All Uphill From Here
Lindsey Vonn won America’s heart at the 2010 Winter Games with her electrifying runs and graceful poise. Lucky for her fans, she’s just getting started.
by Chris Mann
It was February 17, deep into the Winter Games, and Lindsey Vonn waited her turn on a Vancouver peak. Her longtime U.S. teammate and rival, Julia Mancuso, had just blazed a near-flawless run in the alpine skiing event, but neither the media-hyped feud with Mancuso or a severely bruised shin were on Vonn’s mind as she pantomimed her run down the slope.
She had already endured a career’s worth of hype and pressure, becoming a media obsession as much for her photogenic charisma as for the fact that she was ranked the world’s top female skier. Before Vancouver, the Minnesota native had won a record 33 World Cups, regularly reaching speeds of 80 mph while using men’s skis, the only woman competing who was physically powerful enough to handle them.
When she burst from the starting line, none of that mattered — not the injury, not the P.R. machine, not the No. 1 ranking. In what would become known as one of those immortal “Olympic moments,” Vonn beat Mancuso by 0.56 seconds to become the first American woman to win Olympic gold in downhill.
It’s not her fault that the 2010 Winter Olympics were dubbed “Vonncouver” Games by some pundits. The consummate competitor with the trophy looks and the trophies to boot—she’s also the first American woman to win three consecutive overall World Cup championships (2008-2010)—Vonn gracefully navigated steep and potentially disastrous PR terrain after Mancuso complained the media focused too much on Vonn at the expense of her teammates. Vonn said she was “bummed out” by the remarks and left it there. No matter—drama followed her like a stray dog, as she suffered two crashes and a broken pinkie in subsequent events. Still, the 5’10”, 165-lb force of nature persevered to win a bronze in the super-G.
After the crashes, the “feud” and the hype, she appeared genuinely unaffected, her enthusiasm still beaming from her bright smile. No wonder she emerged from her third Olympics as the poster-girl for poise and perseverance—and as a TV superstar who’s landed her own documentary, high-profile talk-show appearances and a guest shot in the final episode of her all-time favorite series, Law & Order.
Get Active! caught up with Vonn days before she left her hometown of Vail, Colo., for the U.S. Women’s Ski Team’s three-week, on-snow training camp at the Coronet Peak in New Zealand. Fresh from her appearance at the ESPYs in Los Angeles (she nabbed Best Female Athlete and Best Olympic Female Athlete awards), the with 25-year-old athlete opened up about her intensive gym workout, her Olympic highs and lows, and her role in redefining the image of the strong female athlete.
Congrats on your two ESPY awards.
Thank you. It was really a shot in the arm and really, really exciting.
What does it mean to you to be the face of your sport and now women in sports?
I think women right now have the opportunity to be anything we want to be. Not just in sports but in life we can set examples for young kids. For me, being a skier and an Olympian, I want to do my best to try to be a good role model for kids and show them what a strong, athletic woman can be if they put their mind to it.
Will we see this dimension in your upcoming documentary My: Moment for the new EPIX cable network?
I think so. I think it’s definitely going to be a different and more in-depth look at my life and a really exciting film. It’s thrilling that so many opportunities are kind of given to me through my sport and all of my hard work. It’s been a whirlwind—and more than I thought it would be—but I’m thankful for all of it.
What storylines were fabricated at the 2010 Winter Olympics, and what stories did the media miss?
What I thought was great was my sport was being promoted. And for once the accomplishments I had at the World Cup were translating into respect from the U.S. public. In general I think everything that came out of the Olympics was really positive. Our team did a fantastic job, and it really did wonders for the recognition of our sport in our home country. What I thought was not good was the way they presented expectations for the Olympics. What they were expecting of me was not humanly possible. (Laughs.) When someone raises the expectations that high, it’s impossible to please everyone.
Also, there were some negative comments about me and our teammates. I never really got to say my side of the story. They wanted to make something out of nothing, and it really was nothing. I support my team no matter what. It doesn’t matter if they beat me or what. I will always be there for them. I’m not a mean person. I think in that sense they didn’t portray me for who I am. I’m not someone who says negative things about my teammates in the press or anywhere for that matter. I was a little bit hurt by some of the comments that were being portrayed.
How did you survive all of the hype?
It was difficult. I survived because I was lucky enough to have my husband (former U.S. Ski Team Olympian Thomas Vonn) with me. And we tried as best we could to shut everything off—not read newspapers or magazines or watch TV. I was just in my condo and trying to focus on my ski racing and trying to do my best. It doesn’t matter what everyone else’s expectations were, my goal was (winning) one (gold) medal. I tried to do the best I could in every race. I crashed in some events but I also got what I came there for, and I’m very proud of that.
What’s your take on the role of women in sports in 2010? How as it evolved since the media-frenzied years of women’s tennis’ Evert-Navratilova rivalry?
I think women’s sports is in a great place right now and has definitely improved over the last few years. I think women have gotten more recognition across the board in every sport than ever before. There’s always gonna be drama. It doesn’t matter what the athletes think, there’s always going to be someone writing stories. It’s just part of sports: Agassi and Sampras, Nadal and Federer. There’s always going to be rivalries. I don’t see that as a negative at all. As long as nobody gets nasty, it’s a positive and creates more excitement in the sports—and that, to me, is necessary as well.
You use men’s skis and are arguably the most powerful woman alpine skier. How does your training differ from your female competitors?
I can’t exactly say how the other athletes train and what they do for their training, but I can say I spend a large majority of my time in the gym. And I always try to think of what my competitors are doing. I always want to be working harder than they are. I always try to go with that mentality, and it’s really served me well in the last few years. I sacrifice a lot just to do my workouts in the summer. I hardly go out or get to hang out with friends. But I do it to get ready for the season and it really pays off.
What’s your workout like off-season?
This season was different. Normally after the World Cup you have some exhibition-type races. But with all of (my) injuries I decided to take some extra time off. So as soon as the last World Cup race was over I stopped my season and went back home to Vail. I took about two months off. Then at the end of May I started working out again and hitting the gym. I was doing that about six days a week, six to eight hours a day.
What does your workout consist of?
We kind of mix it up throughout the week, so usually we do two to three days a week of lower body weightlifting—squats, leg press—to get the lower-body strength we need. And we’ll do upper-body training, like biceps and triceps and lats. We’ll do a lot of agility work, working on feet and quick reaction times—we’ll do that almost every single day because it’s important in skiing that you’re always on your toes and able to react to snow, to mistakes, to anything. We do a lot of core strength and back work every single day. We do plyometric work, a lot of jumps, explosive power.
The bulk of my (routine) revolves around endurance training. I’ll do anywhere from three to five hours a day on the stationary bike. It’s really boring but it’s worth it. I have my bipod with my TV shows—my Law & Order—so it makes time go by faster.
As a big Law & Order fan, how cool was it to guest star on the show this year?
Being on Law & Order was definitely one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. I love the show and have been watching it since the very first season. When I was on the set, the actors were so welcoming and nice and helpful that it made the experience incredible for me. It’s kind of funny, though, because I was supposed to be a serious character divulging a secret my boss had. But I just couldn’t stop myself smiling. I had this huge grin on my face the entire time. They had to finally come in and say, “Okay, Lindsey, can you please be more serious?” I couldn’t help it.
Which fitness facilities host your iPod Law & Order marathons?
When I’m home I work out at the local gym. Sometimes I work out at the Center of Excellence, the U.S. Ski Team facility in Utah. But most of the time I’m at the gym. This year I went from mid-June till early June to Austria to train with my Red Bull trainer. I shut myself off from the world, I’m at the gym by myself and I get as strong as I can for three weeks.
Any quick tips for those who’re traveling or otherwise miss a day at the gym?
There are a lot of simple things you can do that will help you stay in shape. In the off season I try to do 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups everyday. You wake up, you do as many as you can do, and anytime there’s a break you do more push-ups. If you have a bench or chair in your hotel room, you can do step-ups. Or you can do static lunges. There’s a lot you can do with your own body weight. Try doing 30 or 40 standing squats.
How important is the fitness lifestyle to you and to Americans in general?
Fitness is one of the most important things you can do. It makes you a healthier person. You’re happier. It promotes a more active lifestyle. I think the little things that people can do every day to keep their life more active—even walking upstairs—will definitely help.
Tell us about your nutrition on- and off-season.
I’m usually a bit more lax in diet when I have six weeks off in spring. But when I’m working out, it’s really strict: no sweets, no desserts, no fried foods. I try to eat really healthy and organic food whenever possible. I try to eat smaller portions and more fruit during the day. I eat every two and a half to three hours, and if I can get hungry in between, I eat either fruit or nuts. But always smaller portions so my metabolism is always working and burning calories.
What advice can you give those who want to push their limits in their workout?
I think most people would be surprised at how hard we can push ourselves and how hard we can train. I had a trainer for two years and I really learned what pain means and how hard physically you can push yourself and how much mental strength it takes. My advice is to constantly keep going. If you think you’re reaching your limits, always go five reps more or five minutes more on the treadmill. Whenever you feel you can’t go anymore, keep going. And have the mental strength to fight the physical pain, because you will be rewarded.
Chris Mann is a writer and editor of the pop culture webzine Retroality.TV.
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