Lindsey Vonn: Inspiring a Generation
Lindsey Vonn labored under the weight of the huge globe of Joska crystal reflecting the crystal blue skies above the mystical central Swedish mountain of Areskutan. Soon there were five globes in front of her for photographers a few borrowed for the occasion. But the titles weren't borrowed, they were hers five of them in two years! It was another milestone for American ski racing, much like the scene in Furano when Tamara McKinney won in 1983 and when Picabo Street broke a decade long drought standing proudly with the downhill globe in the town square of Bormio in 1995.
Lindsey wasn't born in 1983. But in 1995 she was an athletic young girl from Buck Hill looking for a hero. Picabo's downhill World Cup globe rocked the American ski racing world. Two years earlier she had medaled in combined at the World Championships the same event McKinney won in Vail to close out her career in 1989. A year earlier Street took silver in the Olympic downhill in Kvitfjell. But this was a season long title!
Three years later, Picabo became an Olympic champion. But it was her 1995 crystal globe that really lifted a nation and inspired a generation of ski racers athletes like Lindsey Vonn.
Picabo had that will to win. Every time she stepped into the downhill start gate you had this sense that she could win. It was powerful. You could see her eyes intensely staring out of her goggles, focused on being the fastest. In 1995 she and Hilary Lindh combined to win all but one downhill (Picabo was second by .02 in Cortina). Picabo, alone, won six and wrapped up the title in Lenzerheide, Switzerland a week before the Finals.
The fiery Sun Valley native was all smiles parading into the town square that evening in Bormio. Fans from Valtellina packed the square as the American flag was raised for the first time since McKinney won the slalom title in 1984. It was an emotional time for the U.S. Ski Team which was ushering in an era of success on the wins of Street, Tommy Moe and Diann Roffe.
Fast forward 14 years through Topolino and JO titles, thousands of hours of work every year, and the support of legions of family, friends, coaches, volunteers and fans and it was Lindsey Vonn's turn (again). Gone from her mind in that moment were the bitterly disheartening fourth place finishes at Worlds in 2005 and the training crash in Torino where she first won the hearts of Americans. Those were the learning experiences that made her strong.
Today, she was a champion - standing on the podium, her hand on her heart, and beaming her trademark smile to the crowd as the national anthem played. Like Picabo, she, too, has the will to win.
Somewhere back in America there's another young boy who was up early this week to watch her win the super G title on UniversalSports.com and a young girl longing to meet her at an autograph session next fall. And there's thousands of aspiring champions who are putting poster of the World Cup champion up on their bedroom walls - just like Lindsey did.
At Tyson Junior Olympic races around the USA this month, there's a bigger bounce in the steps of young athletes as they walk in the footsteps of their U.S. Ski Team hero.
There are plenty of Lindsey Vonn stats to fill an entire page. Those have all been well reported. And her work ethic and goal setting are already legendary.
But the real statistic isn't the number of wins or number of globes she wins. Its the inspiration she conveys to boys and girls across America who now have a hero and are saying to themselves, "hey, I can do that, too."
As she left the Audi FIS World Cup finish line for the final time this year she paused globes in tow to sign autographs for young Swedish fans. "Hey, Lindsey, did you see that little girl's face? Don't ever lose that," said Press Officer Doug Haney. She replied, "Don't worry, it's the most important thing I do!"
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Lindsey Vonn: Inspiring a Generation
