McKee's McThoughts: Giving back over the holidays

I never heard the Holidays coming. Snuck up on me like the Grinch on Whoville.
    Usually I can hear the Holidays coming a long ways off …
    But this season, sequestered in my little romantic mountain cabin office, buried in snow, it’s been all I could do to keep a path shoveled and wood in the stove. And then those pesky ski racers just keep putting up better and better races and it’s my job to tell ya’ll about it. I do so happily. For example, the race by Lindsey Vonn to win the St. Anton downhill was pretty danged nice. That was not a race — the downhill — for the faint of heart. I’m here to tell you the U.S. women’s heartbeats are strong. And they can ski a lick, too.
I NEVER HEARD the Holidays coming. Snuck up on me like the Grinch on Whoville.
    Usually I can hear the Holidays coming a long ways off, what with all those Christmas carols and Jingle Bell Rock. It is difficult to avoid the voices of Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Burl Ives and Ella even in the cereal isle. They’re just there in every store, every gas station, even in the car.
    But this season, sequestered in my little romantic mountain cabin office, buried in snow, it’s been all I could do to keep a path shoveled and wood in the stove. And then those pesky ski racers just keep putting up better and better races and it’s my job to tell ya’ll about it. I do so happily. For example, the race by Lindsey Vonn to win the St. Anton downhill was pretty danged nice. That was not a race — the downhill — for the faint of heart. I’m here to tell you the U.S. women’s heartbeats are strong. And they can ski a lick, too.
    Other than a few Scrooges everybody likes holiday time. Some folks take on a different persona during the holidays, don’t you think? It’s such a social time of year, with the requisite parties and general good feelings. Some old curmudgeons can turn quite likable after a few figgy puddings.
    The Holidays change ski racing’s personality a little, too.
    Domestically there are traditional stops scattered about the calendar. The big boys close down on the holiday pretty good, with the lady speed skiers having skied this weekend at St. Anton in downhill and combined and the tech skiers facing a GS and slalom at Lienz after Christmas and before the New Year, Dec. 28-29. The gentlemen test the Bormio speed track as close to New Year’s Eve as they could get, Dec. 29. But neither the NorAm nor the Europa Cup schedules have a race until we get into January. So unless you’ve got a date with destiny at Lienz or Bormio, this is a good time for ski racers to kick back, enjoy the family and if the mood strikes, race close to home, maybe take some turns with the folks who got them where they are and say thanks.
    Olympic SG gold medalist Diann Roffe rarely missed competing in the Christmas races at Brantling, New York. I always admired her for that. And as long as Bode Miller keeps signing autographs for little kids, he’s got a positive mark in my ledger, too.
    The point is, I know how hard all that travel is, but for you guys wearing the uniform, if you get the chance to just stop by the old stompin’ grounds, do it. Shake some hands, give some youngsters a pat on the back and let the racing community know you appreciate it and remember where you came from. Because they sure remember where you came from.
    Case in point: We ran into an old coach a week or so back. He’d hopped in the car and driven down from Utah to Aspen for the final race of World Cup weekend, the women’s slalom. He didn’t have a place to stay when he left and said he kept walking until he found an open stool before deciding where he’d eat. He’d driven down just to see one of his kids earn her first World Cup points. If she made it, he wanted to be there. That’s the type of thing that makes this sport so amazing.
It was also pretty cool to see all the kids running around at St. Anton with those goofy Milka hats with cow horns. There’s just something about a silly hat that makes me smile.
    For instance, I loved Kelley VanderBeek wearing the Santa Claus hat on the podium. The Canadian guys were wearing cowboy hats on the podiums they got back in Canada, so the gals decided to go with tiaras. That notion seems to have been replaced with a bit of holiday spirit and applause for that. In fact, let’s just put VanderBeek on the McThoughts All-Name team. There’s not enough North Americans on the squad and she’s willing to make me smile by wearing a silly hat.
    Happy Holidays everyone. Enjoy the pudding. I gotta go shopping.