Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) recently made U.S. skiing history, winning the overall Audi FIS World Cup title, plus the downhill crown. Her inspiration came in the form of a poster that hung on her wall as a child of Picabo Street, the only other American to win the coveted downhill title. Vonn led the USA to a record five season long titles as the World Cup concluded in Bormio, Italy this week. And, by the way, she’s only 23.
Winning the overall title seemed like a bonus to you. Did you expect this?
It’s awesome. First of all, I can’t believe I won the downhill, and secondly, it’s not even in my realm right now to fathom that I won the overall.
What does it feel like to be the second woman in U.S. history to win the downhill title?
It’s pretty amazing. To have done something that only one person in history has done is a dream come true. I’ve been dreaming of this title since I met Picabo, but it really hasn’t set in quite yet.
What do you do to make sure you are setting realistic goals?
It’s hard. For instance, the downhill title was a dream of mine since I was a little kid, but I knew it would take a long time to get there. But this is a job for me and I take it really seriously.
How were you able to prepare yourself for this level of competition?
So much of what I was able to do is because of the people who have helped me this season - my coaches, the U.S. Ski Team staff, my sponsors and teammates. There’s so much that I could never have done without all this support.
How do you stay grounded?
It’s good to be realistic. I’m only 23, so it’s important to ski as fast as I can and eventually progress to winning. It’s also important to set high goals for yourself to get a bigger picture of where you want to be.
How did you find a balance with your husband and supporter Thomas Vonn?
We’re able to separate skiing, which is business, and our personal lives. We balance the best way we know how and it seems to be working really well. When everything is comfortable, I ski well and this season everything has been perfect.
What’s the experience with mainstream media been like?
Amazing. When outlets like Sports Center and Sports Illustrated pick up skiing, it really helps our sport.
You got to throw snowballs at a photographer for Sports Illustrated. Was that a career goal?
I felt really bad actually. I kept hitting him in the stomach, but he wanted me to hit the camera. It was hard because I didn’t want to break it. Heinz (Kluetmeier) was a great photographer and that was just a funny way to end a really fun photo shoot. I can’t wait to see the magazine.
Picabo Street offered to plow your driveway. What does that feel like?
It’s pretty funny that she said that, but it’s weird. She’s such an amazing ski racer and I don’t think I could let her do it. Well, I’m not going to let her. I’ll hire someone else to take care of it.