Lindsay Vonn, one of the winningest ski racers in history, is back at age 40—after a six-year absence due to injuries sustained in the course of her career. She has a new knee, and after an extended layoff, in her third race on the World Cup, she finished fourth—meaning on that day, she was the world’s fourth fastest woman skier. I ski race, not well, but I understand the sport. It requires extreme levels of skill, strength, stamina, and courage. Downhill races—the event that Vonn excels at—regularly hit 70-plus mph. They’re done on what looks like snow but is actually ice and on terrifyingly steep terrain. Vonn is a uniquely driven and talented athlete, who seems to be having a heck of a good time doing the thing she loves, being in the mix of elite ski racing. If someone had told me after she had her knee replaced that she would be racing again, at an elite level, top five in the world, I would say, “You be trippin’.” And if she were to crash with the repaired knee? Definitely not good. But she has done both.
The reasons I am interested here are twofold. First, medical technology keeps improving so that now a partial knee replacement, previously considered an ender of anything high performance, is no longer the case, at least when an athlete like Vonn is involved. Secondly, my idea of what is possible needs to expand. Although I am constantly going on to you about how we are stronger, braver, and more capable than we ever imagined, I just could not see something like this as being in the realm of possibility. Recreational skiing, sure. Maybe helping out a bit with the U.S. Ski Team. But competing against the best in the world and still being one of them? Impressive. This means there are other things out there that I am dismissing as impossible, which are actually more in the realm of improbable. (Big difference there.)
I am perhaps too quick to say “no,” when what would serve me better would be saying “maybe.” The other thing here is that although I have never met Vonn, I know people in her circle, and she has been diligently investigating how to get back into racing. She, like you and I, have agency; we can speak to medical professionals, we can investigate, we can think and act. We are not powerless in the face of adversity. The investigation may lead us to understand that our desired outcome is not currently possible—or is possible. This is not a magical, anything-is-possible-if-I-dream-it sort of thing. This is about hard-nosed fact-based work in what is the best course of action. When I had my bout with an autoimmune disorder, I remember quickly being told to have my spleen removed. Organ removal seemed like a rather extreme solution, but after a year of biomedical experimentation and a lot of hospitals, it was clear that the risks of further messing with my immune system were now greater than spleen removal. And it worked. I am sure Vonn went through a similar process before she had surgery. We always have the option to investigate, ask questions, and advocate for ourselves. In the end, we are the deciders of what is best for us.
Onward and upward,
David
