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John Russell

John Russell's sports column appears Sundays in Steamboat Today. Contact him at 871-4209 or e-mail jrussell@SteamboatToday.com.

Steamboat Springs — The clock is running, but the story is far from over.

The months, weeks and days left before the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, B.C, are fading more quickly than snow on the ground in the Yampa Valley.

During the next few weeks, the members of the U.S. Nordic combined team will come home for a break, but my guess is that those same skiers will be working harder than ever this summer.

The Americans made history at this year's World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic, and the good news is that the team is on track to reach the Olympic goals it has been chasing since Nordic combined skiing became a full-medal sport.

It's hard not to get excited about Todd Lodwick's return, his two gold medals and the boost he's given the team this year. Of course, we can't look past Bill Demong's gold medal - or his bronze. The only downside was a lost bib in the team event. That mistake may have cost the Americans even more hardware, but nobody wants to focus on that.

For the past few weeks, I've listened to people talk about the accomplishments and what they mean for the Olympics.

If everything goes as planned, the U.S. Olympic Team will have three world champion skiers on the roster when it arrives in Whistler in February, and expectations will rival a 5-year-old child's Christmas wish list.

The season may be winding down, but now is not the time to relax. A few weeks ago, Dave Jarrett talked with me about the Americans' World Championship performance and the team's Olympic goals for next year.

Sure, he's thrilled by his team's dominating performance a few weeks ago, but he also admitted the team still is building toward its ultimate goal - the Olympics.

No pressure, but those events are just 11 months away and counting down.

In that time, the coach will be hoping to help the members of his team fly further and ski faster. He also will need to find a fourth skier to fill out the American team's roster. That skier will play a key role in the team's drive to bring home an Olympic gold medal in the team event.

If veterans such as Todd Lodwick, Bill Demong and Johnny Spillane stay on track, an individual medal or two might also be in the cards.

The coach also will have to help those skiers avoid the type of distractions that can derail Olympic dreams.

I'm not sure what will happen during the next year, but I feel lucky to live in a place where we are exposed to this team's hard work, its passion for the sport and its dedication to success.

The skiers provide intriguing stories that are fascinating, and their hard work is a source of inspiration for many.

The drive for an Olympic medal is something that every American can relate to in the year leading up to the Olympics, but don't wait - the clock already is running.