Just popping by here before tomorrow’s race to share something that came to mind earlier when a whole crew of kiddos were surrounding Mik after training, excited to get her autograph and meet her. What Mik is doing is somewhat under the radar, but she is a little bit that way. Unassuming. An introvert. Humble. Selfless. Yet a fierce competitor. I’ve never seen someone so good at their craft simultaneously so kind and caring to so many. That’s a balance that’s nearly impossible to strike, yet somehow—like most other things she does—she finds a way.
I can’t stress enough the fact that what Miki is doing is SO good for the sport, but it’s also SO much bigger than the sport. It’s monumental. HUGE. And she’s doing it with grace, class, joy, and the never ending quest for excellence. Let’s enjoy the ride, team. And, as Jeff would say…be kind, think first, have fun. Oh yes, Mik is so so much more than just a ski racer! No words, numbers and records can ever express how amazing Mik is and how proud I am of her. I’m really honored to call someone like her my role model! She’s simply unique – on and off the slopes! Miki is in a way of being a gentle being, role model for
the sport and fair competitor, probably the greatest person ever.
I haven’t had much time to reflect and share my reflections, given I have been traveling the last couple of weeks and working at domestic @fisalpine World Cups, but now that I’m back, I am grounded and I feel at home. It’s the first time in 9 seasons, and—to be honest—it feels good to be here.
Will I have FOMO this month? Yes. Will it be worth it? Yes. And that’s what I have to hold onto and keep reminding myself.
I am thankful, despite the challenges this last year has brought our way. It has taken me some time to get here, but I can now acknowledge this gratitude despite my heartbreak. Why? Because I’m simply grateful to have been a mother.
Yes, that’s right. I am a mother.
I can’t express how deeply painful the loss was…and the aftermath of that loss was. Despite that loss, though, I felt something. I connected to the being that was inside me, and the being that we will be blessed with in the future. It’s wild how much of a connection a mother has to her unborn baby, and in the days following my miscarriage, I felt a distinct connection to the baby boy I lost. You may think it sounds crazy, but I saw an intuitive person who helped me to find a spiritual connection with my baby boy. That connection helped me to resolve the feelings of anger, sadness, regret, and pain I have experienced. For weeks, while I was meditating, I connected with this little being. He forgave me.
He shared with me why and what he was there to teach me. I grew. And I also connected with my future self.
I can’t begin tell you how frustrating it is to feel like you’re doing all the the things—limiting coffee and alcohol intake, listening to my body and resting as needed.
(also limiting intense exercise), doing yoga, meditation, burning sage and collecting precious stones, taking all of the supplements, drinking raspberry tea leaves…
and bone broth, doing acupuncture, getting labs on labs and semen analysis done,
tracking ovulation, basal body temp, and using all of the apps, timing sex based on it all –
and you continue to get a negative pregnancy test result. It hurts.
But yet, I am hopeful. And I am thankful. I am thankful because I am a mother,
and I will one day be a mother again.
Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates her 82nd victory. She is now just four wins behind
Ingemar Stenmark’s overall World Cup record. Photograph: Alen Milavec/EPA
Been meaning to share this for a bit, but life has gotten away from me…partly because.
I’m realizing I’m too, f’in old to wake up in the middle of the night and
stay up for hours covering the World Cup.
(Side note – looking forward to being on European time come January).
Anyway, that said, launching @mikaelashiffrin’s new YouTube channel and her new series. #MovingRightAlong, and waking up at ungodly hours of the night/morning were worth it to 1) see the positive reaction of the series, and 2) to watch Mikaela win her 77th World Cup.
So, while many others were congratulating her on “yet another win,” I reflected on it a bit further, as I tend to do. Masters of their craft make the greatest effort look like a walk in the park. Mikaela is a master.
12/20/2012: Her first World Cup victory. That’s 10 years ago (
) in Åre, Sweden. And she’s been at the top of her game consistently every year to date.
Can you imagine a career that entails 10 years of being on the top, consistently, in an individual sport with no teammates to influence your success?! Of course, teammates in skiing influence success in more indirect ways…but as a ski racer, it’s just you and the mountain. One would expect an athlete to plateau…but Mikaela is sustaining excellence (both on and off the mountain) in an otherworldly fashion.
I’m not big on the moniker “GOAT”…I think it’s overused and I feel like there are far too many ways one can classify the greatest of all time. But, I am big on stats (even though Mikaela is not), so here goes…
233 World Cup Starts
130 World Cup Podiums
82 World Cup Victories
That means, her win rate is 33.9%, which means that when she steps into the start gate, she is likely to win over 1/3 of all races.
Her podium percentage is nearly 55%.
Already with eight wins this season, Shiffrin is also quickly approaching.
Ingemar Stenmark’s overall record – between men and women – of 86 victories.
Vonn retired four years ago when injuries ended her pursuit of Stenmark’s record.
Shiffrin and Vonn now each have 20 more wins than the next woman on the all-time list, Annemarie Moser-Proll of Austria at 62.
While the often-injured Vonn required 395 races for her 82 wins, Shiffrin has done it in just 233. And at the age of 27, Shiffrin could compete for several more years and win many more races.
Shiffrin’s achievement comes almost a year after a disappointing performance at
the Beijing Olympics, when she competed in six events without winning a medal.
Winning this race, though, never really seemed in doubt.
On an overcast morning, Shiffrin was the first starter and laid down a much more aggressive opening run than either of her two trips down the steep Podkoren course on Saturday, when she finished in a tie for sixth.
“I couldn’t ski faster,” Shiffrin said after her first run. “I felt much, much better this first run than yesterday. I had to try to change my feeling from yesterday. It was very good skiing and I’m happy with that.”
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
Mikaela Shiffrin misses 83rd World Cup victory in Flachau – Vlhova wins, Dürr races to third place – Archyde
I know I’m never at a loss for words, but athletes at the top of their game get me particularly verbose. Sustaining excellence is an underrated feat…
The media sensationalizes injury, throws around the GOAT term, amplifies grief…but someone winning and podiuming as much as Mikaela becomes a bit “ho-hum” to the general public and it seems people run out of words to describe it. Nothing is given, everything is earned…and though it may look easy, it is certainly not.
Each victory is hard-fought, and so is each podium. And it’s not just the victories that matter. It’s all of it, because it’s a process. I’d challenge everyone to look at athletic feats with a different lens…try to learn the story behind them, how they got where they did. I try to do that with all the athletes I work with, whether returning from injury or snagging a personal best. Let’s all try to appreciate that process rather than just focus on a catchy headline.
Mikaela – writing about your career will never get old. Bravo, champ. And I know you hate when I talk about stats and post lengthy posts putting you in the spotlight (because you’re humble and cool like that), but allow me to be like an annoyingly proud big sister.
Thx.
From meganharrod