CHAD FLEISCHER
Height: 6' 3"
Weight: 220 lbs.
Birthdate: Jan. 4, 1972
Hometown: Vail, Colorado
Years on U.S. Ski Team: 6
| 1999 Highlights: |
1999 U.S. Downhill Champion - Two-Time Champion
2nd place Downhill finish at the 1999 World Cup Finals - Only American male alpine racer to medal in the past four years
6th place Super G finish at the 1999 World Alpine Ski Championships - Top World Championship finish by an American
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| 1998-1999 Top Results: |
| 1 |
Downhill |
U.S. Nationals |
Park City, UT |
| 2 |
Super G |
U.S. Nationals |
Park City, UT |
| 2 |
Downhill |
World Cup Finals |
Sierra Nevada, SPA |
| 6 |
Super G |
World Championships |
Beaver Creek, CO |
| 9 |
Super G |
World Cup |
Kvitfjell, NOR |
| 11 |
Downhill |
World Cup |
Val d'Isere, FRA |
| 12 |
Downhill |
World Cup |
Wengen, SUI |
| 13 |
Downhill |
World Cup |
Kvitfjell, NOR |
| 14 |
Downhill |
World Cup |
Kvitfjell, NOR |
Selected to U.S. Ski Team "A" Team in May, 1999
Said Tom Kelly, U.S. Ski Team VP, "He's having his best season ever. The problem in the past was consistency. He's changed that and he's clearly at a new level. He has the attitude of a winner. That's the attitude we're trying to instill in all of our skiers."
1999 Alpine Skier of the Year
Chad was recently presented the award for 1999 Male Alpine Skier of the year for the leaps and bounds in his performance on the 1998-99 World Cup Tour by "Ski Racing" Magazine, who wrote: "Chad Fleischer warned people he was a new man. Now he�s got everyone around him believing it. We do, too."
Official Spokesman and National Pace-Setter, NASTAR racing program
As NASTAR's spokesperson, Chad will strive to make the program cool again for skiers of all ages and abilities, but especially young racers. By "dressing down" (no more stretch suits), by playing a role in NASTAR's new interactive component (Chad will provide ski tips and updates on the program's web-site) and by splattering his snow-leopard attitude and style all over NASTAR, Chad hopes to reinject some soul into the program that got him stuck on ski racing.
Sports a hairdo which imitates the coat of a snow leopard
Fleischer starts with a crew-cut, dyes his remaining hair white, then adds black rings filled with a brown tint in a process which takes about three hours and must be maintained monthly. His father, Bill, followed suit with his own spots for Chad's podium finish at the recent 1999 World Alpine Ski Championships. Fleischer says he emulates the snow leopard's speed, agility and strength and mentally transfers this to his own ski racing: "When I ski race now I get into this state of mind... it's like I'm a snow leopard. I believe I can win every race I start. I use the snow leopard as a mental cue... When I'm in the gate I think 'The snow leopard attacks in 3 seconds, 2 seconds, 1 second."