| Show A determined det Kildow i is all about the Olympic spirit JA Los Angeles Times Lis Listen en to the mother then listen listen listen lis lis- ten to the daughter and you'll discover what separates Olympians from everyone else including those who share their DNA strands The mother calls her daughter a tough kid The daughter calls herself an idiot The mother uses the word amazing The daughter uses the word disappointing Olympians arent aren't ungrateful They appreciate all that they've been given They just arent aren't sat sat- They dont don't count blessings blessings blessings bless bless- ings they count reps To anyone who saw Lindsey Kildow's Wide World of worthy Sports crash during a downhill training run Monday the sight of her in the start house Wednesday was heartwarming enough and watching her stay upright for the next meters felt like a victory in itself Im just so happy she finished finished finished fin fin- said Linda Krohn Lindseys Lindsey's mother It was tentative tentative tentative tenta tenta- tive but knowing what she went through I think it was a good finish She skied really well I thought Sure Kildow knew what she was attempting figured people would use words like inspiring inspiring inspiring ing to describe it She wasn't thinking about words Her world is measured by numbers She had to worry wont about a clock and clocks dont don't care what happened happened happened hap hap- to you on Monday It was the competitor in her that bro brought her to this Italian mountaintop in the first place the competitor that got her out of the hospital bed and up the ski lift for Wednesdays Wednesday's race And it was the competitor in her that showed in her anguished expression n at th the finis finish fin fin- is ish line a she looked ked u un sip f I G fW u ul l land and saw th t her time I el of minute P 1 n. n a minute 7 8 seconds seconds woul would would- n not be tow low eno enough to to g get the theon her on on the medal stand She wound up eighth in the race won by Austria's Michaela Dorfmeister Its s still ll disappointing because Im I'm not physically where I want to be and I feel like I could have done a lot better Kildow said But for what Ive I've been through Im I'm just happy to be here and I thank God for keeping me healthy or healthy enough to race But theres there's something nagging nagging nagging nag nag- ging her because she knows she wasn't quite healthy enough to win And I that's what she was here to do Kildow was traveling across a section of the downhill course known as the rolls Monday w when en she lost control of her left ski and was launched into the theair theair theair air landing on her back spinning spinning spinning spin spin- ning and sliding to toa a stop heart ping haltI haltI haltI halt I just remember being in my tuck and going over the roll and then all of a sudden Im I'm looking back up the hill over the same roll th that t Id I'd just gone over Kildow said Then I 1 lost memory memory memory mem mem- ory for about 10 minutes I just remember screaming and my back being in a lot of pain Once she got over the injuries I I was just bummed you know That's the last thing you want to have happen right before the Olympics especially because I felt like I was skiing well Its It's more of the frustration and anger toward myself for being an idiot The Olympic mentality is that if the mind can overcome anything anything anything any any- thing bad things come from mental mistakes Not simply a rough patch or a demanding course that sent two other skiers to the hospital in training and took five skiers out of the race Wednesday And dont don't think Kildow doesn't doesn't doesn't does does- nt care about winning because she once accepted a cow instead of cash payment for winning a j I race The point was she made made 1 I Ithe the choice after shed she'd won Great sports memories are made by i people who are as obsessed with i winning as Kildow who need it 1 like a fire needs oxygen 1 Poor Krohn was traveling to Europe when Kildow crashed I 1 She was out of BlackBerry range until she got to her lodging lodging lodging 1 I ing in Briancon France just Iacross i iacross across the Italian French-Italian border i When she checked in with Lisa Wilkinson the women's team manager Wilkinson reported that Kildow had maintained consciousness consciousness consciousness con con- then had to explain why that was newsworthy They picked up Krohn and brought her to Kildow's hospital room in Turin She was really in good spirits spirits spirits spir spir- its Krohn said She was OK and that was such a relief She didn't try to talk her daughter out of racing As far as she was concerned the doctor said it was OK so it was Kildow's decision You get the feeling Kildow didn't have a choice She had already missed a World Championship in 2004 because she was injured in hi a crash and had to sit out the World Junior Championship in 2001 because of another crash So even though her backs back's flexibility is limited she hit the slope Wednesday and plans to be there for her next event the combined on Friday Im going to go for it Kildow said Ive got to see how it feels Slaloms Slalom's going tobe tobe to tobe be um urn interesting But like I did today Im I'm just going to do whatever whatever whatever what what- ever I can to be there All of the skiing stuff comes from Lindseys Lindsey's father Alan a time three-time US U.S. junior ski cham cham- pion ion The childhood stories Linda told involved Lindseys Lindsey's demanding to have Cinderella read to her every night and correcting correcting correcting cor cor- any missed words or Lindsey and her friend dressing up lip like the characters in Cats and performing to the sound sound- track Now Kildow isn't speaking to her father reportedly because he criticized her relationship with skier Thomas Vonn So its it's her mother who was there to provide support making up with a parents parent's love what she couldn't provide by way of instruction or even sion I dont don't understand how you could keep racing after you crash that tha badly Linda saidI saidI saidI said I couldn't do that Im I'm just in awe of her what she's doing Kildow wants more than her mothers mother's respect Its the Olympics Kildow said You have to expect the best or hope for the best That's what I was hoping for hopefully a top three But top still good Im I'm not complaining about that whatsoever Going from the hospital bed to an place eighth-place finish is admirable but its it's Kildow's desire for more that makes me admire her |
