Skiing

If there's one thing every athlete dreams about, it's becoming an Olympian and representing his or her country.

But why should athletes have all the fun?

I was able to sit down with Julia and get her take on a few things, including how she's preparing for the Olympics, what she does in her free time and why choosing a celebrity to party with is harder than landing a medal at the Olympics.

Bleacher Report: Do you like all the attention you get for being regularly featured on "Hottest Athletes" Lists?

Julia Mancuso: I think it's a lot of fun. Being an athlete is like everyone's dream job, so it's awesome that we get to travel the world and do a few other things outside of the sport.

B/R: How are you preparing for the Olympics?

JM: Our race season starts in a month, so it's kind of just that time of year. I'm amping up for the upcoming season, you know, with just one month off until it starts.

I've been training and getting ready for a race every weekend, pretty much.

Being healthy, and giving one last push before it begins.

B/R: What do you need to do to get back on top of the podium at the Olympics?

JM: Well my best event right now is one that I haven't medaled in yet—Super G—so that's what I'm really aiming for.

It's still really hard to win a race, so I'm looking forward to competing in the Olympics, and I definitely have a chance to win that one.

It takes a lot of confidence and risk-taking to win, so I just need to go out there and do my best.

B/R: What is the Olympics experience like?

JM: It's really busy without a lot of downtime to enjoy stuff like the village or other events, but it's amazing to go out there and compete for your country.

There are a lot more people, are a lot more fans, and there's a lot of exciting stuff that's going on around it.

It is awesome to see the other athletes compete—regardless of the sport—for their country too.

You get inspired from the feeling of some of the other athletes, and really feel the pride of being from America.

B/R: What do you do when not skiing?

JM: The summer for me is about getting stronger.

I do spend a lot of time outside, playing other sports. I like to go out and surf, swim and just stay active in the water.

I lived in Maui for a while, so I did a lot of my workouts outside and on the beach.

When I'm home, I do a lot of mountain biking and hiking to get really fit.

What's cool about skiing is that it's a really athletic sport. Doing everything I do helps my muscles stay in shape for when I'm on the slopes.

B/R: You mentioned surfing, any chance we see you pull a Shaun White and compete in multiple winter and summer sports?

JM: (laughing) No, no, I have a long way to go. I unfortunately don't have enough time, but I wish, that would be fun.

B/R: Is it tough to balance personal time and training time?

JM: In the summer is really the only time that I don't have to completely think about skiing all the time. And it's good for me because the training I do in the summer isn't necessarily for be to become a better skier but just because I like staying in shape and like working out.

B/R: How important is it to connect with your fans?

JM: That's the coolest thing about the Internet and social media right now is being able to connect with my fans, and I believe that it's a big part of being an athlete.

It's pretty cool being able to share my success with fans.

The contest with ZICO is just one of those things where fans have a chance to come to the Olympics, and giving them a once-in-a-lifetime experience like that is something that I find to be really fulfilling.

B/R: Can you talk about your desire to work with the non-profits that you do?

JM: It's all about giving back to my fans, and sharing part of my success with them. There are a lot of people who have made sacrifices for me, so being able to give a little back is cool. You know, pay it forward.

I work with people and foundations that I really believe in, so it's really cool to do something I believe in.

B/R: OK, so let's do some rapid fire questions.

Proudest accomplishment?

JM: My gold medal.

Biggest regret?

JM: (laughing) Oh man, I don't regret things.

The most famous person you've ever met?

JM: Paul McCartney.

The place you always look forward to going?

JM: The ocean.

The celebrity you'd most like to party with?

JM: (laughing) Oh man, that's hard…oh wow. I would want them to be fun. I don't know, is that bad?

A fraction of a second is all it takes for things to go horribly wrong. Lindsey Vonn experienced that firsthand, but she’s one of the lucky ones.

Vonn was injured in a crash during the Super-G of the Alpine world championships on Februrary 5 that could have ended much worse for the world champion skier. She spiraled out of control and struck a fence, forcing Vonn to be airlifted off the slope and to a hospital.

The crash looked like it could have been much worse than the end result, but Vonn was still left with two torn ligaments in her right knee and a fracture of her lower leg. Fortunately for the three-time gold medalist, surgery was successful, and her recovery time should be relatively short.

According to Pat Graham of Yahoo! Sports, Vonn could be back on a pair of skis as early as November, just in time for the World Cup. And an early return is exactly what skiing needs.

Vonn is known for being one of the most dominant skiers in the world, and her success partly stems from the determination that she has shown throughout her career. According to Dr. Bill Sterett (who operated on her knee), her tenacity and desire to succeed hasn’t wavered, as quoted by Graham:

She's in full-charge mode. She's like, 'When can I start upper-body strengthening? When can I start working on my core? When can I spin on a stationary bike with my other leg?'

I haven't seen a hint of post-traumatic depression from her, or her feeling sorry for herself or her sad or asking, 'Why now?' She's all about, 'When can I? When can I? When can I?'

That mentality is not only great for Vonn, but it’s also a terrific sign for a sport that thrives on pushing the limits and finding the motivation to go beyond what has already been done. And as this tweet from Vonn illustrates, her attitude can also be an inspiration for anyone who has gotten knocked down:

It’s hard to not admire an athlete with the drive and determination that Vonn displays. While she’ll be out of the spotlight and off of the slopes for the foreseeable future, returning from reconstructive surgery is not an easy task. The fact that she could return for World Cup action in November proves the kind of positive influence that she is on competitive skiing.

As is the case with any sport, athletes at the top of their game leave a big vacancy when they miss time with injuries. Skiing will continue to be as competitive and exciting as always, but it needs one of the best in the world back in action to keep the sport moving in the right direction.

With great pain comes great opportunity for redemption. 

For ski racer Lindsey Vonn, that means her newest opportunity will be more massive than the mountains she usually races down. 

The 28-year-old Vonn had to be airlifted to a hospital in Austria on Tuesday after suffering a major crash during her Super-G run at the Alpine World Championships. 

According to U.S. Ski Team medical director Kyle Wilkens (via an official U.S team statement, courtesy of NBC Sports), she tore both her ACL and MCL in her right knee and suffered a lateral tibial plateau fracture in what will be remembered as one of the most frightening, ugly crashes of the year. 

Unsurprisingly, Vonn is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the season (via Sports Illustrated's Nick Zaccardi):

USSA: Vonn torn ACL and MCL in right knee, lateral tibial plateau fracture. Out rest of season, expected to return for the 2013-14 season.

— Nick Zaccardi (@nzaccardi) February 5, 2013

It's clearly far too early to know if the talented skier will be able to return in time for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, but if she is able to do just that, she has the opportunity to turn the best story of the Games. 

The sports world, especially during the pride-filled event that is the Olympics, loves the comeback story. It loves an athlete with a good narrative and it loves someone who overcomes the unfavorable odds. 

Vonn has the chance to be all of those things. 

If she manages to return from this incredibly gruesome leg injury in less than a year to beat some of the world's best athletes at the Olympics, it would be Adrian Peterson-like. I'm not a future-teller, so I can't say it would be No. 1, but a comeback like that would easily go down as one of the most inspirational and uplifting stories of 2014.

Vonn certainly has the talent to make it happen. She took home a gold in Downhill and bronze in Super-G at the 2010 Olympics, and has racked up five more medals at various World Championships. 

She's easily one of the best racers in the world, and if she can somehow return from this injury in top shape, then it will be a memorable story. 

This entire premise is undoubtedly predicated on a big "if," but knowing Vonn's work ethic and determination, she is certainly capable.

While this is an injury no one wanted to see, it's an injury that gives hope for a magical, chill-inducing, tear-jerking, Disney-movie-making sports story.

With almost exactly a year to go before the 2014 Winter Olympics flame is lit in Sochi, Russia, Lindsey Vonn's knee injury could put her medal hopes in jeopardy. Her horrific crash at the Alpine World Championships in Austria has her heading for knee surgery rather than the podium. 

In a statement, the US Ski Team said that it expected Vonn to return for the Olympics. We have seen faster and faster returns from knee injuries in other sports, but let's take a deeper look as to whether this is possible for a skier. 

A report, via Yahoo's Charles Robinson, notes Vonn's injury is to the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and MCL (medial collateral ligament.) If this is the case, this would actually be a bit easier to come back from than some other possibilities, due to the rehab. The ACL-MCL combo tends to be slightly shorter, though in skiing, the MCL does normally need to be repaired due to the lateral-stability demands. 

If this is correct—and if there are no other serious injuries—then Vonn's chance at a fourth Olympics will come down to her rehab.The major complicating factor will be a fractured tibial plateau. CNN reports that Vonn did have a fracture in this area, a typical injury that goes with this type of mechanism. This will heal, but if it needs to be fixated, it delays the rehab process, sometimes significantly.

The best-case scenario for this type of repair is six-to-eight months. Many noted the comeback of Adrian Peterson, who was back on the field in eight months but appeared ready to play at the four-to-six-month mark. Peterson had a high-grade ACL sprain, as well as an MCL sprain that was not repaired.

Doctors often quote the six-to-nine months as the rehab time for a simple ACL sprain, but that is often aimed at recreational skiers. The reduced demands on their knees often equal out the physical condition and 24/7 rehab that is done for world-class athletes.

Initial reports from the Austrian Ski Foundation President (via FOX Sports) indicate that Vonn has only ligament tears. Reports use the European terms of "cruciate" and "lateral" ligaments. The lateral ligament is what is often referred to as the LCL, or lateral collateral ligament. The "cruciate" is normally the anterior cruciate (ACL), rather than the posterior cruciate (PCL), which is normally referred to there as the "posterior" ligament. 

I spoke with Dr. SangDo Park, one of the top knee specialists, from Good Samaritan's Comprehensive Orthopaedic Center in Los Angeles. His rehab expectation was not dissimilar.

"Recovery from ACL and MCL surgery can take about seven-to-nine months, though it can often take up to a year," he said.

Much will depend on techniques used and the strength of the surrounding structures. Vonn is a world-class athlete, so we should assume that she's in pretty good shape.

USA Today called downhill skiing one of the 10 hardest things to do in sports, pointing to the 3.5 g-forces that would be applied to the skier. Not all of this force is directly on the knee, but more is applied now than previously. Rule changes in 2011 to the ski itself took some of the edge off the ski, which redirected that force to the body. 

The US Ski Team is normally treated at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colo. One of the top orthopaedic facilities in the world, athletes from all sports have come to Steadman-Hawkins for treatment, but they built their reputation on skiing. Dr. Richard Steadman's development of microfracture surgery came from his involvement with skiing and the need to rebuild knees that had lost their cushion.

However, the doctor that formerly treated Vonn, Dr. Bill Sterett, left the clinic in June, so this could complicate things. Sterett stayed in Vail, but at a different hospital. He remains the head physician for the US Women's Ski Team. 

Vonn is no stranger to injury or to Dr. Sterett. She has had low-grade ACL sprains at least twice in the past and tends to heal well from other injuries. In the 2006 Olympics, Vonn came straight from her hospital bed to the mountain, though she did not medal. She has had numerous other injuries, but none requiring an extended rehab.

Another positive comp for Vonn is one from her own sport, Bode Miller. Miller had a high-grade ACL sprain that was repaired in early 2001 and he returned for the 2002 Olympics, a time frame very similar to what Vonn is facing. Miller was helped by one of the first applications of Steadman's new microfracture techniques, which both surgeon and patient say helped with his recovery time. Surgical and rehab techniques have evolved since then, so that's more positive for Vonn. 

Getting back in time for the Olympics is going to be a tough journey for Lindsey Vonn, but medical science has made it possible. The next six months will be hard ones for Vonn, but if we see her on skis by November, there's definitely a good chance we'll also see her in Sochi. 

American skier Lindsey Vonn suffered a serious crash at the Alpine Skiing World Championships in Austria and had to be airlifted off the slope on Tuesday, according to a report from Reuters (via NBC Sports). 

UPDATE: Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 11:59 a.m. ET by Brandon Galvin

Lindsey Vonn has reportedly suffered a major knee injury, according to Yahoo! Sports' Charles Robinson.

---End of update---

The report from the Associated Press (via ESPN) says that Vonn lost control of her right leg after landing a jump and then she slid off course. 

The four-time overall World Cup champion lost balance on her right leg while landing after a jump. Her ski came off immediately, and Vonn slid off course and hit a gate before coming to a halt.

According to CNN Breaking News (via Twitter), the hospital where Vonn was taken after the accident says that she suffered a knee injury. 

Alex Goldberger of NBC's Olympics coverage reported (via Twitter) that the doctor examining Vonn believes it to be a knee injury but no further information is available right now. 

Video of the crash surfaced shortly after it occurred (courtesy of hennesey10068) and you can see that Vonn appears to be running smoothly and then after the jump her ski looks like it breaks as she falls to the ground. 

Vonn wrote a story for the Denver Post about the event that ran on Tuesday morning, saying that the weather was causing problems with preparation and could force the race to be postponed. 

I've been trying to be patient and stay calm, but it's pretty tough with the way the weather has been. It snowed a lot Sunday night, there was no training possible Monday on the race hill, then it rained most of Monday afternoon and evening. 

The AP report says that the race was delayed by fog for 3.5 hours and that there were several racers who had issues with the conditions. 

Vonn has become one of the most popular athletes in the world and is one of the most decorated skiers of all time. She became the first American female to win an Olympic gold medal in the women's downhill event at the 2010 Winter Olympics. 

In addition to her gold medal, Vonn won a bronze in the Super G at the 2010 Olympics and has won 59 career World Cup races. She is the most decorated American skier in history. 

American skier Ted Ligety was the most outspoken critic of new plans to radically alter equipment amid safety concerns entering the 2012-13 season.

But at the first World Cup race of the season in Soelden, Austria, the three-time giant slalom champion, new skis and all, shattered a 34-year-old record with an unprecedented 2.75-second victory.

The win was Ligety's 12th career triumph, and it was made even more impressive by the fact that he not only mastered the new skis he has vocally opposed this quickly, but that he triumphed through a raging blizzard in setting one of the largest margins of victory in the sport's history.

"I'm psyched. I didn't want to leave anything out there, I was hammering," Ligety said in a press release issued by the US Ski and Snowboard Association.

"I knew I was skiing well. I've been skiing fast in training. I've been working really hard on these new skis to get to the point I knew I was going to be among the best ... I can't expect anything like this. This is a once in a career kind of margin and it was really a surprise to me."

To put this achievement into context, it's important to know the history surrounding the change as well as Ligety's criticism of it.

The FIS—the Federation Internationale De Ski—is the international governing body of competitive skiing and snowboarding.

Last March, the federation reported that a research study examining the impact of ski equipment, among two other factors, on long-term injuries was making progress.

As part of the study, the FIS interviewed dozens of professional racers to learn about the nature and causes of injuries. Taking this subjective knowledge, which shouldn't be confused with scientific data, the federation then teamed up with manufacturers to develop new prototype skis which would, in theory, reduce the stress on a skier's knees during fast turns and decrease injury risks.

They did this by increasing the ski's minimum turning radius (from 27 meters to 40 meters) and extending the length of the ski (from 1.85 meters to 1.95 meters). The logic behind this, I have to assume, was that it would ensure racers would not be able to make the same turns they were accustomed to without sacrificing speed.

On his website, Ligety, who will remain in Europe to train for the World Cup slalom in Finland in mid-November, previously said, "FIS’s tyranny has gone on long enough. It seems FIS is going out of their way to ruin the sport. FIS runs a dictatorship. They demand absolute control then try to butter their will in a fake cloak of benevolence."

He also claimed that the "FIS has shown that they don’t value athletes, as seen in this instance in their complete disregard for our input."

In July, the federation said the new regulations would come into effect in time for the 2012-13 season. The following month, it issued a press release saying new skis were "scientifically proven to enhance athlete safety and reduce risk of injury."

But David Dodge, who has a degree in mechanical engineering and who has worked in the field of ski safety for 30 years, rejected the FIS's claims.

In a letter sent to FIS president Gian Franco Kasper, 14 members of the federation's Alpine Executive Board, 20 members of its legal and safety committee and academics from the University of Salzberg (who were helping carry out other research project), Dodge said the findings and consequent equipment changes "do not constitute scientific proof."

Dodge went as far as saying the new skis could unintentionally "cause more injuries than will be prevented." The letter, republished in full on the Ski Racing website contains way more detail than the average fan would ever need to know, but Dodge's conclusion is that the FIS was "recklessly endangering" skiers.

The FIS later reduced the new specifications to a 35-meter minimum turning radius, still much greater than what many of the world's top skiiers, like Ligety and Lindsey Vonn, use.

According to Ligety, skis of this specification have not been used since the 1980s.

But on the Rettenbach Glacier at the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup season-opener this weekend, Ligety repeated as champion and earned his sixth straight podium in Soelden.

He was four-tenths of a second behind France's Thomas Fantara after the first run, but he overcame a near whiteout in his second run to post the seventh greatest margin of victory of all time in giant slalom, and the first of that magnitude since Swede Ingemark Stenmark achieved the feat in the late 1970s.

Head coach Sasha Rearick praised Ligety's performance, saying it was a reflection on his desire to succeed.

"What Ted did today is a true testament to the hard work that he's put in over the summer - really since last winter - working on the new skis, testing the new skis, modifying prototype after prototype, just putting in an extreme effort," he said in a US Ski and Snowboard press release.

We often talk about how you work hard, you train hard so that you can trust yourself. Today he did that. He couldn't see the track but he trusted that the track was good and he was going to be able to ride a clean ski from top to bottom. You only gain that trust and confidence in yourself when you put in day after day of hard work. Ted's arguments he had on the skis were his own opinions but a lot of people agreed. He's a vocal person and that showed in his arguments against the skis. But once he figured out this is what it is, he put all that energy, all that focus into making sure he was going to be the fastest and that he wasn't going to lose.

When Ligety talks, I listen. One reason is because he speaks candidly and without fear of punishment. The fact that he consequently talks in soundbytes alone makes him media-friendly.

But a bigger reason is because he knows what he's talking about. He's been on the U.S. national team for a decade and he is an Olympic gold medalist. He's been skiing since he could walk, and he has only ever known a world with curved skis and arcing turns.

Ligety has the most to lose from the new changes because any shift from the status quo would impact his ability to remain the best in the world. But he has said that he would favor any change that would make the sport safer...if it actually made the sport safer, of which he is still not convinced. 

Maybe it's cliche and overly simplistic to simply believe people don't like change. However, I would suggest the general premise holds more than a grain of truth when it could mean someone goes from being the best at something to, well, just another competitor.

The sport will never be 100 percent safe. Whenever you have a competition where the one and only determining factor is how fast you can slide from the top of a steep snow-covered mountain to the bottom, accidents will happen. It's part of the sport, and racers assume and accept this risk.

But in a sport where a minimal mistake can have a devastating effect, there's no need to add to this risk with such a radical change. Racers will now take straighter lines and put even more stress on their bodies than ever before. In my mind, the FIS is one big accident away from a PR disaster, an athlete revolt and a crippling lawsuit.

This weekend's performance proves Ligety can compete just as well, if not better, than ever before. But don't be surprised to see him in the headlines all year, if not for his success than for slamming the FIS with a big dose of "I told you so" when things blow up on the face of a mountain.

Ligety's criticism will not be the only avalanche the sport's governing body will have to deal with if a serious problem occurs.

Lindsey Vonn is widely regarded as one of the best women’s skiers on the planet. Now she wants to test herself against the top racers in the world, not just of her own sex.

According to Reuters’ Steve Keating (via Yahoo! Sports), the 28-year-old wants to compete against the men in the World Cup opener, in the downhill event at Lake Louise on November 24 of this year.

She has the support of Alpine Canada president Max Gartner, who told Keating:

"It would be great for the sport," Gartner said. "That is what the sport needs, stories that are bigger than the sport itself."

It would certainly propel skiing into popular discourse, bringing recognition to a sport that is considered niche at this point in time. 

There are a few technicalities to overcome, as Vonn still has a desire to compete against women the following week. For one, the International Ski Federation currently doesn’t allow for racers to compete on a course a week prior to a sanctioned competition.

However, there will be meetings held by the FIS on Nov. 3 and 4, and this will certainly be a topic of debate amongst the members. They are expected to come to a consensus on whether Vonn will be allowed to participate in both events at the conclusion of the conference.

It would be wise for the FIS to allow this unprecedented move to happen in the Canadian Rockies, as the speedster has even conceded two training runs in the women’s event to appease the federation’s current policies.

Vonn is a master of the Olympic course at Lake Louise and has won 11 times since 2004—a year that she claimed her first of 53 (and counting) World Cup wins. The skier has also made it to the podium 17 times and knows the resort just as well as anyone.

Retired downhill champion John Kucera thinks this is definitely the right course for her to challenge the opposite sex in.

"Her picking Lake Louise wasn't a fluke," Kucera told Reuters. "She's well aware that it is the course she has the best chance on.

"It's longer and it's prepared a little more challenging than the women's course but all-in-all it has a lot of similarities.”

If Vonn is allowed to compete, expect her to be a serious contender in the event. She’s not taking this lightly, and neither should the men participating in the race.

We’ll keep you updated right here on B/R with breaking news, updates, opinions and analysis on Vonn’s mission to race against the men in 2012. 

The 2012 Summer Olympics are taking place right now in London, but it’s not too early to look forward to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Lindsey Vonn is likely going to be the biggest American star competing in any of the women’s events at the Sochi Games—and for good reason.

She’s perhaps the best alpine skier on Team USA and has consistently improved since the 2010 Vancouver Games.

Let’s take a look at which events she should excel in at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Downhill

Vonn won the gold in this event during the Vancouver Olympics and the 2009 World Championships at Val d’Isere.

She may be the most dominant downhill racer in the sport and should have no problem outlasting the competition at Sochi.

Julia Mancuso, another member of Team USA, may be her biggest competition in this event, but it’s unlikely that anyone can best Vonn.

Super-G

The super giant slalom event is one that Vonn has had mixed results in.

She earned a bronze in Vancouver because she did not ski as aggressively as she should have during the end of the race, but many feel the course was set up to expose her shortcomings.

Regardless, Vonn should get her vengeance in Sochi during the Super-G.

Giant Slalom

Vonn has never been a great giant slalom racer, but she opened 2011-12 with her first win in the event during a competition in Solden, Austria.

She’s going to be a major longshot at Sochi to capture the gold medal, but Vonn can pull off the upset. 

Lindsey Vonn is a gorgeous skiiing superstar who is unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, going through a divorce.

There's talk that she has a new man in her life right now, though, and luckily for you, we're here to tell you just who he is. 

According to the Austrian newspaper Österreich, via austriatimes.at, Vonn is being linked to American pole vaulter Brad Walker. 

Vonn, who is 27 years old, is coming off her fourth World Cup win in Austria, and the paper caught the two together, claiming they spent the night together at the Planai ski resort. 

Walker, who is 30 years old, is vying for a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London this summer. The paper said that Vonn planned to be rooting for Walker in London during the summer games, which is a a strong indication they are in fact an item. 

Of course, it's tough to believe rumors these days, so think what you want for now, but it's best to wait until Vonn speaks up about it. 

After all, there were tons of rumors about her and Tim Tebow dating, but nothing ever came of it. Vonn told Access Hollywood she was surprised at how fast everything spread. 

If she is indeed dating Walker, the pair would be quite the athletic power couple. Vonn is a dominant athlete herself, as many know, but few people have heard of Walker. 

Born on June 21, 1981, Walker was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota, but attended high school in Spokane, Washington. 

In college, Walker pole vaulted for the Washington Huskies, where he set school records and was an NCAA indoor pole vault champion and three-time NCAA All-American.  

He's won gold medals at the 2006 and 2007 World Championships, but failed to clear a height in the preliminary rounds of the 2008 Olympics.

2008 looked to be a good year for Walker until he flopped at the Olympics. Before the summer games in Beijing, Walker "cleared an American record of 6.04m for the world’s highest clearance since 2001," according to iaaf.org. You can see his jump in the video below. 

His most recent efforts in the 2012 World Championships of Athletics earned him a bronze medal. 

Perhaps his new relationship with Vonn will give him extra strength and motivation to win big in London. After all, I highly doubt he wants his woman to be outperforming him in sports, but then again, maybe he likes that kind of stuff. 

Canadian competitive skier Nick Zoricic died from head injuries after crashing in a World Cup skicross event on Saturday, according to ABC and the International Ski Federation. He was 29 years old.

The accident happened on the final jump of the skicross event in Grindelwald, Switzerland, when Zoricic jumped off course and head first into the orange safety netting. The reports state that the skier died as a result of "severe neurotrauma."

The International Ski Federation released the following statement about the death of the young man and star athlete:

Nick Zoricic fell heavily just before the finish in the round of eight, crashing directly into the safety netting and thereafter lying motionless. The medical care from team doctors and Air Glacier followed immediately. The organizing committee, FIS and Swiss Ski express their deepest condolences to the family and friends of Nick Zoricic and the Canadian Ski Team.

The organizers of the event have canceled all remaining contests and will worry about rescheduling when their tight-knit community has had time to grieve.

While Zoricic was a very young man, he had raced on the World Cup circuit for more than three years and was competing in his 36th event. He finished eighth in the World Championships at Deer Valley, Utah in 2011.

This already tragic news has been compounded by the death of fellow Canadian skier Sarah Burke earlier this year. Both were 29 years old at the time of their passing.

The sport of skiing is usually associated with pleasure and leisure, but the sadness that surrounds the death of Zoricic brings that fact that the sport is still very dangerous back into the limelight.

The people most affected by this tragedy will lean on each other to get them through, and the entire sports world shares their sympathy with both the people close with Zoricic.

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