Vonn is ready to race

A season ago, as Lindsey Vonn skied her way to the World Cup overall title, 186 of her Cup point total of 1403 came via slalom and giant slalom. Two races into this season she has already accumulated 129 slalom and GS points. To say that she is psyched about the start to this season is an understatement. Basically there isn't much that could keep her away from racing in the GS and slalom scheduled for Aspen, CO this coming weekend. But she came a lot closer to not racing at Aspen than was intended.A season ago, as Lindsey Vonn skied her way to the World Cup overall title, 186 of her Cup point total of 1403 came via slalom and giant slalom. Two races into this season she has already accumulated 129 slalom and GS points. To say that she is psyched about the start to this season is an understatement. Basically there isn't much that could keep her away from racing in the GS and slalom scheduled for Aspen, CO this coming weekend. But she came a lot closer to not racing at Aspen than was intended.

She took a nasty crash Nov. 19, while training at Copper Mountain, CO, she was on crutches until cleared to race Nov. 26.

"It's been," she says, "a pretty interesting couple of days."

Vonn says she was training super G when the injury occurred, that she hit a bump and lost her right ski. She continued on one ski for about a hundred yards then fell with the tail of her left ski catching in the snow. "It really torqued my knee," she says.

Although she has lost significant training time since racing a GS at Soelden, Austria, Oct. 25 and a slalom at Levi, Finland Nov. 15, she says if she is at all able to race at Aspen, she intends to.

"For a while there it looked pretty grim," she says. After the crash initial examinations indicated the meniscus membrane in her knee could be damaged, which would likely have resulted in surgery. An MRI, she reports, indicates, "it looks like it will be okay."

Aspen's races are "the only races in America and I really want to compete in the U.S. … As long as there is no pain or swelling, then I want to race," Vonn says.

Vonn also says she's off to such a good start in the slalom and GS events, it has created a different scenario than last season. "That's why I am so excited," she says. "This was a very, very positive start."

She said she was confident in her slalom speed, and glad to get back to form in the discipline she first trained in back in Minnesota. "I haven't actually trained GS since Soelden. I'm confident in slalom, and a little nervous about GS. But when I'm in the start gate I'll forget about the knee and just go for it."

She was, before the training accident, better prepared for this season than last when she was coming off surgery. She says she was able to train harder in the gym, making her stronger. That, she says, "allows me to ski a tighter, faster line."

She also says she has custom fitted her boots and tested a lot of slalom skis, "getting those that suit my style. Equipment is a huge factor."

So she's got confidence, despite a knee that is still plenty sore. "I really want to compete in the U.S. and I feel like I have something (left) to accomplish in slalom."