US Ski Team - The One to Watch

The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver are just days away. What does this mean to you? To me, it means in just under a month, some of the world’s finest athletes will be gathering to compete in over 20 different sporting events. You can try, but it is going to be almost impossible to take in all the excitement and action. I am going to give you a couple of tips here on how you might give yourself a sporting chance, so that you might wow your office colleagues and friends with your knowledge of all things Olympian.

Tip number one is fairly simple. Don't waste too much time digesting the Figure Skating Results. Hardly anyone can sit through an entire competition without retreating to some other machismo-saving activity; and if you are truly pressed to demonstrate your Olympic knowledge in this event, you can simply default to the Russian.

Tip number two for catching all the nail-biting action at Vancouver 2010 is to follow the right people. The right people, in this case, are Lindsey Vonn and Scott McCartney. They are 2 members of a US Ski team that is poised for its best Olympic showing in years. Both Vonn and McCartney are considered to be top contenders in each of their respective events.

Lindsey Vonn is a serious all-event threat. She will definitely be looking for her first Olympic medals as she competes in each of the 5 Alpine Events (Downhill, Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super G, and Super Combined). Lindsey made her Olympic debut as a 17-year old in the Salt Lake City, Utah. Unfortunately, she suffered a horrific crash in the 2006 Olympics and was unable to finish any higher than 7th. If she can continue her winning ways from 2009, she will have much to celebrate after her packed race schedule in Vancouver. I predict you will quickly grow accustomed to the sight of Lindsey Vonn smiling and waving from atop the medals podium. She is already one of the most decorated skiers in US history with credits including two overall World Cup titles (2008 and 2009), two world championship titles (Downhill and Super G), and 25 World Cup victories. She is also still basking in the glow of being awarded the Skieur d’Or award as the skier of the year, the first American to be recognized as such since 1983. While she may be a relative unknown stateside, Lindsey Vonn is a virtual rock star in much of Europe. She will undoubtedly be at the epicenter of all the skiing action in Vancouver 2010.

Although she is a skiing juggernaut, Lindsey Vonn will need some support from her teammates if the United States team is to truly have the showing that is expected of them in Vancouver. Consider Scott McCartney to be the number one supporting star. McCartney began his skiing career as a four-event skier, but has since narrowed his focus to the speed disciplines—Downhill and Super G. This specialty has at times left him worse for wear. He has spent a significant amount of time off the mountain recuperating from torn knee ligaments, a torn labrum in his hip, broken thumbs to major concussions. McCartney made his Olympic debut in Utah, and is looking to up the ante in Vancouver as one of the favorites for gold in both the Men’s Downhill and Men’s Super G.

So you are already ahead of the game on your Olympic knowledge and we've still got several days. When they finally light the Olympic torch, everybody will be a Lindsey Vonn expert, so impress your colleagues not before it’s too late.

LindseyIsEpic.com is the place to find your favorite Lindsey Vonn video and photos, check out her amazing race results, and leave her a message.