Sullivan rounding back into form after concussion

Simple tests, too, like recognizing shapes, colors and numbers. He thought he was doing well.

He wasn't.

"I went in three weeks after I crashed and my marks were really low," said Sullivan, who also had a scope on his right knee as a result of the crash. "At that point I realized, 'Wow, maybe I'm not where I thought I was.' The symptoms, the headaches, had really vanished, too."

After passing all the tests, Sullivan made it back to the slopes late last season, but not as a competitor. He served as a forerunner on the course at the U.S. championships.

It was enough to stoke his passion, if for no other reason than seeing the future of the team up close.

There, at nationals, Tommy Ford had a monster showing with wins in the super-G, combined and giant slalom.

Ford is part of a wave of young, talented U.S. skiers waiting in the wings, possibly becoming the headliners once skiers such as Bode Miller, Ted Ligety, Steven Nyman (who's out for the year with an Achilles injury) and Sullivan step away.

But that's not happening anytime soon.

Ligety is in the prime of his career, winning a third World Cup giant slalom title last season, and Miller remains a force on the slopes, even at 34 years old.

Sullivan just hopes to recapture the form that once helped him win in France, along with two other downhill podium finishes.

"My goals now are still what they were — to try to win World Cup races," Sullivan said. "Not much changes. At the end of the day, the fastest time wins. It doesn't matter when you're born. I feel strong and confident."