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Street done with racing, not skiing
By Ray Grass
Deseret News Olympic specialist
SNOWBASIN — It was not a storybook ending to the career of Picabo Street. For whatever reason — slow snow, a bad start, hesitation in a turn, stepping too hard on an edge or even standing up too soon before a turn — Street finished well out of the medal running in Tuesday's oft-delayed women's downhill at Snowbasin.
It was, she announced, her last race.
"I'm officially done with all ski racing . . . I love skiing. It will, forever, be a part of my life, but I'm looking forward to gliding around the mountain and not trying to make perfect turns or hit some perfect lines through the gates. I'll always be a kid on skis. It will always be fun, but I'm looking forward to what I love most about the sport — free skiing."
She said she will consult with the U.S. ski team, if it wishes. But more than anything she'll do what she has longed to do — move to a small Idaho down and live life out of the limelight.
Street finished 16th among 39 skiers. The best U.S. results were Jonna Mendes in 11th and Kristen Clark in 12th. Caroline Lalive, the second skier our of the gate, fell mid-course.
The story, of course, was Street. Following a serious crash a month after winning a gold in the super-G at the 1998 Nagano Games, few people gave her much chance of ever racing again. The crowd cheered loud and long for the Park City skier, even after her race time was announced and reality hit.
The winner, Carole Montillet of France, posted a time of one minute, 39.56 seconds — with Street 1.6 seconds slower.
Street had a good run going and admitted it felt good.
"I executed my plan of attack," she said, recapping her run. "I believed in myself. I focused and I executed. . . . I was tentative coming into the pitch, which caught me a little out of line. But I took the skis downhill and had one going. When I came to the shadow (section of the course), I could feel the skis fighting and sticking.
"I could feel things were not flowing, and it wasn't my skiing. I gave it my best shot."
The race had been scheduled for Monday, but high winds pushed the start to Tuesday. Her start number on Monday was No. 2. A redraw on Tuesday pushed her back to 26th. Then on Tuesday, the race was delayed two hours. All morning long, the course cooked under the warm February sun.
As the race progressed, there were indications that there was something happening to the course, that the sun could possibly be melting the surface, making it slower.
Renae Goetschl of Austria, the bronze medalist, said it didn't appear the course was softening where the tracks were, "but outside it was a little softer."
Despite the finish, Street said she was not disappointed, that she had accomplished her goals and was not in the least disappointed.
E-mail: grass@desnews.com
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February 13, 2002
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