Ashley: U.S. Team "Ready to Compete" in Sochi

(ATR) The United States prepares to bring its biggest team ever to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, 250 athletes. Chef de mission Alan Ashley says the team is "pretty good across the board."

Ashley should know. He also serves as chief of sports performance for the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Team USA won 37 medals four years ago in Vancouver, more than any other country. That team was composed of 212 athletes, the largest U.S. winter team until that time.

However, the U.S. grabbed only nine gold medals in 2010, with Canada and Germany crowning more Olympic champions.

"I look at the quality of the team and what they’ve done, and I think, on a great day, we can hit our number from Vancouver and maybe exceed it," Ashley tells Around the Rings.

"But all the pieces have to come together. It’s complicated on the winter side of things. Because of the nature of some of these outdoor sports, if a cloud goes over it could change the track in downhill and make a difference."

The USOC does not release projections or a target number of medals, though Ashley jokes, "[I’ve got a] napkin in my wallet."

He says the U.S. has an opportunity to medal in almost every discipline, noting that Team USA has some "really good pockets" in long-track speedskating, bobsled, and women’s ice hockey. Kikkan Randall is vying to become the first U.S. woman to win a medal in cross-country skiing.

Team USA is also strong in new sports with roots in the X Games, such as snowboarding and freestyle skiing, providing even more medal chances.

Even though world champion ski jumper Sarah Hendrickson is coming back from injury, Ashley says, "There’s a lot of depth there, a lot of passion. They’re pretty excited about the first Olympics [for women’s ski jumping] and about being the first team to represent the U.S."

The entire U.S. delegation will probably number more than 500, Ashley says, which would also be a record.

Team processing will begin Jan. 29 in Munich, which is convenient for many athletes in winter sports who already use the Bavarian capital as a hub when they are competing or training.

"We’re right at the (1972) Olympic Park doing our processing, so it’s a little iconic," Ashley says. "It gets everybody in the frame of mind for the Olympic Games."

Ashley’s appointment as chef de mission was a change in philosophy from previous Games in which the role was filled by a USOC leader (Mike Plant in 2010) or a former Olympian (Teresa Edwards in 2012).

"One of the things we were trying to do is make this a really functional position," says Ashley, who will handle more day-to-day operations of the Games.

While in the past the chef had more of a ceremonial role and was the face of the USOC at the Olympics, Ashley said that CEO Scott Blackmun, chairman Larry Probst, and some of the athletes "can do that instead. I’ll just be more embedded with my staff and with the teams from a performance orientation."

He says by pulling double duty, that also frees up an accreditation for another coach or technician.

Ashley says it is "too early to tell" if a similar strategy will be employed for the team leader in Rio in 2016. "This is a bit of a trial," he says. "The board said, ‘Let’s give this a shot,’ and we’ll get through this Games and see how things worked."

Ashley declined to discuss security concerns, deferring to other members of the USOC staff. "I’m really focused on the performance of the team," he says. "From a sport perspective, we’re going there to compete. Ultimately, you go to an Olympic Games, there’s a lot of different agencies and different individuals involved with making sure that things are secure."

He says the staff is satisfied with its plan on the ground with regard to athlete accommodations and how they’re being managed, but did not go into specifics.

Regarding the other hot topic, Russia’s anti-gay propaganda law, Ashley says that athletes have been briefed on Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, which deals with political demonstrations.

"We inform all of our athletes of what the rules are," he says. "They’re well aware of them. We just leave it at that. The quality of the athletes and the type of individuals they are, they use good judgment on these things."

If an athlete were to run afoul of the law and get arrested, the USOC would be there to help. "There’s never a time I would leave one of our members of our delegation in a situation like that," Ashley says. "We’re going to take care of our people."

He also says the United States will not follow Australia’s example of cracking down on social media use in competition venues because it is a distraction.

"We trust our athletes," Ashley says. "We’re not going down that road. When you look at the individuals and what they’ve done on World Cups and World Championships and how they manage themselves, it’s not a big concern for me."

U.S. Olympic Trials for speedskating, Nordic combined, and ski jumping have already taken place, with figure skating set to begin this weekend. Many of the other teams are determined by results.

"It was really fun to be around the athletes and see the energy levels at various trials," Ashley says. "It’s really a special time right now, leading into Sochi, and our team is really looking forward to going there and competing and having a great time."

Although the Vancouver Olympics were considered almost a home Games for the U.S. because they were in North America, Ashley says U.S. winter athletes in particular are used to competing far away from home.

"These athletes compete all over the world," he says. "They’re really pretty familiar with travel just about anywhere. A majority of them have been to Sochi for test events; they liked it and they did well. So while it’s nice to be next door, I don’t see that traveling around the world is anything new for this team.

"They’re going to go there and be ready to compete."

Reported by Karen Rosen

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