As the team to represent that US in Sochi takes shape it seems increasingly likely 18-year-old Mikaela Shiffrin will be on it. But don’t call her “the next Lindsey Vonn”:
“When they say I’m the next Lindsey Vonn, they are shooing her out the door, and I don’t think that’s fair,” she told TODAY.com. “Imagine being her, reading that someone is the next Lindsey Vonn — it’s like saying, ‘Get out of the way, there’s no room for two Lindsey Vonns.’”
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“[Vonn has] been one of my greatest idols for really long time, and it’s even cooler that she’s one of my teammates,” Shffrin said. “I appreciate who she is and what she’s done for the sport. But she’s not done — she’s not even really close to done. Let her have her success and let me have my own — just call me Mikaela Shiffrin.”
I’ll admit my first thought when I read the headline I expected it to be about how she’s not waiting for Vonn to get out of the way, that she’ll be knocking Vonn off the pedestal, and expects to eclipse her. I was pleasantly surprised to see what Shiffrin really had to say. In a sport known for some dash, bravado, and even ego, it’s encouraging to see a little humility, respect, and perspective.
If Shiffrin makes it to Sochi I’ll be paying attention.
Class, what a unique and special thing.