Lindsey Vonn

“Follow your dreams. If you have a goal, and you want to achieve it, then work hard and do everything you can to get there, and one day it will come true” (Lindsey Vonn Quotes). Lindsey Vonn is one of the greatest women skiers in United States history. She was a downhill, alpine, and Super-G skier, and won many medals and victories in those categories. Lindsey Vonn was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1984. She is the oldest of five and the oldest of triplets. She learned to ski at age three with Austrian Coach Erich Sailer, up in the Minnesota Mountains. At age seven she was skiing through slalom gates, and by age nine she was traveling to Europe to compete. Lindsey Vonn moved to Vail, Colorado, at age 11 to train on speedier slopes. At this age she still traveled to Europe to compete. From a young age, Lindsey has possessed two qualities that allowed her to succeed on the slopes, which are hard work and perseverance. Because of these two qualities, Lindsey Vonn is the all-time leader in the women’s World Cup with 82 victories, and she won four women’s World Cup overall championships. Lindsey’s hard work and perseverance portray her as a hero (Lindsey Vonn).

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2017_Audi_FIS_Ski_Weltcup_Garmisch-Partenkirchen_Damen_-_Lindsey_Vonn_-_by_2eight_-_8SC8048.jpgFoto: Stefan BrendingIn the article “Lindsey Vonn” by the Newsmakers, it talks about my hero Lindsey Vonn and her path to becoming a world champion alpine skier. Being a World Champion skier requires a number of characteristics, including the ability to overcome setbacks from injuries. One part of the story of Lindsey’s life that stood out and relates to her hard work describes how she was able to come back from one such significant injury she sustained while training for the 2006 Olympics. Lindsey stated that “the accident served as a turning point in her career... Motivated by the setback, Vonn trained harder and became known for her six-hour workouts seven days a week. During the off-season, Vonn hardly skies, instead spending her time on agility training, biking, and lifting. Once the preseason skiing starts, she is capable of putting down ten training runs, whereas many competitors are finished after five” (Lindsey Vonn). This quote is stating that Vonn is able to come back from injury so quickly because of the hard work that she puts in even when her season is over. Hard work allows her to stay in shape to be better and stronger for her next competition. Her injuries helped her grow, knowing what she is capable of doing and the setbacks she can overcome. She trains more than most of the competitors do, but she proves that her training and hard work pay off when she is on the slopes. In the article about Lindsey Vonn on Biography.com, it also talks about the career Lindsey Vonn had and how she got to be one of the greatest downhill skiers of all time. This article highlights the hard work Lindsey has put in to overcome significant injuries. It states, “Diagnosed with ACL and MCL tears and a fractured lateral tibial plateau... She aggravated some of her injuries while training in November... The sprain, in addition to her torn ACL, forced her to announce that she would not compete in the 2014 Winter Olympics. Vonn clawed her way back into elite form over the next couple of seasons, winning her seventh downhill title and her fifth Super G in 2015. Along the way, she claimed her 63rd World Cup win to surpass Austria's Annemarie Moser-Pröll for most by a woman, leaving only Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark in front with his 86 victories” (Editors). After her extreme injuries, as soon as she was able to start skiing again, she worked her way back up to getting to her previous world champion form. It was through her hard work and dedication that she was ready to compete and to come home with some medals. This quote is saying that though these injuries forced Lindsey to pull out of the 2014 Winter Olympics, she used this setback to motivate her to work harder and prepare for the next Olympics. The hard work that Lindsey put in definitely paid off, as in her return to the slopes, she won her seventh downhill title and her fifth Super G, and she also claimed her 63rd World Cup. Although Lindsey has had multiple injuries that have set back her career, the incredible amount of hard work she put in has allowed her to come back and continue to be a world champion skier.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vonn-lindsey_08-03-08_-_008.jpgGerwig Loffelholz [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]There are several other characteristics that make Lindsey Vonn a hero, but perhaps none better than perseverance. In the article “Lindsey Vonn” by Newsmakers, it talks about how perseverance was important in making Lindsey Vonn a world champion skier. One example in particular that stood out states, “During a training run as Vonn sped through the downhill course at more than 60 miles per hour, she lost her balance, flew ten feet into the air and smacked her head on the ice-packed snow before tumbling helplessly down the mountain... Miraculously, Vonn suffered only extensive bruising. Aided with a heavy dose of painkillers, she went back to the top of the mountain 48 hours later, finishing the downhill in eighth place” (Lindsey Vonn). This quote demonstrates that she never gives up no matter how significant or painful the injury is. Even though Lindsey wasn't her absolute best, she was determined to compete in the downhill race. She proved that she will not back down and that she will fight through whatever pain she is feeling just to compete. In the article “Lindsey Vonn” by Gale Biography in Context, it also talks about how Lindsey Vonn’s perseverance was important to her successful career. This article states, “While celebrating her downhill championship, Vonn severed a tendon on her right thumb with a broken champagne bottle. Her primary sponsor, energy-drink company Red Bull, flew her from France to Innsbruck, Austria, for emergency surgery. After the operation Vonn raced with a ski pole duct-taped to her cast” (Lindsey Vonn Gale). Even though she severed a tendon on her right thumb and had to get surgery, she found a way to still compete in the race. As you can pull from this quote, she will find any way to compete in the World Cup or competitions, no matter the injury. Her perseverance makes her a stronger and better skier.

Hard work and perseverance are some of the traits that describe a hero, and these traits are what describe Lindsey Vonn, the four-time women’s World Cup champion. Lindsey Vonn always finds a way to get through her pain and difficulties. She works her hardest on and off the slopes. She never gives up and always finishes her races. If she can't compete due to injuries, she then puts in the work to get ready for next time. Lindsey Vonn is an inspiration to me because she always perseveres to overcome even the most significant setbacks. She always gets back up and finishes what she came to do, even if she doesn't get a medal. She worked her hardest every day to get to the point when she was winning medals and setting records. She still worked her hardest to become a better skier, even with the level she was at. When she couldn't compete, she still trained and proved that she wouldn't stop until that hard work paid off, and it usually did. Always work hard and persevere through anything you want to achieve and do in life. As stated by Lindsey Vonn, “When you fall, get right back up. Just keep going, keep pushing it” (Lindsey Vonn AZQuotes).

Works Consulted

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Lindsey Vonn.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 20 Mar. 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/Lindsey-Vonn.

Editors, Biography.com. “Lindsey Vonn.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 15 Apr. 2019, www.biography.com/athlete/lindsey-vonn.

"Lindsey Vonn." AZQuotes.com. Wind and Fly LTD, 2019. 12 May 2019. https://www.azquotes.com/quote/537427

"Lindsey Vonn." Gale Biography in Context, Gale, 2009. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1650006484/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=44f4ca20. Accessed 1 May 2019.

"Lindsey Vonn." Newsmakers, vol. 2, Gale, 2010. Student Resources In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1618005298/SUIC?u=powa9245&sid=SUIC&xid=725f6864. Accessed 1 May 2019.

"Lindsey Vonn Quotes." BrainyQuote.com. BrainyMedia Inc, 2019. 12 May 2019. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/lindsey_vonn_635297