McKee's McThoughts: No more 'What if' game

It happens in all athletics.
    Just before the season commences, hope overshadows reality. Everyone starts at zero and dreams of a title. It’s exciting, it’s fun, and we all willingly play the “What if” game.
    What if a new phenom comes out of the woodwork to win the first five slaloms?
    What if Austria didn’t win the Nations Cup?
    What if World Cup skiing became big and bold and fair and really, really popular?
    Now it's time to start playing it all out. It’s time for the reality part.
IT HAPPENS in all athletics.
    Just before the season commences, hope overshadows reality. Everyone starts at zero and dreams of a title. It’s exciting, it’s fun, and we all willingly play the “What if” game.
    What if a new phenom comes out of the woodwork to win the first five slaloms?
    What if Austria didn’t win the Nations Cup?
    What if World Cup skiing became big and bold and fair and really, really popular?
    Now it's time to start playing it all out. It’s time for the reality part. Who will win the crystal globes this season? Well, really, who cares? Sure, we all want our favorites to win and we will cheer for the good guys no matter what, but the truth is we just want the racing to be quality. We can hope there will be no injuries and we can hope there will be no weather problems. We can even hope our guys have uncovered some secret for speed. But the likelihood is there will be injuries, there will be weather problems and our guys won’t know any more secrets than anyone else. But if it is quality ski racing by the best in the world, well then, that will be enough.
    Then we can marvel in the abilities of the World Cup skiers. We can be amazed at their ability to generate forces at the very limit of controllability. We can watch as they best find ways to cope with the unexpected, for it would be an unusual season if there were no schedule changes, or marginal conditions somewhere along the way.
    Up to now, getting a ski racing fix has been difficult. Biggest news of the off-season seems to have been marriages and babies (and should I be concerned there is now a Grandpa Buzz out there?). Congratulations to him and to all of those newsmakers. Best wishes for a bright and prosperous future, but damn it man, let’s get it on.
    It’s time for some GS turns arced on an icy surface. It’s time for power skiing like we have never seen before. It’s time for the best to prove it and the rest to challenge them. It’s time to try and turn hope into reality. It could happen.
    That’s the beauty of sports — it could happen. We journalists and statisticians pore over the facts and figures and determine which athletes should be winning. We glorify the champions and we try to explain why they win. But this isn’t some fantasy league. They don’t hold real sports events on paper. This is about athletes — men and women who have dedicated their bodies and the bulk of their lives to being better, physically, than the next guy or girl who is just as dedicated.
    One of the beauties of ski racing is the stadium we play in. In ski racing, the playing fields are not level. Not only because of the obvious less-than-horizontal status, but also because the surface can be altered by a breeze, precipitation or use. In ski racing, there is always reason for hope, even from the back of the pack.
    There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about this season that is getting under way. The North American teams are as strong as they have been in a very long time, maybe even good enough to spike some interest on this side of the pond. Between now and March 16, the 41st World Cup season will unfold before our very eyes, be those eyes focused on electrons or racers.
    Personally, I’m excited. The geese have flown over and the trees have foliated. The World Series is under way and I’ve picked my team for the Ski Racing Fantasy League. Now it’s time to get this thing under way. Good luck to all the athletes. Good luck to all of us. May all our hopes become reality.