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Already an upset for Picabo

By Brad Rock
Deseret News sports columnist

      Before the first strains of the Olympic theme had soared, before the first ski jumper had ever launched, before the first starting gun had sounded, there was already one upset in the books.
      One favorite had already gone down in defeat.
      Wednesday night, U.S. Olympians chose short-track speedskater Amy Peterson to carry the flag in Friday night's opening ceremonies. Peterson did her job wonderfully. A highly decorated athlete who has been fighting chronic fatigue syndrome for several years, she was a worthy choice.
      Not elected was downhill skier Picabo Street, also a highly decorated athlete, who has fought a string of career-threatening injuries and who also would have been a good choice. But Street is something even more: a high-profile, name-brand commodity.
      Instead, teammates chose Brand X.
      Street is one of the two best-known female American athletes (along with figure skater Michelle Kwan) in this year's Olympics. Star of numerous television commercials, she competes in one of the glamour sports. If it's name recognition you want, Street is an easy choice. Plaster the name of a company on her ski uniform and business will boom. If she endorsed liver-flavored toothpaste, American kids would surely be brushing with liver-flavored toothpaste. She's that convincing.
      Prior to Wednesday, it seemed likely Street would be the choice. She hadn't been secretive about her aspirations. Street keeps secrets the way Joan Rivers does. First thing that pops into her head usually pops out her mouth and ends up in the newspapers. The subject can range widely — superstitions, weather, fears, fame, even the names she gives to her skis.
      True to character, she was unapologetic about her desire to bear the American flag. Nevertheless, she was passed by — something that hasn't happened often in her career or her life.
      When Street says she wants another gold medal, you have to take her seriously. What Picabo wants, Picabo usually gets, on the strength of her guts and drive. There will be no scene more poignant to Americans than if she wins a medal this year and stands one more time at the podium, tears streaming down her face, as they did in Nagano four years ago.
      Many would say, though, that campaigning to be flag-bearer over the top, even for her. She has been talking about carrying the flag for more than a year. In October she said it would be a highlight of her life.
      "I hope I'm the one they see fit to carry it," said Street, a two-time Olympic medalist, the day of the vote. "It could certainly be the greatest moment in my career. I'm that patriotic."
      And you thought Bill Clinton could work a room.
      She had also expressed interest in being a World Trade Center flag-bearer but wasn't among the eight selected for that, either.
      "I've actually lobbied for both positions today," she told media members on Wednesday. "I think I'm going to get my cake and eat it, too."
      Another athlete taking such a stance might have been considered boorish. But Street simply isn't devious enough to campaign in secret. So she campaigned the only way she knows — in public. She has never been one to keep her goals secret.
      Perhaps one of the obstacles to carrying the flag was that she passed up one chance already. In 1998 she was asked to do the honors at the Olympics but declined. She was still troubled by the effects of a concussion received a month earlier. Street said later that she cried for days.
      But this year there was no second chance. The honor went to another deserving athlete. A three-time Olympic medal winner, Peterson had overcome imposing obstacles to even make the team. As would have been the case with Street, she was overwhelmed by the opportunity.
      As appealing a choice as Street would have been, the American contingent sent the right message. It wasn't a message of spite but of practicality: We love you, Picabo, but there are others who deserve it as richly and want it as desperately. And sometimes you just can't campaign your way to the head of the class.