SPINDLERUV MLYN, CZECH REPUBLIC — This place seems like it’s had some hard times. It’s a little ski town in the middle of nowhere. Everyone is really nice, and there was a lot of energy for the races, but it’s not the most beautiful place.
You can tell you’re in a former Eastern Bloc country as soon as you cross the border. The change is very dramatic, especially once you get outside of Prague. The countryside is very impoverished. It’s very Old World.
I’ve been trying to get my giant slalom where it belongs, and I had a really good result Saturday, finishing 11th. That’s definitely a step in the right direction, and I was really happy with it. My first run was OK, but I really had a good second run, the third-fastest. I couldn’t have been happier.
It also allowed me to pick up some valuable points in the World Cup overall standings. Because downhill and super-G are my best events by far, any points I can pick up in giant slalom and slalom are a bonus, and the other girls in the running for the overall title didn’t make too many points. It ended up being a really good day.
My slalom Sunday was encouraging as well. I was fifth after the first run, and almost won the run — I was leading all the way until the very bottom of the run. In the second run, I was so close to making my first slalom podium that I really went for it, probably took more risks than I should have, and fell.
I guess that’s just the competitor in me that wants to win. I could have skied that second run conservatively and finished fifth or sixth or seventh. But being so close to my first slalom podium, I didn’t want to waste that opportunity.
I could have just tried to get in the finish and said it was more important to pick up some points for the overall, but you have to live in the moment. I really wanted to get on the podium. I was so close, I just had to take that chance. Unfortunately, it didn’t pay off.
I definitely learned something from that race. Next slalom, I can be a little smarter in the steeper sections. But it also told me my slalom is getting on track. Hopefully, with another chance I can get in there again.
Lindsey Vonn, a former Ski
Club Vail member who leads the
World Cup downhill standings, reports
regularly from the tour in collaboration
with Denver Post ski
writer John Meyer.
