Let the games begin

SALT LAKE CITY -- Kirsten Clark is the polar opposite of teammate Picabo Street, the bubbly, media-savvy alpine superstar.\nBut on the slopes at the 2002 Olympics, Clark might have a better chance of climbing the podium.\nPut her on a pair of racing skis and Clarky, as she's called by teammates, is ready to go. Stick a microphone in her face and it's a different story.\n"I'm more comfortable in the starting gate of a downhill. I know what I can do," said Clark, a 24-year-old from Raymond, Maine. "Answering questions, I'm more afraid I'm going to say the wrong thing. I get really nervous."\nClark is entered in the giant slalom but the speed events, downhill and super-G, have become her strength.\nStreet did most of the talking Wednesday at a news conference introducing the U.S. women's alpine team. Nothing unusual there. But she wasn't just talking about herself.\nStreet spoke of remembering Clark entering the U.S. program as a teenager who was skilled in the technical events, and then improved steadily on the speed side and went on to win an unprecedented four straight national downhill titles.\n"Kirsten is a phenomenal athlete," Street said.\nStreet also noted the Wildflower course at Snowbasin, which will be used for the women's downhill and super-G, has a technically demanding midsection, a series of twists and turns that will penalize gliders.\n"This course favors her a lot because of her technical background," Street said. "She just needs to believe in her ability. She has just as good a chance as anybody to bring home the gold."\nThe American women have done dry-land training on Wildflower, hiking the course over the past two summers. They skied it several times last season and again last month, which Clark believes will give her an advantage.\n"I've definitely spent some time on the hill," she said. "I can close my eyes and picture all the different terrain. I know what it's going to take. I have to ski aggressive and ski relaxed at the same time."\nClark made a huge breakthrough last season, winning her first World Cup race, a downhill in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. She also won the downhill side of the combined event at the world championships.\nAlthough she failed to finish in the top 10 of any races last month, Clark blamed minor mistakes that she feels are correctable. She tied for third Dec. 12 at a World Cup super-G at St. Moritz and feels her confidence is high.\n"It's not that I have doubts about being capable of doing it," she said. "It's just a matter of doing it on race day. In the past couple of races, I've been more consistent. I'm feeling more confident."\nThe Olympics would be a perfect time for Clark to make big news.\n"I'd definitely like to get rid of the dark-horse label," she said. "That would mean I'm walking away with a medal"