JEFF HAYNES / Getty Images Giant slalom gold medalist Julia Mancuso felt right at home in the snow storm that plagued her competitors.

What's Inside Change levels field, players Village razes expectations of athletes for Italian food Give Bode gold for vocabulary U.S. sleds stuck in snow; Hays on last runs Medal count OK with USOC boss No positive drug tests in Austria raids Sweden plays Finland for gold after blowouts Olympic results More Turin 2006

Dig these roots

Italian-American Mancuso skis like she's home at Tahoe

By Chris Jenkins
STAFF WRITER

SESTRIERE, Italy – What's a little snow? OK, so it was a raging snowstorm, too much of a good thing for a high-speed giant slalom race. Big deal. Julia Mancuso had seen worse, skied lots worse and loved every turn of it, could happily go all day in the deep stuff back home near the slopes around Lake Tahoe.

By Mark Zeigler
STAFF WRITER

TURIN, Italy – Chad Hedrick was in mid-sentence, in mid-thought, talking about the toll on the body exacted by entering five Olympic speed skating races. He paused for a moment and shook his head. “Eric Heiden is a freak of nature,” Hedrick said.

By Mark Zeigler
STAFF WRITER

PINEROLO, Italy – You know curling has made it in the States when President Bush watches for a half hour while flying on Air Force One (and actually admits it), or when a streaker advertising an Internet casino hops on the ice during yesterday's NBC telecast with a strategically-placed rubber chicken strapped across his midsection.