedalSport | Men's [[Alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics|alpine skiing]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalSilver| [[2002 Winter Olympics|2002 Salt Lake City]] | [[Alpine skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics|Giant Slalom]]}}
{{MedalSilver| [[2002 Winter Olympics|2002 Salt Lake City]] | [[Alpine skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics|Combined]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[FIS Alpine World Ski Championships|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[Alpine World Ski Championships 2003|2003 St. Moritz]] |Giant Slalom}}
{{MedalGold| [[Alpine World Ski Championships 2003|2003 St. Moritz]] |Combined}}
{{MedalGold| [[Alpine World Ski Championships 2005|2005 Bormio]] |Super-G}}
{{MedalGold| [[Alpine World Ski Championships 2005|2005 Bormio]] |Downhill}}
{{MedalSilver| [[Alpine World Ski Championships 2003|2003 St. Moritz]] |Super-G}}
{{MedalBottom}}
'''Bode Miller''' (born [[October 12]] [[1977]]) is an [[United States|American]] [[alpine skiing|alpine skier]]. In 2008 Bode (pronounced as {{IPA2|boʊˈdi}}) won his second overall [[2008 Alpine Skiing World Cup|Alpine Skiing World Cup]] title in four years, after also winning the title in [[2005 Alpine Skiing World Cup|2005]]. This led the United States ski team to sweep the men's and women's overall World Cup titles for the first time in 25 years, as [[Lindsey Vonn]] won the woman's title. In 2005 Bode became the first American in 22 years to win the overall title, since [[Phil Mahre]] and [[Tamara McKinney]] in [[1983 Alpine Skiing World Cup|1983]]. Earlier during his championship season, with a victory on [[November 28]], [[2004]], he became only the fifth man to win World Cup races in all five disciplines: [[Slalom skiing|slalom]], [[giant slalom]], [[Super Giant Slalom skiing|Super-G]], [[downhill]], and [[alpine skiing combined|combined]]. With 31 World Cup victories, he is the most successful American alpine skier ever. He is also a four-time [[List of Alpine Skiing World Champions|World Champion]] in four different disciplines and has a pair of silver medals from the [[Alpine skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics|2002 Winter Olympics]]. On May 12, 2007, Miller announced that he would be leaving the [[United States Ski Team|US Ski Team]].<ref name=Quit1>[http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/othersports/2080AP_SKI_Miller_US_Team.html Bode Miller quits U. S. ski team]</ref><ref name=Quit2>[http://sports.yahoo.com/ski/news?slug=ap-miller-usteam&prov=ap&type=lgns Bode Miller quits US ski team]</ref>. However, he still competes for the USA in international competitions.
==Biography==
Born in [[Easton, New Hampshire|Easton]], [[New Hampshire]], to Jo Kenney and Woody Miller, he grew up in [[Franconia, New Hampshire]], a small community in the heart of New Hampshire's ski region. His family, including older sister Kyla, younger sister Wren (short for Genesis Wren Bungo Windrushing Turtleheart) and younger brother Chelone (full name Nathaniel Kinsman Ever Chelone Skan), lived on 450 acres (2 km²) of land in a [[forest]], where his parents celebrated the [[solstice]]s, in a log cabin without [[electricity]] or [[domestic water system|indoor plumbing]]. He was [[homeschooling|homeschooled]] until the third grade, but after his parents [[divorce]]d, he began attending public school. He applied for and got a scholarship to the [[Carrabassett Valley Academy]], a training ground for skiers in [[Maine]]. His mother's parents owned and started the Tamarack Tennis Camp, and he has played [[tennis]] and [[football (soccer)|soccer]] since childhood.
Miller first gained widespread recognition when he won two silver medals at the [[2002 Winter Olympics]] in the [[Giant Slalom]] and Combined events, though he had been known to skiing fans since he burst onto the World Cup scene as an 18-year-old in 1996. Miller is known for his reckless style, often risking crashes to increase his chances of winning a given race; in his book, ''Bode: Go Fast, Be Good, Have Fun,'' Miller stated that his goal as a skier was not to win medals, but rather to ski "as fast as the natural universe will allow." In 2006, Miller also become famous for his reclusive (but outspoken) personality, and his attention-getting statements. Miller has historically fared well at the [[Alpine World Skiing Championships|FIS World Ski Championships]], winning a total of four gold medals and one silver medal.
==Skiing career==
===2001/02 Season===
Miller won his first World Cup ski race on [[December 29]], [[2001]], taking the [[giant slalom]] at [[Val d'Isère]], and then followed it up the next day with another win in the slalom at [[Madonna di Campiglio]]. He would go on to win two more slalom races in January 2002, along with a pair of silver medals at the [[2002 Winter Olympics]] in February, thus establishing himself as the top skier on the U. S. Ski Team.
===2002/03 Season===
Miller sought the overall [[International Ski Federation|FIS]] [[Alpine skiing World Cup|World Cup]] title but fell just short, finishing second to [[Stephan Eberharter]].
At the 2003 World Championships in [[St. Moritz]], [[Switzerland]], he won three medals: gold in [[giant slalom]] and combined, and silver in [[Super Giant Slalom skiing|Super-G]].
===2003/04 Season===
In this season Bode Miller won FIS World Cup titles in two disciplines: [[giant slalom]] and combined but placed 4th in the competition for the overall title.
===2004/05 Season===
In the 2004/2005 season Miller won his first overall [[International Ski Federation|FIS]] [[Alpine skiing World Cup|World Cup]] title, defeating Austrians [[Benjamin Raich]] and [[Hermann Maier]].
Miller made history by winning at least one race in each of the four standard World Cup disciplines: [[Slalom skiing|Slalom]], [[Giant Slalom]], [[Super Giant Slalom skiing|Super-G]], and [[Downhill]]; by winning a slalom in [[Sestriere]], [[Italy]], on [[December 13]], [[2004]], he joined [[Marc Girardelli]] of [[Luxembourg]], who had been the first man to accomplish this feat in 1989. Miller accomplished the feat in less time than any previous skier, male or female; the victory was his sixth of the season after only ten races. At the [[Alpine World Ski Championships 2005|2005 World Championships]] in [[Bormio]], [[Italy]] he won two gold medals, in [[Super Giant Slalom skiing|Super-G]] and [[Downhill]].
===2005/06 Season===
Despite the hype surrounding Miller in the weeks prior to the [[2006 Winter Olympics]], every one of Miller's five medal bids in the Turin Games fell short: he finished a disappointing 5th in the [[Downhill]], was disqualified – while in first place at the time – during the second leg of the Combined event, received a DNF (Did Not Finish) in the [[Super Giant Slalom skiing|Super G]], tied for 6th in the [[Giant Slalom skiing|Giant Slalom]], and claimed another DNF after missing a gate in the [[Slalom skiing|Slalom]]. While his Olympic Alpine Skiing finishes were respectable by historical American standards, they disappointed expectations and were widely perceived as a personal and team failure. At the 2006 US National Championships, Miller won the [[Downhill]] and [[Giant Slalom]] titles.
===2006/07 Season===
Bode Miller had 4 first place finishes in the early going of the [[2007 Alpine Skiing World Cup#Men|2007 World Cup]]. Miller finished 4th overall and won the [[Super G]] title. On May 12, 2007, Miller announced that he is leaving the [[United States Ski Team|US Ski Team]].<ref name=Quit1 /><ref name=Quit2 />
===2007/08 Season===
Bode Miller clinched his second overall world cup championship at the World Cup Alpine Finals in Bormio, Italy. Miller missed a chance to also win the downhill title when bad weather prevented the season's last race from being run. Miller got his first win of the season at the Stelvio downhill in Bormio in December. On January 13, Miller won for the second year in a row the legendary [[Lauberhorn|Wengen downhill]], matching Phil Mahre as the most successful American skier with 27 World Cup victories. On January 20, he broke this record by winning the Hahnenkahm combined event at Kitzbühel. On January 27, he won the first super combined in his career in Chamonix and took the lead in the [[2008_Alpine_Skiing_World_Cup#Men|World Cup standings]]. On February 3, he won the super combined in Val d'Isère and took the combined title. On March 1, Bode got his sixth win of the season at Kvitfjell, cementing his lead in the overall and closing to 5 points on Cuche in downhill. At the end of this impressive season he is crowned overall champion.
==Publicity, press and promotions==
Miller's fame was partly spawned by his [[2002 Winter Olympics]] slalom performance where, as a relatively unknown athlete, he hiked back up the course to finish after missing a gate – a rare, mostly symbolic act of dedication in a sport where hundredths of second often separate gold from bronze.
===2006 Olympics coverage===
On the program ''[[60 Minutes]]'', in January 2006, Miller described the act of skiing "wasted" and compared it to lawlessly driving while intoxicated. <ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10727859/ Skiing drunk 'not easy,' Bode says - Winter Olympics - MSNBC.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> He issued an apology for these comments less than a week after they aired.<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10820499/ Bode says he regrets 'confusion and pain' - Alpine skiing - MSNBC.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> During an interview with ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' later the same month, he stated his belief that [[Lance Armstrong]], [[Barry Bonds]], and unspecified other athletes "knowingly" cheated by using performance enhancing drugs.<ref>[http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11045824/ Bode says Armstrong, Bonds 'knowingly' cheat - Alpine skiing - MSNBC.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
After his disappointing 2006 Olympic performance, Miller summarized his experience by stating that his "quality of life is the priority," and repeated what had become his mantra throughout the Olympics: "I'm just trying to ski in a way that's exciting for me." In an interview shortly after his last race, he said that it had "been an awesome two weeks," and that he "got to party and socialize at an Olympic level." [[Bob Costas]]' primetime editorial, after an unapologetic Miller interview with [[Tom Brokaw]], the conclusion was offered that Miller might finally get what he wanted: to be unceremoniously forgotten. Miller was consequently vilified in the American and international media; editorials focused on his attitude of simply not caring about the Olympics or about his performance.
Many perceived his "whatever" attitude a violation of the "Olympic Spirit." An attitude that had more in common with one of his sponsors [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]], which espoused the motto "Just Do It." Some of the responsibility for the excessive 2006 Olympic publicity was believed to rest with Nike's relentless advertising campaign, in which they urged consumers to "Join Bode." This prompted ''[[Washington Post]]'' sportswriter Sally Jenkins to ask, "Where? At the bar?" in response to his well-publicized nights on the town in [[Sestriere]].<ref>Jenkins, Sally. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/25/AR2006022501546.html "Only Medal For Bode Is Fool's Gold"], [[Washington Post]], Feb. 25, 2006. Retrieved Feb. 9, 2008.</ref> Others have argued that the blame for Miller's crash-and-burn publicity is shared between himself, his PR people, and his manager. The theory that they collectively made Miller available for a veritable media blitz in the months leading up to the Olympics.{{cquote|[The Olympic hype] is going to be a tough thing for me to manage. My actions are not always consistent. I'm super-mellow and laid back, but I'm always thinking and running 100,000 scenarios through my head. Sometimes I'm disciplined, but I like to be a total slacker, too. I party hard, but I train hard. People are going to try and figure me out and figure out my motivations, and it's going to be a circus.}}
Miller was viewed as a loose cannon because he frequently responded to questions from the press with, as Layden put it, "sermons that are often delivered without regard to consequences" (witness his ''60 Minutes'' and ''Rolling Stone'' 2006 interviews). Miller's US legacy has seemed to have paled since then with more recent revelations about drugs ([[Mitchell Report (baseball)|Baseball]] and [[Doping at the 2007 Tour de France|Cycling]]) and even more specular mis-adventures ([[National Football League player conduct controversy|American Football]] or [[Tim_Donaghy#Betting_scandal|
Basketball]]) by the sports media.
===Endorsement and sponsors ===
Miller's [[autobiography]], ''Bode: Go Fast, Be Good, Have Fun'', co-written with his friend Jack McEnany, was published by Villard/[[Random House]] on October 18, 2005. Miller also became the first American alpine skier since [[Tommy Moe]] to endorse a [[video game]] when ''[[Bode Miller Alpine Racing]]'' was released for mobile phones on January 30, 2006, followed by ''[[Bode Miller Alpine Skiing]]'' for [[Playstation 2]] and [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]. In 2006 Miller was the subject of a biographical film, ''Flying Downhill'', which looks at the people and the place he comes from, and where exactly each fits within his philosophy.
Miller broke away from the US Ski team and formed "Team America" for the 2007/08 season. This allowed him more control of his training, equipment, staff and sponsors and less distractions.
===Other sports===
In 2002, Miller won [[ABC Sports]]' annual ''[[Superstars]]'' competition, a televised event that pits athletes from different sports against one another in a series of athletic contests. In doing so, he became just the second skier to win ''Superstars'', after [[Hermann Maier]] won the year before. The US version of the show has largely been dominated by [[American football]] players.[http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Dugout/8973/]
On [[July 29]], [[2006]], Miller signed a one-day contract to play baseball for the [[Nashua Pride]] (Canadian-American League). He went 0-2 with two strikeouts, however he did make an acrobatic catch in left field, which earned national attention by being featured by ESPN [http://sports.espn.go.com/minorlbb/news/story?id=2515765], among others. The team said it would donate at least $5,000 from ticket sales for the game to Miller's Turtle Ridge Foundation, which will give the money to the [[Lance Armstrong Foundation]].
On [[July 23]], [[2007]], Miller again signed a one-day contract, to play the first three inning [[July 24]], [[2007]], for the [[Nashua Pride]], to raise money for charity.<ref>http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/07/23/bode-millers-playing-minor-league-baseball/ Bode Miller's Playing Minor League Baseball, retrieved 2007-07-23</ref>
==World Cup victories==
===Overall and single discipline===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! '''Season'''
! '''Discipline'''
|-
| [[2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup|2003]] ||Combined
|-
| [[2004 Alpine Skiing World Cup|2004]] || Giant Slalom
|-
| [[2004 Alpine Skiing World Cup|2004]] || Combined
|-
| [[2005 Alpine Skiing World Cup|2005]] || '''Overall'''
|-
| [[2005 Alpine Skiing World Cup|2005]] || Super-G
|-
| [[2007 Alpine Skiing World Cup|2007]] || Super-G
|-
| [[2008 Alpine Skiing World Cup|2008]] || Combined
|-
| [[2008 Alpine Skiing World Cup|2008]] || '''Overall'''
|}
===Race victories===
31 total wins (7 downhill, 5 Super G, 9 giant slalom, 5 slalom, 5 combined)
{|class="wikitable"
!Date||Location||Race
|-
|[[9 December]] [[2001]] ||{{flagicon|France}} [[Val d'Isère]] ||Giant Slalom
|-
|[[10 December]] [[2001]] ||{{flagicon|Italy}} [[Madonna di Campiglio]] ||Slalom
|-
|[[6 January]] [[2002]]||{{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[Adelboden]]||Slalom
|-
|[[22 January]] [[2002]]||{{flagicon|Austria}} [[Schladming]]||Slalom
|-
|[[22 December]] [[2002]] ||{{flagicon|Italy}} [[Alta Badia]] ||Giant Slalom
|-
|[[4 January]] [[2003]]||{{flagicon|Slovenia}} [[Kranjska Gora]]||Giant Slalom
|-
|[[26 October]] [[2003]] ||{{flagicon|Austria}} [[Sölden]] ||Giant Slalom
|-
|[[22 November]] [[2003]]||{{flagicon|USA}} [[Park City Mountain Resort|Park City]]||Giant Slalom
|-
|[[11 January]] [[2004]]||{{flagicon|France}} [[Chamonix]] ||Combined
|-
|[[25 January]] [[2004]]||{{flagicon|Austria}} [[Kitzbühel]]||Combined
|-
|[[15 February]] [[2004]] ||{{flagicon|Austria}} St. Anton||Slalom
|-
|[[28 February]] [[2004]] ||{{flagicon|Slovenia}} [[Kranjska Gora]] || Giant Slalom
|-
|[[24 October]] [[2004]]||{{flagicon|Austria}} [[Sölden]] ||Giant Slalom
|-
|[[27 November]] [[2004]] ||{{flagicon|Canada}} [[Lake Louise, Alberta|Lake Louise]] ||Downhill
|-
|[[28 November]] [[2004]]||{{flagicon|Canada}} Lake Louise ||Super-G
|-
|[[3 December]] [[2004]]||{{flagicon|USA}} [[Beaver Creek Resort|Beaver Creek]] ||Downhill
|-
|[[12 December]] [[2004]]||{{flagicon|France}} Val d'Isère ||Giant Slalom
|-
|[[13 December]] [[2004]] ||{{flagicon|Italy}} [[Sestrières]] ||Slalom
|-
|[[11 March]] [[2005]] ||{{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[Lenzerheide]] ||Super-G
|-
|[[3 December]] [[2005]] ||{{flagicon|USA}} [[Beaver Creek Resort|Beaver Creek]] ||Giant Slalom
|-
|[[16 March]] [[2006]] ||{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Åre]] ||Super-G
|-
|[[1 December]] [[2006]] ||{{flagicon|USA}} [[Beaver Creek Resort|Beaver Creek]] ||Downhill
|-
|[[15 December]] [[2006]] ||{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Val Gardena]] ||Super-G
|-
|[[20 December]], [[2006]] ||{{flagicon|AUT}} [[Hinterstoder]] ||Super-G
|-
|[[13 January]], [[2007]] || {{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[Wengen]] || Downhill
|-
|[[29 December]], [[2007]] || {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Bormio]] || Downhill
|-
|[[13 January]], [[2008]] || {{flagicon|SUI}} [[Wengen, Switzerland|Wengen]] || Downhill
|-
|[[20 January]], [[2008]] || {{flagicon|AUT}} [[Kitzbühel, Austria|Kitzbühel]] || Combined
|-
|[[27 January]], [[2008]] || {{flagicon|France}} [[Chamonix]] || Super Combined
|-
|[[3 February]] [[2008]] || {{flagicon|France}} [[Val d'Isère]] || Super Combined
|-
|[[1 March]] [[2008]] || {{flagicon|Norway}} [[Kvitfjell]] || Downhill
|}
==References==
* {{cite book | last = Miller | first = Bode | authorlink = | coauthors = with Jack McEnany | title = Bode: Go Fast, Be Good, Have Fun | publisher = Villard Books | date = 2005 | isbn = 1-4000-6235-7}}
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
{{wikiquote}}
* [http://www.bodemillerusa.com/BodeMiller.html Official site]
* [http://www.skispace.com SkiSpace.com] - Skiing Social Networking Site founded by Bode Miller
===Profiles===
* [http://www.usolympicteam.com/26_680.htm US Olympic Team.com] - Bode Miller
* [http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/5057021/detail.html NBC Olympics.com] - Videos, photos, results
* {{FIS|S=AL|ID=40317}}
*[http://www.ski-db.com/db/profiles/mllbo.asp Bode Miller at Ski-db.com] - Results
* {{imdb name|id=1301126|name=Bode Miller}}
===Articles===
* [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/05/60minutes/main1182654.shtml "Bode", Bob Simon Profiles America's Top-Ranked Skier] CBSNews.com, Jan 2006
* [http://www.nbcolympics.com/bodebyjake/index.html "Bode By Jake"] - Blog by Miller's best friend about their Olympic adventures
* [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11595388/ "I have way more than Bode has as far as a life"] - Daron Rahlves fires back at teammate Miller's comments, MSNBC, Feb 2006
* [http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060225/NEWS/602250333/1007/SPORTS "An ugly snapshot of Bode Miller"] - RutlandHerald.com, Feb 2006
* [http://www.pierretristam.com/Bobst/Archives/C022806.htm "The Heroism of Bode Miller"] Candide's Notebooks, Feb 2006
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/05/magazine/05bode_72_77_.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin "When Fame and Talent Collide"] The New York Times, Feb 2006
* [http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20060302/COLUMN/103020018&SearchID=73237259319703/ "Lovin' Bode no matter what"] - AspenTimes.com, Mar 2006
* [http://www.hofmag.com/content/view/505/29/ "Deconstructing Bode"] - HallOfFameMagazine.com
* [http://www.skiracing.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5364&Itemid=2 "Bode Miller To Go Independent of US Ski Team"] - Skiracing.com reports on Bode's decision to leave the national team. May 2007
===Videos===
* [http://nytimes.feedroom.com/?fr_story=c3d95d089d43cc07f7e6201b1f533b4337f6c62b "Miller Trades Technique for High Speed"] - NewYorkTimes.com
* [http://broadbandsports.com/taxonomy/term/1004 "Interviews, race footage and TV commercials"] - BroadbandSports.com
{{Footer World Cup Champions Men}}
{{Footer World Champions Giant Slalom Men}}
{{Footer World Champions Super-G Men}}
{{Footer World Champions Downhill Men}}
{{Footer World Champions Combined Men}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Bode}}
[[Category:1977 births]]
[[Category:American alpine skiers]]
[[Category:People from New Hampshire]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Winter Olympics medalists]]
[[Category:Olympic alpine skiers of the United States]]
[[Category:Alpine skiers at the 1998 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Alpine skiers at the 2002 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Alpine skiers at the 2006 Winter Olympics]]
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