Cinq, quatre..
trois, deux, un.
Hup.
There is an accident on the course.
- How'd you do? - Half a second slower than Hinsch.
I was half a second slower than the last Cuban.
- Where'd you finish? - Fourth.
That's not so bad.
He's still under morphine.
[ Woman On PA. Trans World Airlines announce the arrival..
of the flight Star Stream 830 from New York.
- Cabine trois. - What?
Cabine numéro trois. Box three.
Hello?
Hey. How do you get - Hello?
This is Dave Chappellet.
I'm here at the airport.
Yeah.
All right. How do I get there?
Yeah. Who?
No, I never have.
Yeah, okay. Ye - I said okay. Uh, no one told me about anybody else.
Sorry.
Excuse me.
No, I don't want a reservation. I have a reservation.
Yes, it was made a month ago.
- Oh. - How are ya?
Glad you two got together.
Hey, Mayo. How are ya, buddy?
- D.K., how are ya? - Long time no see.
Will you talk to him, please?
- Tell him we have the letter confirming. - Yes.
Nice to see you. I think you're in Room, uh, 44.
Something like that.
It was done through American Express. Don't tell me not to shout!
You know what that is?
Yeah.
Hey, where do you know Mayo from?
Up at Dartmouth. I was one of the Olympic hopefuls.
I was hopeful. Not them.
Mayo's okay.
Dartmouth.
- Chappellet? Johnny Creech. - Yeah, I know.
- You know Kipsmith? - Hey. How's it goin'?
Yeah. What do you say?
Hey, Stiles. You sure you want to ski today?
- Who's this? - A German. I don't know who he is.
- Is this Bryan? - Yeah.
- Not bad. - Too much style.
- Who's next, Chappellet? - Okay.
Okay.
- What do you have? - 28.8.
That's what I have.
All right. Here are the bibs.
Creech.
Eighty-eight?
Yeah. You'll be starting in the sixth group.
It's the best we could get for you.
You should be higher, but that's all we could do for you right now.
What's the point of even racing?
Same as always. You try to win.
- Starting 88th? I'll be in ruts up to my knees. - Probably.
Uh, the officials have made a decision about the, uh- the break you're gonna take.
Uh, there'll be a five-minute pause-
- [ D.K. How come you didn't race? - I don't know.
I thought you had a start number.
Well, I'll tell you, D.K.
- What is "D.K." for? What does that stand for? - It's my name.
Is that really your name - D.K.?
Yeah, well, it's my initials.
- Your initials. - Yeah, everybody's always called me that.
- What's the "D" for? - Nothin'.
- What is it, a name you don't like? - I just don't use it. That's all.
What is it - Douglas?
Nope.
- How'd you do? - Oh, I had a bad line.
Picked the wrong line, and I was too slow goin' into flat.
- Whereabouts did you come in? - Way back.
So how come you didn't race?
- What'd your friend Mayo tell you? - Nothin'.
- What happened? - Well, they had me seeded about 150...
so I told them I didn't want to.
- You didn't want to? - Yeah.
You should've raced.
[ D.K. I'll deal again. If I could ski half as good as I play cards, I'd be great.
- Good luck, Gabe. - All right. Here are the bibs.
Creech, you're Number 14.
That's pretty good.
Stick with me, boy. You'll wear silk.
- [ D.K. Queen showing. Not bad. - Hey, Alec. You ever race here?
- Yeah. - Make the top 10?
- You're 48th, Stiles. - Yeah, I finished second.
I'm serious.
Bryan,you're Number 98. Gabriel,you're 44.
Kipsmith, 66.
Chappellet, you're Number 79.
You did so well last week, they decided to move you up.
♪♪
Yeah. What-What?
Los!
[ Man On PA. Time for Number 1.
2.31.39.
[ Man On PA. On the course-Number 2.
Creech - U.S.A.
Time for Number 14, U.SA. - two minutes, 31.51 seconds.
Los!
- Alec? - Right here.
Movin' down. See ya.
Los!
LosI
Los!
LosI
I just thought you might like to know, your boy finished fourth.
Is that right?
This new boy- this 79- uh, he can win too? What's his name?
- David Chappellet. - You will consider him for the F.I.S. team, yes?
Well, we haven't, uh - We haven't selected a team yet. Uh -
We still have a couple days. Uh. Uh, Creech, of course. That's obvious.
Uh, this, uh, Chappellet- Is he-Is it his first season?
No, uh, he's raced in the United States. It's his first season in Europe.
Dave. Dave, come over here, will ya?
We wanted to congratulate you. That was quite a showing you made.
Yeah. Maybe next time I'll get to start in the top 50.
Well, we have to be going. Uh, we'll see you in Kitzbühel, huh?
Dave.
Come here.
Look. Uh, you're gonna be doing quite a bit of this.
I know you like to joke around, but they don't.
And one thing they do know, and that everybody knows, you have to earn your starting spot.
- Now I'm gonna fight for you. I will. - I wasn't joking.
Look. You finished fourth in one race.
Don't expect to be given the world.
I don't expect to be given anything.
Good. Get in the bus.
- Good afternoon, ladies and gen - - ♪♪
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This is Ron Engel -
- And Bruce Devore. - Here at the Hahnenkamm in Kitzbühel, Austria...
to bring you the F.I.S. World Skiing Championships being run here this week.
These championships are held every other year...
with the Olympics taking their place every fourth year.
Bruce, you've been here before in Kitzbühel, and it's truly a beautiful town.
It's the kind of town really for which Europe is famous.
Many great, great old hotels...
and, of course, Kitzbühel is known for its many ski champions.
Now, on the downhill course today, we're going to see the greatest skiers in the world -
skiers from 17 countries - champions past, champions yet to be.
There's Number 1, Peter Haas.
He's the only member of the German team in the top seeding.
And over here, Number 13...
hidden a little bit there on the right - there's Istel of France.
You know, Ron, the great Austrian-French rivalry...
which has served to define the sport for the last 10 years...
is essentially being carried on byJacques Boyriven.
He's had the best year by far of anyone on the French team.
He's strong in all the events, but downhill is his specialty.
And here's - here's the great Austrian, Max Meier.
Meier's 31 years old and has been in international racing for the past 17 years.
And over there on the right's Johnny Creech..
upon whom the American hopes are riding today.
He was fourth- fourth or fifth in the Lauberhorn..
which is the oldest, and perhaps the most important of all the European races.
- Or is Kitzbühel the oldest? - There's Chappellet of the United States.
Oh. I should mention a young man seeded in the second group..
on the basis of a stunning performance when starting way back-
I think he was 79. Was it 79, Bruce?
Well, I think it was. In the Kandahar at Saint Anton.
He finished fourth,just behind Boyriven.
There he is, Number 23.
Uh- Oh, wait a minute. I'm sorry. We've got the wrong-
There he is now. We're on him now. Number 23, Dave Chappellet..
from Idaho Springs, Ida- uh, Idaho Springs, Colorado.
Johnny Creech.
2.17, 2.18, 2.19, 2.20.
His time: 2.21.6.
That's a good time for Creech.
He's only sixth, but, as you can see, he's very popular over here.
Looks like Boyriven is already celebrating a victory.
Well, that time of 2. 17.92 is going to be hard to beat.
Alec.
Yeah.
- Where's Chappellet? - Right here.
- Tell him to uncork one. - Okay.
Now here's David Chappellet of the United States.
Los!
He's off. The American team's last real chance in these F.I.S. World Championships.
- How does he look to you, Bruce? - He's new on the team, as you know, but he's already made a sensational showing.
He's doing the upper part very well.
Chappellet, American.
His interval time is 1.08. 1.08.
Now, that's the fastest so far. He's coming to the bumps now.
Oh, he's having difficult-
Snow was cut to hell by the time I started.
It was bad. It was really bad. There were whole -
There were. I mean, there -
It would be hard on top and soft underneath.
If I could have started five places ahead - just five - then I would've at least had good snow.
- I wouldn't have lost my balance in the ruts. I wouldn't have had to pull so hard after- - No.
What do you mean "no"?
If I'd have started in the first 15, I could've won it.
No.
You just weren't good enough. That's all.
You lost your strength, and then the bumps took you out. That's it.
That's all there was to it.
You gotta have your strength right up to the end.
These guys aren't amateurs. They're national heroes.
- Ah - - You're trying to beat them out of their way of life.
You're just not strong enough.
Well, I'll take a Charles Atlas course this summer and build myself up, all right?
Okay.
All right. That's it.
Chappellet, how you feel? Tired?
Give me two more laps.
What?
Two more laps.
- Are you kidding? - No, we got time.
- How do you feel,John? - Cool.
The Europeans simply can't understand why...
this country doesn't turn out the world's greatest ski teams.
And I'm ashamed to tell 'em the truth.
We have the mountains, we have the men, we have the muscle.
We don't have the money in this richest nation in the world.
Every racer...
on a well-equipped winning team...
is a foreign sales representative for U.S. ski products.
These fine young competitors that we are training..
are roving ambassadors for the American way oflife.
Thanks a lot.
- Hey, Dad. - David.
How you doin'?
So, how you been?
- Got your postcard from France. - Oh, yeah?
Your cousin said to thank you for the stamps.
Yeah, I was all over Europe. Dad, I was in -
I was in Austria, I was in France...
Switzerland, Germany.
I've just been trainin' out in Oregon.
Ah, that's really great country.
I'm on the U.S. Ski Team, you know?
Yeah.
They had your picture on some paper in town.
I see you still got the old Chev, huh?
Well, it runs pretty good.
Hey. Uh, why don't you knock off for a while and ride into town?
I'll, uh, buy you a beer.
Key's in it, if that's what you want.
- ♪♪ - "So Long Ago' '
Bobby Greensboro kinda grabbin'and groovin'.
It's nine before 4:00 is what it is. Do you know we have 88 degrees..
right here in downtown Denver and a good chance of rain?
- So, take care. - ♪ kzOK♪
♪ In Denver Country music ♪
♪ Country music ♪
Mind some business, preferably your own.
Our business is playin'top tunes, and here's Hank Hopkins, "It Was a Long, Happy Day' '
♪ It was a long, happy day ♪
♪ Full of four-leaf clovers ♪
♪ And a picnic with lots of toy balloons ♪
♪ It was a long, happy day ♪♪
I better go.
I'm not talking to you.
Who's talkin' about talkin'?
Come on. Get in.
Didn't tell me you were leaving.
Well, I'm back.
Come on. Get in.
Come on.
I'll see you later, kids. I'm going for a ride with Dave.
I, um - I've got a chance to go to Denver this fall and study dental hygiene.
Of course, if I do that, it means finding an apartment and everything.
And then Pam - she went - You remember Pam Houser?
She, uh - She's going to Yellowstone to work as a waitress.
She wanted me to come with her. And afterwards, we could travel.
I'd sort of like to see everything.
It's, uh, such a big decision to make. I -
Well, what do you think I should do?
I don't know. You got any more of that gum?
Well, you're back early.
- What's happened to the water? - Gone bad, isn't it?
- Want some coffee? - Yeah.
Well, I guess you've been doing all right.
Won some races.
Yeah. I had a pretty good year.
- Win any money? - Money? Uh-uh.
No. See, we're thinkin' ahead two years - for the Olympics.
The Olympics. The Olympics ain't for money.
No, but for after. Afterwards.
Oh?
Ah, so that's how it works, huh?
Yeah. It can, because, you know, you put together two good years and you win a couple -
Well, I just hope you don't end up askin' yourself the question some folks ask me.
"What's he do it for?"
Well, I'll be famous. I'll be a champion.
World's full of'em.
# Moon River #
#Wider than a mile #
# I'm crossing you in style #
# Someday #
♪ Oh, dream maker ♪
I would never dream of jeopardizing your amateur standing with the Olympics, Mr. Creech.
I want you to win the Olympics using my skis.
♪ Wherever you're going ♪
♪ I'm goin'your way ♪
♪ Two drifters ♪
- ♪ Off to see the world ♪ - Hey. Who's that?
- Huh? - With Claire.
Oh, that's, uh, uh, what's his name. The guy that makes, uh -
- Machet. - No, no. I mean who's she?
- [ D.K. Who knows? - It's either his secretary or his niece.
♪ The same ♪
♪ Rainbow's end ♪
- I'm gonna wash up. - ♪ Waiting round the bend ♪
- Speak, uh, French? - Oui. Et vous?
- Yeah. Un petit "pau' ' - Un tout petit peu?
- Peu? - Oui.
♪ Moon River ♪
♪ And me ♪♪
♪♪
Dave.
Meet Mr. Machet.
How do you do, Mr. Chappellet?
And, uh, Carole, uh- Oh, I'm sorry. Miss, uh-
- Miss Stahl. - Miss Stahl.
- ♪♪ - Delighted to meet you. Please join us.
I've been hoping to meet you.
You know Bobby, of course.
Will you have tea?
- Good. Thanks. - One cup of tea, please.
That was a brilliant victory at Morzine.
- Ah, merci. - What skis did you use?
- HEAD skis. - You like HEADs?
Yeah, they're okay.
Mr. Machet has long been a great friend of American racers.
He manufactures skis.
The best in the world.
- No. - I would never dream of jeopardizing your amateur standing with the Olympics.
- I want you to win the Olympics using my skis - - Voulez-vous, uh-
- ♪♪ - so that I can advertise my skis.
Gold medal at the Olympics.
Very few racers are good enough to get the most out of my skis.
Mr. Creech here has consented to try a pair.
I would like you to try a pair too- with my compliments, of course.
- Hello. - Did you come to buy something?
No.
Well, I'm happy you stopped.
Me too.
Would you like some?
No, no. I -Yes.
- Thank you. - Auf Wiedersehen.
W -
- Do you always buy one of these at a time, or- - Mm-hmm.
- Huh? - Mm-hmm. You like it?
Oh, I don't know.
- You don't like it? - Yeah, I do.
- I've been reading about you. - You have?
- Yes. - Really? Where?
Follow me.
Oh, here it is.
...Chappellet und Meier-
Hmm.
"The American, David Chappellet...
"must have felt - mmm - still more disappointed.
"In the final schuss, only Chappellet was near Meier's top speed.
"He was at 132 kilometers an hour...
went deeper into the, um" -
- "Hocke' ' I don't know the word, but - - Go on.
Okay. "... and fell.
"A sad sight, as he tried, having only one ski, to finish the race.
"It wasn't sad, but to win is everything...
to place, nothing. "
Do you live here?
Um, no. I'm only here for the week. I work.
Well, do you work for "Machette," or Machet, or-
Yes.
What did you think?
Oh. I -Your uncle or- I - I don't know.
Hey. Read it again, okay?
I'll see you in a sec, all right?
- Take care of that, will ya? - Yeah.
- Hi. - Hello.
Hey.
- Is this yours? - Yes. You like it?
Here. Hold this.
- Practicing today? - Yeah.
- How's it going? - Good.
Yeah?
- Snow's great. - Is it?
You bet.
I thought you'd never stop.
- Tired? - A little.
My legs.
You see, it's right in here. When you're forward, this takes all the action.
Put the brake on.
Whoa.
I think it must be the most thrilling thing in the whole world.
And you have to be terribly strong, even for a man.
Well, there is a girls' team too.
- Oh, yes, of course. Where are they? - They're not here. They're in Grindelwald.
They don't really do the same things, do they?
- Some of them do. - Yes? Oh?
- Some of the things. - Oh, what do you mean?
- It's like you say, they- - Actually, our girls have done, uh - done better in the Olympics than the men.
I mean, really? Well, isn't that interesting.
Tell me, why would a girl want to do it?
I mean - I wouldn't.
First of all, I just wouldn't have all that strength in the mornings.
And -And the morning is important, isn't it?
- Well, a man in the morning - - I think a man must feel stronger in the morning.
- I think you're right. - He certainly looks stronger.
- Well, you'd know more about that. - You got a point, you know?
- I wonder. - Well, you know, I think, uh -
- I think girls look stronger and feel stronger. - Yes?
I've known some girls who looked stronger, but, when you feel them -
- Yeah, we have some very, um, strong girls on the team. - Oh.
- And they have to get up very early. - Mm-hmm.
I'd say a girl that feels strong looks strong. Wouldn't you say that, Tony?
- [ D.K. Or vice versa. - Some do, and some don't.
Yes, you're probably right. Some - Some of them must.
Yes, of course.
Yes.
Well.
Thank you.
Oh.
Excuse me.
You what?
- Oh. Great. No, I really- - Pardon me. Pardon me.
Are you David Chappellet?
Yeah.
I'm doing a story on the team and, also, on skiing...
and I'd like to find out everything I can about it.
I could never learn, could I?
- What? - I - I don't know. Everything.
Like, for example, do you go as fast as you can all the time?
Yeah. I go as fast as I can.
I know that sounds a little foolish, almost stupid.
But I don't know really what to ask.
Uh, do you have to give up a lot? I mean -
- Uh, what? - Do you mind my asking these questions?
- No, I don't - - All right.
What I mean is, well, do you practice -
Do you practice self-denial?
- Part of the time. - Fascinating.
Yeah? Really?
Does it affect your strength?
- Oh! - Oh.
- Did you like that? - Yeah.
- What are you -What are you doing? - The boss pays.
- Thank you very much. - Oh.
- Would you like a drink? - No, thanks.
Look, if you have to get to bed, I understand.
I know everything about self-denial -
no drinks, no late nights, no -
Did you know how good your time was at the hairpin?
No. I was by it before I even thought about it.
- What are your plans for next season? - How do you feel about the light conditions?
Fine. It didn't bother me.
- What are your plans for next season? - Could you have run any better?
I guess you can always run better.
Tell me, how does it feel to have won?
Feels great. What's your name?
Chappellet's just made the fastest time. What do you think ofhis time?
He still didn't beat the record, you know?
- [ Man On PA. 2.20.34. - What about your success?
I mean, has it made any difference to your personal life?
Things-Things are getting better all the time.
...my friends over here.
- I mean, this is a first here. - No, no. I don't think so.
Jake!
What are you gonna do?
Just tell the girls we'll meet them at 8:00 at the Tenne.
Okay. So long.
Hey. How's it going?
Damn good race today. I thought I was gonna beat you.
Yeah. I had a good run. Only missed one turn.
- Took it too wide. - Only one turn, huh?
- Did you hear him? - Hmm?
"Only missed one turn,you know? /ust one. 'Cause I'm really good.
'And if I hadn't gone wide on that other one,you know what?
- I would've broken the record. " - Probably would've.
Aw, he thinks he's the only guy that ever won a downhill.
He's as jazzed with himself as Max Meier.
That's not your style, is it,John?
What? Aw, come on.
All right, he's good and he's fast, and he wins a couple of races.
And I'm the first one to admit that a good racer turns everybody on.
But he's not for the team, and he never will be.
Well, it's not exactly a team sport, is it?
Maybe you're right.
Los!
LosI
- Alec? - Right here.
- It's getting icier by the minute. - I'll tell 'em.
- He did 2.20. - What?
- Meier's time. - Meier got 2.20.
LosI
Why should I feel bad? I had a good year.
I got myself seeded.
Creech? Well, he wins sometimes. I win sometimes.
We're both Americans.
Good. I feel good. I do.
Entrez.
- Bonjour, madame. - Merci.
/a.
Wunderbar.
Auf WiederhörenI
I said the garage was having trouble getting parts for the car.
It would take them a day or two.
Machet wants to send a car for me, but I said I was quite content.
- Content? - Mm-hmm.
Machet always take such good care of you?
Always. He's a very good boss.
- He give you this? - No. Somebody else did.
Before my time.
You got a thing with Machet - something going on?
Not exactly. We never made love.
What's wrong with him?
Nothing. I just never wanted to.
- How do you feel about the season, Eugene? - I think we had a damn good season.
For the first time, we've won the respect of the Europeans.
You're damn right. We've got two top racers. Either one of them could win the Olympics.
When I stop saying it and start thinking it, then we're all in a lot of trouble.
Look, we can't take a team to Europe...
and expect them to compete against the Meiers and the Boyrivens by selling lapel buttons.
Okay. Okay. You give us the money...
and I guarantee you I'll get you a gold medal at the Olympics - maybe two.
If we're going out on a limb for this kind of a budget, gentlemen..
I propose we set up a watchdog committee.
Well, we've, uh- We've never been stronger. I think I can say that.
Um - Oh, we, uh - We've never had as good a team.
I think we might very well surprise some people.
Do you expect to win any medals in the Olympics?
Which events?
We'd like to win medals, of course.
Uh, I don't expect anything. It's too fragile a sport.
This is your third season in Europe.
- Do you notice any difference? - Difference?
Uh, the F.I.S.
Have I what?
Hopefully, we'll get them in better shape in the first three races..
then go on to take the Olympics.
That's my plan, at least.
- How do you feel about - - I think our chances are very good.
Well, I - I used to come to New York, and I'd have my skis in a case and my boots.
And they'd say, "What are they?" And I'd say, "Skis. "
"Skis?" they'd say. "Where are you jumping?"
Now they say, "I saw your picture in Sports Illustrated. ' '
Hello?
Ah. Hello?
Hello. David?
Hello.
Oh, I'm in Megeve.
I saw you arriving today on television.
You did, huh? Hey, I've missed you.
- I missed you too. - You have?
- Are you gonna come down here? - How long are you gonna be there?
Till Thursday. And after that, we've got a week off.
- What? - Till Thursday.
And after that, we have a week off.
A whole week?
There's a lot of snow here.
If you're coming down, I could stay on.
I will try to, David.
- Thirty-three. - Yes, sir.
Miss Stahl called twice.
Ah, where's -
Hello, Mr. Chappellet. Nice to see you again.
How are you? Welcome in Zurich.
Uh, Carole isn't here.
No. She went home for Christmas. She'll be heartbroken.
Come on. Sit down.
Tell me, did you try my skis?
Yeah. I was practicing on them last week. They're -They're fine.
They're a little stiff for me, but they're okay though.
Ah. Let me get my designer to come in here.
I'd like him to hear exactly what you think. Perhaps it could be remedied.
Do you know when she'll be back?
- What? - Do you know when she'll be back?
Oh, after Christmas.
Are you alone in Zurich?
You'll have lunch with me, huh?
No, no. I just stopped by to say hello. Would you tell her that -
Yes, of course I will. But now lunch.
About the skis. You know, you say they- they were too stiff.
Actually, we have tried that stiffness...
and we find it gives you much more stability, especially for the downhill.
- ♪♪ - ♪ Please, won't you let me in the door ♪
♪ Girl, I ain't got much time ♪
♪ It's not a crime to ask for more, girl ♪
- ♪ Or do I have to stand in line ♪ - That's the ugliest chick I could find.
♪ Open up, open up and let me in ♪
♪ Open up Open up and let me in ♪
- ♪ Please let me in ♪ - David!
♪ Oh,yeah ♪
♪♪
HelloI What a surprise.
Yeah, I guess it is.
I waited for you in Megeve.
But why, David? You knew I had plans for Christmas, didn't you?
No. You didn't tell me that. If I had known, I wouldn't have waited.
But I had to go home. Every year, it's the same thing. Everybody was there.
- I didn't know. - Oh, yeah.
I got a present for you. It's in the car.
♪ What does it take to get you down, girl ♪
♪ What does it take to make it right ♪
♪ Open up Open up and let me in ♪♪
♪♪
- Here. - How long have you been in Wengen?
One week. I'm here for holidays.
Did Machet tell you I came by the office?
Oh, yes.
You know, he's really counting on you for the Olympics, David.
Yeah, me and a few others.
Oh, no. He really feels you have a good chance.
Aren't you gonna open it?
Do you like them?
Yeah. They're great.
You know, I had such a terrific Christmas this year.
My brother was Santa Claus.
We had so many presents, because everybody brought funny presents to one another.
It was great. We didn't have too much snow.
But it really doesn't matter, because we put cotton in between the windows..
to make it look like it'd been snowing a lot outside, and it was really great.
We had a fabulous Christmas party-
♪♪
Okay, that's it for today. Let's wrap it up.
Yeah? Okay.
Uh, whatever you can handle.
Beat you to the bottom.
Hey, what the hell is that?
Hey!
♪♪
See ya.
D.K., make yourself scarce, would you?
Yeah.
See ya later.
That was quite a stunt you pulled.
It was a real gem.
Seven years.
You know, in seven years, I've never had a hot dog like you.
You take my best racer and pile him into a stone wall just for the fun of it.
I didn't pile him into anything. Creech can look out for himself.
You'd take a chance like that the day before the Lauberhorn?
Two weeks before the Olympics?
- No thought, Chappellet. - He didn't have to race, did he?
No, he didn't. I thought he knew better.
- Did you speak to him already? Him - Creech? - No, I haven't.
- Are you going to? - Don't you worry about what I'm going to say to Creech.
- I'm gonna tell him just exactly what I'm saying to you. - Yeah?
Yeah. You see, he knows. He knows what he did. He knows how I feel.
Well, what did he do?
He bailed out on a course he's been running every year for five years.
So he fell over. He can do that anytime he races.
Nobody races unless I say so.
That's why I'm here.
That's why they made me the coach.
They didn't send me over here for the fun of it, Chappellet.
You know, it costs lots of money. A lot of money.
That's why we have to train as a team.
That's why we have to race as a team.
We have to have a team, Chappellet. A winning team.
And whether you like it or not, I'm just as much a part of that team as you are.
That's why they sent us here - some very important people.
- The same people that bought you that ticket to get you out of Idaho Springs. - What do they know about skiing?
The same people that's been supporting you for the last three years - people like me.
There's a whole world out there that you know nothing abou -Ah! Well.
- You can't understand that, can you? - What's there to understand?
I'm here because I ski and I ski fast. That's all there is to it.
That's it, huh? Yeah,you ski fast.
You race.
But you're reckless. You wrack up a lot.
No consistency. That's what Creech has.
- It doesn't win a medal. - It counts for a lot.
It comes from a certain consideration for the sport, a desire to learn.
That's something you never had.
You never had any real education, did you?
All you ever had was your skis...
and that's not enough.
Wengen is so remote that it doesn't get as big crowds as the Hahnenkamm or the Kandahar...
but there's more than ordinary interest centered in the Lauberhorn this year...
because it falls two weeks before the Winter Olympics.
So it becomes a very tough dress rehearsal.
The results here are bound to have a significant effect on the games themselves.
This is Johnny Creech. He's in the gate now.
- You know, doing well today will certainly give him confidence at the Olympics.
LosI
Oh! My le - My leg.
Creech.
Alec, Creech has fallen.
I hear it's not too bad - about 50 pieces is all.
Yeah, not too bad.
- You'll get 'em next year. - Four years from now?
I should -
- I sure wish - - Excuse me.
Hi.
How is it?
Isn't it...
stupid?
I was telling Dave about..
how we used to talk about justice of sport.
The justice of sport.
Yes.
The sacrifice without end.
♪♪
- What do you think your chances are for- - I don't know.
I don't know. At the moment, I, uh -
- Do you feel physically fit for the race? - Yeah, I feel good.
Well, this is it, eh? How do you feel?
This is it.
What are your plans after the Olympics?
This is it.
♪♪
That long section on top is grippy snow.
It's not blowing on top anymore.
It's all blown away.
The conditions are really good today. The course is fine.
- Will your wife be watching the race? - Sure. She will be there.
Were you holding anything back in the nonstop yesterday?
- Have you seen Johnny Creech? - Yeah.
We're just a few moments now, ladies and gentlemen...
from the start of the downhill.
And this is the event in Alpine skiing.
You can see the size of the crowd already gathering.
At the gate, you see the great Austrian racer, Max Meier, Number 5.
There's Istel, Number 13. Others are still arriving.
And now into the gate, Boyriven of France, Number 3.
Okay.
LosI
- Alec. - Right.
- Boyriven is down. - Right.
Max Meier, the Austrian who's probably won more races than any man in history..
but never yet an Olympic gold medal.
He's off!
- Here he comes around the hairpin. - Looks a little icy here.
Look at this! He's skiing a fantastic race!
Now here's Meier. He has to break 2.21. He did it!
Max Meier of Austria with 2.20.91 and a really great chance for the gold medal.
Sure, I had some trouble. It was in the bumps, all the way down.
Especially when you can't see a thing.
This is Hinsch.
Los!
Very icy here by the farmhouse. Meier almost went down.
Alec says the course is holding up pretty good...
except by the farmhouse, the last three turns.
It's a little slippery, but it's not too bad.
- Who's ahead? - Meier.
Chappellet, you can win.
And now here comes the French second great hope, François Istel.
Can he beat Meier?
Los!
Here comes Istel. He'll have a good time.
Not good enough to beat Meier, but it could give France the silver medal.
Here it is. 2.21.56.
LosI
We're almost ready up here. He's in the gate now.
LosI
He is the great American racer from Idaho Springs, Colorado. Can he beat Meier's -
Can you hear me? 1.09.
His interval time is the fastest time yet. I have it at 1.08.5.
Exceptionally fast race.
He's taking the high line and he's holding it. He's really going fast.
He's coming to the shambles now. He has 2.20.91 to beat. That's 2.20.91.
There's no doubt about it. Chappellet's really going all out.
Can he beat him? Can he beat Meier?
Here he comesI It's gonna be very closeI
2.17! 2.18! 2.19!
2.20I 2.20.34I
Finally! Ten years.
What do you think of that, huh? What do you think of that?
- ..to be the first American man who ever won the gold medal? - Good!
Yes. We feel great. We feel just great.
That's it!Just great!
LosI
- Trying just not to fall. - It didn't bother me.
- How was the course? Did you have any trouble? - It's a good course.
Yes, we have. We're definitely in there.
- How does it feel to have won a gold medal? - We're at the top. Feels great.
- I had great confidence in him. - What are your plans now?
What? What? What?
We'll go back to the States and, I don't know,just take a rest.
Not until I crossed the finish.
No, I didn't know Meier's time. I just knew he was ahead.
[ Man On PA. 1.08.
- 1.08? Is that what they said? - Yes, it was.
I wasn't doing any thinking about form. I was just thinking about getting down.
I was hoping we could.
I knew we did. We didn't expect so long for it to happen.
I was just thinking about getting down as fast as I could.
He just let me go. He said it's up to me.
Do you feel it's one of your strongest races?
[ Man On PA. Achtung! Achtung!
I don't know. I'm gonna slow down a little.
Hey. The German's got a pretty good time.
We have a good time coming up.
The German's about the best time at halfway.
He's got the best time at the half. The German.
You've got a gold medalI
Hey! Yeah, oh, it's great! Great!
No, no, no. Oh, no, no, no.
Oh, very fast race. Very fast.
Did you think Chappellet would beat Meier? - Yes.
What are your plans now?
Oh, we're just gonna go back to the States and, uh, take a good rest really.
No, no. We were ready for it. No.
Who did you think was the man to beat?
Meier. Yeah. Meier.
What?
Well, we trained hard. I thought we'd win.
Yes, it was very fast. Awfully fast.
- What are your plans now? - Huh?
- What are your plans now? - Just to slow down, I guess.
I don't know. I don't know.
♪♪