Winter Olympians hope Chicago kids go for gold
Scott Macartney was racing downhill at 90 mph and hitting his final ski jump at a World Cup event when he landed sideways and slammed his head unconscious, knocking off his helmet and causing him to skid face-first over the finish line.
"But I'm doing great, and you can hardly tell," the two-time Olympic alpine skier joked.
(John H. White/Sun-Times)
Macartney and eight fellow U.S. skiers and snowboarders recounted stories of high-speed danger to third- and fourth-grade students at the Latin School of Chicago on Friday morning in hopes of publicizing their teams and perhaps inspiring some future Olympians.
Macartney's account of his scare at Kitzbuehel, Austria, in January brought gasps from the children. Aerial skier Jeret Peterson lifted his sleeve to reveal a broken elbow he suffered years ago, but the world record-holder in points for a single trick remained nonchalant about bruises suffered along the way.
"It hurts a lot when you crash," Peterson said. "But we try not to think about it too much."
Students were allowed to ask questions and peppered the athletes about everything from training and eating habits to celebrity sightings and mountain wildlife.
Peterson said he practices jumps in Park City, Utah, by donning a helmet and life jacket and jumping into a swimming pool. Ski jumper Johnny Spillane told of a skier's required energy diet of 24,000 calories per week, the equivalent of "76 cheeseburgers," he said.
Despite their high-flying lifestyles, the athletes expressed their desire to stay grounded, noting that "winning isn't everything" and urging students to set personal goals.
The athletes were in town for a U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team foundation fund-raiser.
While many of the athletes have set their sights toward the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the prospect of a Chicago-hosted Summer Olympics in 2016 excites skier Bill Demong.
"I've been on the mailing list for a few years," said Demong, a three-time Olympic competitor. "I think it'd be a great host city."