A place for the discussion of all things not closely related to the sport and its competitive side. (Locked down several times a year during the major championships)
Ugly fall during the Super G at the World Alpine Champs at Schladming, Austria. Torn ligaments in the right knee. Just as she was getting back in top shape after the stomach virus. Too bad and in diffucult conditions. The light was fading and she landed awkwardly after a jump where she was a bit off balance. Without the fall she might still not have beaten Tina Maze (world's no.1) of Slovenia, but almost certainly she would have had silver. But she will be back in good time for Sochi. If somebody can do this it's Lindsey Vonn.
Well, today Ted Ligety, somewhat surprisingly, won the men's Super G for the US. In a few days we will see what still 17 year old Mikaela Shiffrin can do in the Slalom. Huge American talent who has already won 3 times on the World Cup circuit this winter.
I wouldn't quite say she will be back in good time for Sochi. She has at least 8-9 months of rehab ahead of her, so she may not be skiing at top levels until November-December 2013. Not much margin for error there.
bambam wrote:I wouldn't quite say she will be back in good time for Sochi. She has at least 8-9 months of rehab ahead of her, so she may not be skiing at top levels until November-December 2013. Not much margin for error there.
jhc68 wrote:Have the g-forces on the course and the velocities of falls in downhill skiing exceeded the capacity of even the best tuned, strongest athletes?
Franz Klammer, Innsbruck, 1976, TOTALLY out of control all the way down the mountain, micro-seconds and millimeters away from annihilation, and yet there he stood at the bottom, intact and victorious! (still gives me goosebumps!)
Marlow wrote:Franz Klammer, Innsbruck, 1976, TOTALLY out of control all the way down the mountain, micro-seconds and millimeters away from annihilation, and yet there he stood at the bottom, intact and victorious! (still gives me goosebumps!)
Marlow wrote:Franz Klammer, Innsbruck, 1976, TOTALLY out of control all the way down the mountain, micro-seconds and millimeters away from annihilation, and yet there he stood at the bottom, intact and victorious! (still gives me goosebumps!)
Oh, yes
Amen! That was the first Winter Olympics that I remember watching and Klammer left an indelible impression on me. When watching Klammer, even southern kids like me, who knew nothing about the sport, instinctively realized that they were witnessing greatness.
Marlow wrote:Franz Klammer, Innsbruck, 1976, TOTALLY out of control all the way down the mountain, micro-seconds and millimeters away from annihilation, and yet there he stood at the bottom, intact and victorious! (still gives me goosebumps!)
Oh, yes
Amen! That was the first Winter Olympics that I remember watching and Klammer left an indelible impression on me. When watching Klammer, even southern kids like me, who knew nothing about the sport, instinctively realized that they were witnessing greatness.
Nice! I was a northern kid (60 degrees north) so my first sporting heroes were all skiers (primarily Norwegian.) But Klammer was special + the Downhill is the prime event of the Winter Olympics.
jazzcyclist wrote:When watching Klammer, even southern kids like me, who knew nothing about the sport, instinctively realized that they were witnessing greatness.
This Kentucky boy, who didn't put on downhill skis till 1987, agrees. I still think that's one of the greatest two minutes in sports (1:45.73, to be precise) that I've ever seen.
jazzcyclist wrote:When watching Klammer, even southern kids like me, who knew nothing about the sport, instinctively realized that they were witnessing greatness.
This Kentucky boy, who didn't put on downhill skis till 1987, agrees. I still think that's one of the greatest two minutes in sports (1:45.73, to be precise) that I've ever seen.
On my list of indelible moments in sport, this run, Secretariat's Belmont, the 1980 OG Hockey semi, Strug's vault, and only a few others stand out as instructing me on the true nature of the will to win.
jazzcyclist wrote:When watching Klammer, even southern kids like me, who knew nothing about the sport, instinctively realized that they were witnessing greatness.
This Kentucky boy, who didn't put on downhill skis till 1987, agrees. I still think that's one of the greatest two minutes in sports (1:45.73, to be precise) that I've ever seen.
On my list of indelible moments in sport, this run, Secretariat's Belmont, the 1980 OG Hockey semi, Strug's vault, and only a few others stand out as instructing me on the true nature of the will to win.
The three that have always stood out for me include 2 of yours - Secretariat's Belmont (we were witnessing a different life form in that race), the 1980 USA hockey win, and ...
Well, I'll be honest, 1999 Tour de France, on the stage to Sestriere when Lance dropped Alex Zulle and Richard Virenque near the top and I realized he was gonna win the Tour. Near the top I was expecting him to be dropped when he stood on his pedals and left them in his wake. I guess this is to be reinterpreted by many people now, but I still remember being shocked by it.
I might also put the 1988 Olympic women's 4x4 race in there - greatest race I've ever seen.
bambam wrote:Well, I'll be honest, 1999 Tour de France, on the stage to Sestriere when Lance dropped Alex Zulle and Richard Virenque near the top and I realized he was gonna win the Tour. Near the top I was expecting him to be dropped when he stood on his pedals and left them in his wake. I guess this is to be reinterpreted by many people now, but I still remember being shocked by it.
The stage to Sestriere in the 1999 Tour completed the trifecta of three magical moments that Lance provided for American cycling fans, regardless of the doping that was taking place. First there was his improbable Prologue win against all odds. I still remember him being so overcome with emotion in his post-race interview that he broke down. Then there was his even more improbable win in the time trial to Metz, after which I thought that he might actually have a chance to finish on the podium, if not win. Finally there was the moment that you mentioned, after which I knew it was all over but the shoutin'.
And keep in mind that in 1999, U.S. Postal, which was the cycling equivalent of an expansion team, probably had the smallest budget of any team in the race, and on paper, they were definitely one of the weakest teams, being made up of seven mostly unknown Americans and two Europeans. So despite what Travis Tygart would have us believe, when Lance began his Tour reign, U.S. Postal didn't even have the most sophisticated doping program in cycling, much less in the history of sports.
scottmitchell74 wrote:I agree, the thread title suggests that maybe Vonn has passed away.
Well, I posted this in the context of the Alpine World Championship in which Vonn's accident took place in the very first event. For me, having looked forward to this Championship all winter, it was a shock and extremely disappointing.
bambam wrote:I wouldn't quite say she will be back in good time for Sochi. She has at least 8-9 months of rehab ahead of her, so she may not be skiing at top levels until November-December 2013. Not much margin for error there.
Unless she calls up fellow Minnesotan Adrian Peterson for a surgeon/rehab referral...! .
jhc68 wrote:Have the g-forces on the course and the velocities of falls in downhill skiing exceeded the capacity of even the best tuned, strongest athletes?
Vonn is powerful athlete. She's listed at 5'10", 170 lbs. That's one, country strong, healthy girl.
jhc68 wrote:Have the g-forces on the course and the velocities of falls in downhill skiing exceeded the capacity of even the best tuned, strongest athletes?
Vonn is powerful athlete. She's listed at 5'10", 170 lbs. That's one, country strong, healthy girl.
She's a marvelous athlete and strong! She wanted to compete against men this winter (in the Downhill). She could handle their heavier skis.
But spare a thought for Ted Ligety. 2 gold medals and his best event, Giant Slalom still to come.
