Word: skiing
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Earlier this week at Whistler, just before the men's Olympic downhill, I ran into Jonathan Weibrecht, whose younger sibling Andrew races for the U.S. Ski Team. Of course he was pulling for little brother, who at one time used to chase him down Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid, where the family lives. But don't forget about Bode Miller, said Jonathan, a former U.S. Ski Team member himself: "Every racer knows that when Bode is on there is nobody in the world better than him." (See the latest photos from the Olympics in Vancouver...
...Bode's been on, all right. In winning gold in the men's combined, and a record fifth career Olympic medal, Miller once again made the case that he's one of the best skiers to ever slap on the boards. In the combined, you ski a speed event in the morning - the downhill, which tests your nerve and strength - and return in the afternoon for the slalom, a technical event that tests your ability to turn the skies. And this week at Whistler, it's also been a test of being able to master the conditions. The weather...
...When asked how she will deal with sports celebrity in the post-Woods world, in which the tabloids, websites and televisions cameras can threaten even a pristine reputation, Vonn seems nonplussed. "Well, I'm married" - to her ski coach, Thomas Vonn, since 2007 - "so I don't have that problem," she says. "But, um, I guess [Woods] is married too." Then she turns serious. "I mean, I guess if you have secrets, you have an issue. I've kind of been open about everything." (See TIME's photo-essay "The World of Mrs. Tiger Woods...
...could look to Tom Kelly to settle the score. Kelly, who is the spokesman for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, is supposed to love both of his children equally. So when I ask him which endeavor is tougher, skiing or snowboarding, I expect a dodge. Surprisingly, he doesn't duck the question. "When you're sitting in a bar and see Shaun White do a double cork, that's a singular move, a singular activity," Kelly says. "But if you look at what Lindsey is putting on the line, doing 80 m.p.h., to keep that going for that long...
...Well, maybe I drink too much. Here's one man's humble opinion, after witnessing both gold-medal performances on Wednesday: Vonn is awe-inspiring, but White is still the more impressive athlete. To me, it's all about the flipping. You can teach me to ski; obviously I'd never reach Vonn's level, but if thousands of folks of all ages hit the slopes every weekend, so can I. But I'm not pointing my head to the ground in mid-air. And I'm certainly not doing it 35 feet from the bottom on a pipe...