On Jan. 25, the U.S. Olympic Committee announced that Lindsey Vonn was a recipient
of its annual awards for Olympic and Paralympic athletes and teams of the year.
Each of the 2010 honorees, said USOC officials, were part of the American medal
haul at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver and all are
reigning Olympic or Paralympic champions.
Vonn was been named the USOC SportsWoman of the Year alongside figure skater
Evan Lysacek (SportsMan of the Year). Though ski racing fans might have placed
their bets on the silver-medal winning nordic combined relay team of Brett Camerota,
Bill Demong, Todd Lodwick and Johnny Spillane, the Team of the Year award actually
went to the gold-medal winning USA 1 four-man bobsled team. Mono-skier Alana
Nichols was named Paralympic SportsWoman of the Year; sled hockey player Taylor
Chace was named Paralympic SportsMan of the Year; and the 2010 U.S. Paralympic
Sled Hockey Team was awarded the Paralympic Team of the Year honor.
“The 2010 Olympic season was incredible, but what made it so special is that I was
able to share it with so many American fans,” Vonn said in a prepared statement. “It
was amazing to see the support and excitement they showed for ski racing and that’s
definitely carried into this winter. It means so much to the athletes to hear from them.
Win or crash, they keep us excited to compete.”
This was Vonn’s second consecutive SportsWoman of the Year award; she is the first
female athlete to win the USOC honor back-to-back since Jackie Joyner Kersee did
so in 1986 and 1987. Picabo Street was the last female alpine skier to win the award,
in 1998.
Olympic Committee
NAMES LINDSEY VONN ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
GEPA
Alpine, nordic,
freeride, freestyle,
snowboard, &
14 seasonal
athletic options.
Chuckie Carbone
National Jr. Champion
Slopestyle & Halfpipe
Hold On to
ALL the
Possibilities.
Elite-level
competition
& coaching.
Challenging
academics,
arts, & team
sports.
Holderness School
Plymouth, NH 03264
603-536-1747
www.holderness.org
Julia Ford
US Ski Team
