By: Matt Christopher
Lindsey Vonn became one of my favorite athletes back in 2010, when she took
the gold medal for Downhill Alpine Skiing – the first woman to do so for the US. I
followed her career on and off the slopes and have always been in awe of her physical
ability, tenacious style, and competitive nature. She’s passionate about skiing and
fitness and is inspiring as a person. She’s fun to watch because of the way she
competes as an apex athlete.
I follow sports because of the stories, and this was a set to be a great story. I got
hyped up for the Winter Olympics when Vonn announced she would come out of
retirement to participate. She was honoring her mom who passed away a few years
ago, and tattered and torn at 41, was looking to show the world she still had the skills to
compete with the best of the best.
2026 opened in chaos. Two US citizens were murdered on the street by ICE
agents. Talks about an invasion of Iceland err, Greenland. An embarrassing display of
diplomacy at Davos. Epstein. Childish and racist rants and postings on social media.
Etc. I was feeling disheartened, and the Lindsey Vonn story was my silver lining, and
the only reason I was planning to watch the Olympics.
It was a devastating sight when she crashed seconds into her first race. A cloud
of snowy smoke billowed like an explosion as her agonizing screams echoed across the
brilliant slopes, followed with an abrupt silence and her body going still. I have followed
sports for decades and this was the most horrifying thing I had ever witnessed.
As medics tended to Vonn, a contingent of family and friends, fans and fellow
athletes from a dozen-plus countries watched in a shared emotional silence that bled
through the screen. It didn’t matter what languages they spoke, what holidays they
observed, or what nations they represented. The games went away and humanity took
over. As a star of the sport was airlifted off the mountain on a stretcher, the crowd gave
her a touching ovation.
Lindsey Vonn is okay. She broke her leg, narrowly avoiding amputation. She had
surgery and will need rehab and therapy to get better. She is Batman, so I expect a full
recovery.
The trauma of the morning brought me back to the beauty of the Opening
Ceremony. I watched all the countries get introduced, with their respective athletes
smiling, waving flags, and taking in the moment. There was dancing, singing, and
artistry. All in a foreign language that I don’t speak or understand. It was fun. It gave me
hope.
The Games cross borders. They enable everyone to show pride and patriotism
without animus. Every nation has culture, beauty, and amazing people within it. There
are no S*holes. Terrible leaders do not define countries. It’s the people that live in them.
The Olympics bring a global comradery that I wish would occur more often than two
weeks every other year.
So, with my favorite player out, I found myself watching things I hadn’t paid
attention to before. Figure Skating, Speed Skating, Biathlon. And a sport I had always
mocked was suddenly something I couldn’t miss, Curling.
I loved that in every event, competitors congratulated the winners, while winners
showed immense respect for their competition. It was a refreshing thing to behold, and
a facet not often displayed. One of the best moments came after the curling medaling
ceremony in which the three winning teams all posed for a selfie. It was something so
benign yet made me indescribably happy.
The respect and appreciation amongst the athletes lifted my spirits. The
Olympics showed me that we aren’t as different or divided as the media, social media,
and (thoroughly exhausting) politicians would have us believe.
The games ended and the war in Iran started. I needed a return to Milano
Cortina.
I had never watched the Paralympics and didn’t know anything about them.
Immediately, I was hooked again, this time on multisport superstar Oksana Masters and
her unbelievable story.
She was born in Ukraine, with radiation from nearby Chernobyl causing several
birth defects – including limited use of her hands and eventual amputation of both her
legs above the knees. Her parents abandoned her at an orphanage where she was
severely abused. At age 7, she was adopted by an unmarried SUNY Buffalo professor
who had no other children.
Oksana turned to sports as a method of rediscovering herself in a positive way –
and changing the narrative of her life story. She said she wouldn’t have made it out of
the orphanage alive and is grateful to her mom who is now her best friend, and it's
touching to see her cheering her on from the sidelines.
Watching Oksana compete was therapeutic. She’s an insane athletic force and a
super inspirational figure. When her game face goes off, she’s always smiling, laughing,
and joyously waving at the camera. She dominated the slopes of Cortina with 4 gold
and 1 bronze medal. And with me being a fanboy every step of the way.
Watching the Olympics gave me a new appreciation for fitness and elite
athleticism. Watching the Paralympics gave me a new appreciation for life.
Some people suck. Most people are good. You can’t be an Olympian, but you
can win the gold for being a positive person every day.
Two great charities to support: the Lindsey Vonn Foundation which brings sports
and opportunities to girls in underserved communities, and the Sisters in Sports
Foundation (co-founded by Oksana Masters) which supports female athletes with
disabilities.
