Like many celebrities, Lindsay Vonn participates in charity fund-raisers, red carpet events, and also paid events that utilize their celebrity.
The evening I shared with the gold medal Olympic and World Cup skier was one of those.
She was part of a panel on performance – specifically how performance influenced and inspired their lives. The other panelists were Reggie Jackson, the Hall of Fame baseball player also known as Mr. October, and Ferrari F1 team driver Marc Gené.
It was for the launch of the new high-octane Shell V-Power® NiTRO+ gasoline, engineered to get the gunk out of your engine so it can perform better and get you to the finish line – or the chairlift – faster. That is something all three athletes can relate to – and was the subject of the evening.
Five-time World Series Champion and National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Reggie Jackson played 21 seasons as a right fielder for the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees and California Angels. He said he pushed himself to peak performance to fight the racism that was endemic during much of his baseball career.
Today, he said, he is inspired by the thousands of kids he works with in the Bronx through his foundation, encouraging them to perform well in school and in sports.
Ferrari Formula One (F1) team driver Marc Gené talked about being inspired by the technology of modern racing, including “scanning our body so the seat is a perfect fit”, making the driver feel part of the car.
He also admitted that the only time he cried as an adult is when he won the grueling and prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans race. He did not say that some consider him one of the luckiest people on earth, with a full-time job to test drive Ferraris, both on the track and off.
Yes, there was a gorgeous Ferrari on display, in the color I call Copcatcher Red. It’s what I call any red sports car, from any manufacturer anywhere in the world. But I digress.
While I love both baseball and F1 racing, as a skier, I was most interested in what the Olympic and World Cup gold medalist skier Lindsay Vonn had to say, both during the panel and during our chat afterwards, when I really hung out with her.
“Never lose sight of your goals, despite obstacles,” she said. Short, sweet and to the point. Such as the repeated obstacle to get back on the race course – and goal of winning – after each of several knee surgeries and painful rehab.
She said that as a teen her inspiration was Picabo Street, another legendary award-winning racer, and decided to follow in Street’s footsteps – er – racetracks, and the dual goals of World Cup and Olympics.
After the panel, I got a chance to chat with Vonn, whose 5’10” frame towers over me at five-foot-nothing. But she did not look down on me.
We met eye-to-eye on our shared current preference for skiing groomed blue and black runs, since none of our four knees can handle bumps or ice-slicked race courses – hers because of those multiple knee surgeries, mine because I’m twice her age. We also agreed that slowing down to enjoy the scenery is a nice change from racing down the mountain, with or without gates.
Over the years in this business of ski writing, I’ve been blessed to interview and even ski with some of the world’s top skiers, including Vonn and Olympic Gold Medal winners Billy Kidd, Nelson Carmichael, Bode Miller, Heidi Voelker and Franz Klammer. Without exception, I have found each one to be personable and easy-going despite the fierce competition and focus that made them champions.
I would hang out with any one of them longer, including Lindsay Vonn, on or off the slopes.
