Lindsey's Vonn-derful

, Associated Press - Ap

In this undated photo released by Procter & Gamble, USA Ski Team member and two-time Alpine Skiing World Cup Champion, Lindsey Vonn participates in a photo shoot as part of her newly forged marketing alliance with Procter & Gamble. Vonn will be aligned with P&G beauty brands during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.

The Burnsville native has been a training (and endorsement) machine leading up to Vancouver.

By RACHEL BLOUNT

Last update: October 29, 2009 - 1:23 AM

Only three weeks ago, Lindsey Vonn was sitting in a parking lot at Hoigaard's in St. Louis Park, signing autographs for some 500 people. Local fans of the Burnsville native stood in a cold rain for as long as 40 minutes to wish Vonn luck in the World Cup ski racing season, which begins this weekend in Soelden, Austria.

She'll have thousands more fans cheering her on Soelden's Rettenbach Glacier as she pursues a third World Cup overall title and Olympic fame. Vonn gets out of the gates Saturday with a giant slalom, and she will ski all five events during a season highlighted by the 2010 Olympics in February. Two other women with local ties also hope their World Cup performances will lift them to the Olympic team, and on the men's side, bad boy Bode Miller returns to the U.S. Ski Team after racing independently for two seasons.

Vonn-tastic: The former Buck Hill racer was in such demand during the offseason that she missed her usual summer visit with her family in Minnesota. Vonn also bumped up her legendary workouts to an even higher level, to put her in optimal condition for her busiest season ever. The first American woman to win two World Cup overall titles (2008 and 2009), she also won season titles in downhill -- her second -- and super-G, making her a favorite for gold at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

Already a star in Europe, look for Vonn to increase her stateside profile this year in advertisements for everything from shampoo to cold medicine to energy drinks. But she remains a competitor first and foremost. "I've worked my hardest this offseason, so I can give it my best shot," said Vonn, a two-time Olympian seeking her first medal. "I have a lot of big goals this season, and I'm very focused on them."

More Minnesotans: Kaylin Richardson of Edina and Sarah Schleper, whose family spends summers in Minnesota, also will be racing for Olympic berths. Richardson, a 2006 Olympian, is a slalom specialist but won the U.S. downhill title last spring. Schleper, a three-time Olympian, finished second in slalom at the 2009 U.S. championships.

The men: Miller is the most famous of a strong group of U.S. men. Ted Ligety, an Olympic gold medalist in combined in 2006, was the World Cup giant slalom champ in 2008. Olympians Steven Nyman and Scott Macartney are healthy again, and young Tim Jitloff is coming off his best season.

Key events: The Olympic team will be determined by athletes' performances in World Cup events through late January. Two are in the U.S. Vonn highlights the Aspen Winternationals on Nov. 28-29, racing slalom and giant slalom, and the men have a downhill and giant slalom Dec. 4-6 at Beaver Creek. See the complete schedule and track results at www.fis-ski.com.

How to watch: NBC and Versus will show highlights of many World Cup events, beginning with the Aspen races. Find the schedule at www.usskiteam.com/tv.

RACHEL BLOUNT

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