INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION As a child Lindsey Vonn had a dream She yearned to be an Olympic gold medalist skier She expressed that desire as a child She followed that dream She adopted an aggressive style on the slopes to pursue that dream She put her body at risk because the dream was that important to her The story of Vonn is the story of a winner That story is not true just because she indeed captured a gold medal at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver British Columbia in Canada It is not only because she blossomed into arguably the greatest World Cup skier in history She is a winner because she toiled and sweated to make her dream a reality She overcame injuries that would have made others give up Her life is one of grit and determination Lindsey Vonn is among the most popular and accomplished winter sports stars in American history But there is more to her than her skiing stardom She is a thoughtful young woman She has achieved fame and fortune but she remains down to earth She works to help girls and young women identify and pursue their own dreams Vonn also speaks out on issues she feels strongly about She tries to be a positive role model She has come a long way as a skier and as a person since she toddled her way around Buck Hill in Minnesota as a little girl And she has overcome every obstacle thrown her way 4
Introduction Lindsey Vonn shows her talents during the Ladies Alpine downhill event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver Canada 5
CHAPTER ONE Starting on the Slopes When Lindsey Kildow looked at her mother for the first time there was nobody looking back She nearly lost her mom before she could understand that she had one It was October 18 1984 Linda Krohn awoke that morning with a terrible headache She was rushed to the hospital where she gave birth to her daughter Lindsey But Krohn suffered a stroke during the delivery The attack could have killed her Krohn survived somehow But her left leg was paralyzed She remained in a coma for 10 days A nurse showed her the healthy baby girl Krohn did not even realize it was her daughter She recalled nothing about the next seven weeks She did not even remember Lindsey’s name Little could Krohn have imagined that the world would someday know her daughter’s name They would know it as Lindsey Vonn one of the finest skiers ever The seeds of that greatness were planted on the slopes of the Buck Hill Ski Area in her hometown of Burnsville Minnesota Buck Hill is where two-year-old Lindsey first tottered her way around on skis It would become her home away from home 6
Starting on the Slopes This photograph shows skiers on Buck Hill in Minnesota where Lindsey learned to ski and refine her skills She simply loved skiing She would follow her father Alan Kildow down the slopes or wait for him at the bottom of the hill He would record her tiny ski steps with his video camera She would drink hot chocolate and enjoy the day with her dad 7
