It’s Miller time in Sweden

ARE, Sweden – The Olympics didn’t stop Bode Miller from partying, and the Alpine Skiing World Championships aren’t likely to either.

“I always like to celebrate. I think it’s one of those things that are important to recognize as an aspect of winning and an aspect of striving to achieve something,” Miller said Monday. “You have to be willing to express your happiness about it.”

The American skier is trying to complete a career sweep of all five disciplines at the worlds.

At the Turin Olympics, Miller was criticized after returning home without a medal. But he said he got to “party and socialize at an Olympic level.”

“I’m not going to be out the way I was there,” Miller said. “I was prepared for the races. I was out having a great time. I socialize, but I also take my skiing very seriously. It’s not like I was doing crazy stuff at the Olympics, it was the same as I’ve always been and it’s the same as I’ll always be.”

With poor weather postponing the start of the championships, athletes have been finding ways to kill time. Miller has spent some of it playing volleyball and hanging out in bars.

“That’s Bode,” said Marco Buechel of Liechtenstein, who won a World Cup downhill earlier this season. “I’ll do my celebrating after the downhill race, not before, even if I medal in the super-G (today). The downhill is the most important to me. I’m here to ski fast.”

Still, Miller said he didn’t mind the publicity.

“Everyone thinks it’s so terrible. It hasn’t been that terrible for me. There are lots of great parts about being more hated,” Miller said.