Mikaela Shiffrin

[Rudi Riet]

Nice, tho I think she'd get bored with that schedule.

She will do some speed - that's her future, to be frank. She seems leery of speed because of the risk involved (if you learn one thing about MS from talking to her it's that she's somewhat risk averse) but we shall see. I'm fairly sure she will race Cortina as it's a venue that plays to her strengths.

The schedule discussion is between MS, Eileen, and Killian Albrecht (her manager). USST coaches and admins likely have some input (they'll lean on the World Champs stuff because of optics - even though it's not a real showcase of anything special) but in the end it's about where Mikaela's head is at. It seems that her back injury is finally on the mend so we will see what transpires.

Above all, she seems happier than she has in a long time. That helps a ton in terms of confidence and attitude.

 

[James]

Let’s not forget World Championship wins don't count for Wcup wins. Don’t know what that means for Mikaela, just maybe she gets more selective about what she enters in.

 

[Parnellia]

All I know is she likes to train and sleep. It seems like if she doesn't get a training block in the discipline right before the race she doesn't win. With exceptions. But as a long term manager trying to maximize her competitive lifetime I'd say cherry pick and do a lax schedule, keep skiing until she wants to have kids, she could stay healthy and injury free into her 30s. No shame in letting the overalls and titles go to others, in fact it would be good for the sport for her to mentor younger skiers and build up the sport rather than making it all about her.

Versus doing a Tina Maze, making as much cash as possible, getting wrecked and disappearing.

 

[DocGKR]

What is Tina Maze doing these days?

 

[Doug Briggs]

What is Tina Maze doing these days?

Retirement

 

[James]

Versus doing a Tina Maze, making as much cash as possible, getting wrecked and disappearing.

She was on the Wcup 17 seasons, 4 Olympic teams. Hardly a flash in the pan.
Hirscher - 12 seasons, 3 Olympic teams

What is Tina Maze doing these days?

Hanging out

 

[maple19]

No shame in letting the overalls and titles go to others, in fact it would be good for the sport for her to mentor younger skiers and build up the sport rather than making it all about her.

I disagree. She’s sacrificed a lot and given pretty much her entire life to this sport. She’s earned the right to try to achieve as much as she can before she retires, and it isn’t selfish of her IMO to want to keep winning. Would you say the same about Nadal? Messi? Any other legendary male athlete? Perhaps it’d be smart of her to reduce her schedule, but she certainly isn’t making things “all about herself” if she chooses not to.

 

[Parnellia]

I think the entire concept of professional sports and paying people to train and compete full-time is morally wrong. Everyone should participate in sports over their entire lifetime for the benefits of the sport itself. Getting money and complexity out of sports is an ideal to strive for. Race, ski, hike and travel because it's fun.

Mikaela would be no less great a person if she was a recreational skier. She would still be a gifted athlete able to push herself to the highest level in her own personal competition with the best in her world, i.e. herself. This is no different that the mountain climber who summits with no publicity or a disabled athlete exerting themselves at the highest level while you don't even realize their struggle.

But, but... "top level" and greatness and all that? She'd still be great but instead of fixating on some commercial star we might actually go out and do something athletic and sports minded ourselves.

All that said I'm 63 and participated in this culture and appreciate what she can do, and the whole wonder of skiing fast in the mountains so I follow ski racing. It's slightly less stupid than the ball sports. But yeah, dedicating entire communities, industries and eco-systems to carting fat assed snot nosed city folk up mountains they don't appreciate is gross. Everything is relative. In 1850 Norway there were great skiers walking up the hills outside the village, probably Kilde's ancestors. Better to be connected to that than Red Bull.

When I was a kid the champion skiers from Austria became bricklayers in the offseason. The Mahres built houses and raced MX in the evenings. There was a WC champion who took an entire season off to care for her dying parent (blanking on her name). Stenmark still goes to the gym and does drills at his local yokel small ski hill with a T-bar. I respect that so much more.

 

[4ster]

I think

You can think what you want but for better or worse it has evolved to what it is.
For me, I am grateful to watch & be involved in the evolution of sport. Mikaela Shiffrin & other phenoms like her will end their sports careers with a lot of life ahead of them & probably go on to accomplish other great things. Maybe that will be in the public spotlight, maybe not. In the meantime she has entertained & brought joy to a lot of fans along with bringing things to a higher level.
I doubt she’ll have any regrets on how she spent the first third of her life.

 

[PisteOff]

I think the entire concept of professional sports and paying people to train and compete full-time is morally wrong. Everyone should participate in sports over their entire lifetime for the benefits of the sport itself. Getting money and complexity out of sports is an ideal to strive for. Race, ski, hike and travel because it's

(Shortened only for brevity. Addressing entire statement)

This post dips into a Shiffrin thread and loosely uses her to put forth some idiosyncratic opinions all of which I happen to disagree with. Mayhap worthy of its own thread I doubt any manner of dialog would dissuade the poster. Pondering the why of it………

 

[S.H.]

I think the entire concept of professional sports and paying people to train and compete full-time is morally wrong. Everyone should participate in sports over their entire lifetime for the benefits of the sport itself. Getting money and complexity out of sports is an ideal to strive for. Race, ski, hike and travel because it's fun.

Mikaela would be no less great a person if she was a recreational skier. She would still be a gifted athlete able to push herself to the highest level in her own personal competition with the best in her world, i.e. herself. This is no different that the mountain climber who summits with no publicity or a disabled athlete exerting themselves at the highest level while you don't even realize their struggle.

But, but... "top level" and greatness and all that? She'd still be great but instead of fixating on some commercial star we might actually go out and do something athletic and sports minded ourselves.

All that said I'm 63 and participated in this culture and appreciate what she can do, and the whole wonder of skiing fast in the mountains so I follow ski racing. It's slightly less stupid than the ball sports. But yeah, dedicating entire communities, industries and eco-systems to carting fat assed snot nosed city folk up mountains they don't appreciate is gross. Everything is relative. In 1850 Norway there were great skiers walking up the hills outside the village, probably Kilde's ancestors. Better to be connected to that than Red Bull.

When I was a kid the champion skiers from Austria became bricklayers in the offseason. The Mahres built houses and raced MX in the evenings. There was a WC champion who took an entire season off to care for her dying parent (blanking on her name). Stenmark still goes to the gym and does drills at his local yokel small ski hill with a T-bar. I respect that so much more.

So all entertainment personnel should be unpaid?

 

[mdf]

Personally I don't find any spectator sport all that interesting, but I think they are valid entertainment.

 

[Doug Briggs]

As I understand it, Mikaela's nearly constant effort to train and improve is what makes her happy. I can only guess that the fame and fortune that come with the results of her efforts are simply (mostly?) incidental. Ski racing is her job and it makes her happy. What more can you ask for in life?

 

[Andy Mink]

I think the entire concept of professional sports and paying people to train and compete full-time is morally wrong. Everyone should participate in sports over their entire lifetime for the benefits of the sport itself. Getting money and complexity out of sports is an ideal to strive for. Race, ski, hike and travel because it's fun.

Mikaela would be no less great a person if she was a recreational skier. She would still be a gifted athlete able to push herself to the highest level in her own personal competition with the best in her world, i.e. herself. This is no different that the mountain climber who summits with no publicity or a disabled athlete exerting themselves at the highest level while you don't even realize their struggle.

But, but... "top level" and greatness and all that? She'd still be great but instead of fixating on some commercial star we might actually go out and do something athletic and sports minded ourselves.

All that said I'm 63 and participated in this culture and appreciate what she can do, and the whole wonder of skiing fast in the mountains so I follow ski racing. It's slightly less stupid than the ball sports. But yeah, dedicating entire communities, industries and eco-systems to carting fat assed snot nosed city folk up mountains they don't appreciate is gross. Everything is relative. In 1850 Norway there were great skiers walking up the hills outside the village, probably Kilde's ancestors. Better to be connected to that than Red Bull.

When I was a kid the champion skiers from Austria became bricklayers in the offseason. The Mahres built houses and raced MX in the evenings. There was a WC champion who took an entire season off to care for her dying parent (blanking on her name). Stenmark still goes to the gym and does drills at his local yokel small ski hill with a T-bar. I respect that so much more.

I'm kind of at a loss on this one. If someone is willing to pay someone else to use a skill, what's wrong with that? Should carpenters build houses just for the sake of building houses or because they enjoy the work? Doctors, teachers work for free because of the love of the job? People NEED entertainment; it's been that way since the first Neanderthal started oogachucking. I don't watch much sports or even movies for that matter. But when I want to, I'm glad it's there. As far as the salaries? They're nuts but a person is worth what someone else is willing pay.

I think back to my younger days when Phil and Steve were THE guys. They brought a lot of kids into the sport just by being on TV and competing at that high level. They also sold a lot of skis for K2. I suspect there is an entire crop of young women who look up to Mikaela, Lindsey, Laura, and the others and want to be like them. That's good for the sport of skiing as a whole. Same with big mountain, park, and big air skiers sponsored by the likes of Red Bull. Their faces on the screen, whether it be TV or Playstation, are helping skiing in general by bringing more folks into it at a time when, by many accounts, the number of skiers is waning.

As @Doug Briggs says above, skiing is her job and she seems to like it. A lot. What could be better?

 

[James]

Personally I don't find any spectator sport all that interesting, but I think they are valid entertainment.

Wait, there’s sports for spectators?
You mean like the Chrisley’s, who are going to jail for not playing well?

 

[sparty]

As I understand it, Mikaela's nearly constant effort to train and improve is what makes her happy. I can only guess that the fame and fortune that come with the results of her efforts are simply (mostly?) incidental. Ski racing is her job and it makes her happy. What more can you ask for in life?

Incidental to her enjoyment, quite possibly. Not quite so incidental to her ability to continue pursuing the sport full-time.

 

[PisteOff]

Wait, there’s sports for spectators?
You mean like the Chrisley’s, who are going to jail for not playing well?

I’m pretty sure it was for fraud??

 

[Parnellia]

Right, and these are not binary questions and often it is matter of degree. But...

Consumer demand is manufactured via marketing. If not Mikaela then profiteers would be hawking something else. I'm arguing for a more organic, genuine process not tied to selling something.

How many of those young female fans of Mikaela bought the $150 pink ski poles that are hardly different than the $25 ski poles, especially in the hands of a 10-year old intermediate? And that $125 price difference, mostly profit is above and beyond the cost and reasonable profit.

Libertarian economics -/ nah

 

[David Chaus]

Well, if anyone wants to write a manifesto on what's wrong with society, or more specifically how sports should be organized, all well and good, but can we keep this thread a little more focused on our admiration and appreciation for this woman's skill and dedication that has resulted in her being an amazing skier, and follow her pursuit of excellence and becoming the most accomplished alpine skier in World Cup history?

 

[James]

Apparently skipping LL was part of the plan-

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Shiffrin decided before the season began that she would not race Lake Louise, a representative said. A reason: For the first time in six years, tech races rather than speed races in Europe are scheduled for the weekend following Lake Louise.
—————————-

Mikaela Shiffrin skips Lake Louise speed races with different World Cup schedule

Mikaela Shiffrin will not race downhills and a super-G in Lake Louise, Alberta, this weekend, skipping the first speed races of the World Cup season.

olympics.nbcsports.com