Bode Miller

Bode Miller has won more major races than any American male skiier, but not without controversy. Born near Franconia, New Hampshire, in a cabin with no indoor plumbing or electricity, he earned a scholarship to Carrabassett Valley Academy, a ski academy in Maine. Known for his wild style, described often as reckless, Miller won two silver medals at the 2002 Winter Olympics, shortly after winning his first World Cup race in December 2001. Unusual in that he skis almost all the events, Miller has been overall World Cup champion in both 2005 and 2008, and has won six year-end World Cup discipline championships – combined in 2003, 2004, and 2008; giant slalom in 2004; and Super-G in 2005 and 2007 – and through 2008 he has won 31 World Cup races. At the World Championships, Miller has won four titles – two in 2003 in the giant slalom and combined, and two in 2005 in the downhill and Super-G, in addition to a Super-G silver medal in 2003.

But Miller has always generated press with his attitude that smacks of “don’t care” and is definitely a free spirit. In a 60 Minutes interview in January 2006, he admitted to racing many times while “wasted” (drunk). He was then blasted by the American media when he performed poorly at the Torino Winter Olympics in 2006. In 2007, Miller left the US Ski Team to ski on his own internationally, forming Team America for the 2008 season. Though he had struggled in 2006-07, the new team seemed to work for him, as he came back to win the 2008 overall World Cup title and won seven World Cup races in the 2007-08 season.