L a t e s t  n e w s ..... Louise Bain and Callum Henderson win both rounds of Twin Peaks races at Fir Park & Hillend ...

'The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams' (Eleanor Roosevelt).

What a season it has been for Finlay Mickel.  2003 - 4 had been a very disappointing season with not a single World Cup Point to his name.  At St Anton in February, Mickel had, according to Konrad Bartelski, the best opportunity to score points yet he could not convert strong runs into points.  The transformation this season has been immense: 7 Downhills this season have seen points scored in 6 and in the one where he failed to score points, Mickel was given a talking to by the Performance Director of Snowsport GB, Mark Tilston.  Mickel knew that he could do it yet felt that he tried too hard and this was what had let him down.  So what has caused this transformation?  How has he gone from being an also ran into a consistent top twenty finisher and somebody the American coaches see as a potential podium placer?

Sitting down talking to Mickel after he had scored his first World Cup points in Super G in Val Gardena in December, it was noticeable that he was more relaxed.  Buying a house and getting engaged had obviously not given him stress that effects others!  With a summer wedding to plan and a lifestyle in the Glamour lane of World Cup Skiing, Mickel pointed out that at the end of the last season he had looked at things and decided that he needed to relax and what would happen would happen.

The results since then have been outstanding.  The talk at the beginning of the season was all about could Chemmy continue her form from last year and would the change of Alain's skis bring a return to fortune for him?  Many questioned the motivation and desire of Finlay.  He has been at the top of the British rankings for some time now (despite only having won two British Downhill titles!)  Mickel has answered his critics with a string of results were it counts.  He has won big races in the past (the German Super G title in 2003 and the 2004 French Super G title) but it is the World Cup that counts.  This is something that Mickel acknowledges and the combination of working with Australian Mick Branch, the American set up, pooling kit with both teams and a relaxed feeling has given Mickel this new found belief.

So where will the first top ten for some time come? Asked whether he would like to do it in front of 60,000 drunk Austrians in Kitzbuehel, Mickel grinned and said "Yes, that would be good!"

Talking with the American coaches and they have been very impressed with the consistency that Mickel has shown.  Four top twenty results, including a career best 13th in Bormio, mean that Mickel is starting to turn heads.  Despite being a single racer team, as soon as he came down and through the finish area he was straight on the radio to the start to help Bode Miller.  Miller went on to take third place in the race and said that the information that the Scot provided helped.

Mickel is the new star for the British Team.  Chemmy Alcott and Alain Baxter have taken the headlines in the last few seasons but Mickel is now grabbing them. Konrad Bartelski takes up the story: "I had a lump in my throat after Bormio." Asked if he thought that his record from Val Gardena in 1981 would go soon, Bartelski said "I hope so as it has been there too long!"  Nick Fellows, presenter of Channel 4's World Cup Skiing, believes that it is just a matter of time before Mickel stands on the podium at a World Cup race. 

Look to see what Finlay said after his record breaking run in Bormio for the Super G.