Buck Hill slalom lessons pay off for Vonn

Alessandro Trovati, Associated Press - Ap

Lindsey Vonn earlier this year.

The former Lindsey Kildow got her start in Burnsville and credited her past after winning her first World Cup slalom race.

By RACHEL BLOUNT, Star Tribune

Last update: November 27, 2008 - 10:53 PM

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On the Black Slope in Levi, Finland, Lindsey Vonn felt right at home. The terrain and the low light reminded her of Burnsville's Buck Hill, where she began her ski-racing career as a slalom specialist.

The former Lindsey Kildow made history last year as a downhiller, when she won five World Cup races and became the first American woman in 25 years to capture the World Cup overall title. She never had won a World Cup trophy in her original discipline -- until Nov. 15, when her trip down the Levi course brought back memories of all her childhood victories at Buck Hill. Her first slalom triumph boosted Vonn to the top of the overall standings heading into this weekend, when she will compete in the only U.S. races on the World Cup schedule in Aspen, Colo.

Vonn, 24, became the most successful U.S. downhill racer in history last season with 10 career victories. She entered this season eager for more, and her slalom surprise made her the first American woman to win World Cup races in four separate disciplines.

"It was incredible," Vonn said Wednesday. "At Buck Hill, we skied slalom every night from 7 to 9 under the lights. I feel like slalom is where I started, and to win a World Cup was a great feeling.

"I feel like I owe [Buck Hill racing director] Erich Sailer, because Buck Hill gave me a great start. He called me and told me he was very proud of me. It was nice to win one for them. It was like going back to my roots."

Vonn will compete in a giant slalom Saturday and a slalom Sunday on Aspen's Strawpile course. Her status for the races was put on hold after she crashed in training Nov. 19 and bruised her left knee. She suffered no serious damage, though, and after treatment and rest, she was cleared by doctors to race.

Since becoming queen of the hill, Vonn has been nominated for Sportswoman of the Year by the Women's Sports Foundation and as Best Female Athlete by ESPN's ESPY Awards. At the ESPYs, she got the red-carpet treatment, hanging out with stars such as Brett Favre, Venus Williams and Samuel L. Jackson.

But Vonn, who now lives in Park City, Utah, didn't allow the attention to turn her into a diva. She still lists Buck Hill, along with Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, as her home clubs. And she put in even more work last summer both on and off snow, viewing her overall trophy as something to build upon.

"After the season was over [last year], I took a break to get my batteries recharged," Vonn said. "But I kept thinking, 'What are the other athletes doing?' I want to stay No. 1. I'll do everything I can to stay on top.

"The Europeans weren't taking a break, and if I start getting lazy and being content with where I am, I'll fall behind. My goal is to continue to get faster."

Vonn trained in New Zealand and Chile and worked out nonstop. She said that improved her strength and has helped her ski a tighter and faster line, and husband, Thomas Vonn, a 2002 Olympian, has collaborated with her to refine her equipment.

Thomas traveled with Lindsey the entire season last year and served as equipment guru, course inspector, sounding board and emotional pillar. He is continuing those roles this season, which began with a ninth-place finish in a giant slalom in Austria and the slalom victory in Finland. Vonn said she will ski all-out this weekend and that she has no lingering pain in the bruised knee.

Someday, she promised, she and Thomas will have a proper honeymoon. Just not yet, not with more mountains left to conquer.

"We probably won't get around to that until my career is over," Vonn said. "This year is a world championship year, which is important for me, and it's good preparation for the Vancouver Olympics [in 2010]. I'm looking at the long run."

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