Lucky Lindsey Jacobellis
Starting with the 2006 Winter Olympics, aka the XX Olympic Winter Games, cut to the 2010 Olympiad, flashback to the Low Tatras, Italian and Austrian Alps, then we sing:
She's an athlete, a trooper, and what a snowboarder.
In 2006, coming into the home stretch of the snowboardcross (which is like a roller derby down the mountain), Lindsey was way out front with her gold medal almost around her neck.
On the last jump before the podium she got more-than-called-for air and she did this method grab (above) just because it felt right.
She wiped out and went from Gold to goat.
Watch the grab but note how fast she got up and back into the race:
She was so far out front that she could wipe out and still came in second, yet the benchwarmers and the Monday morning press had a field day, such as, “Jacobellis settled for a silver medal and was labeled a showboat after her mishap.”
For four years she has been asked about “the grab” and her answer is always the same,
“I was snowboarding and I did a snowboard move and I fell. I fell, it's just a part of boarding."
Can't ya just see her shrugging it off?
I fell, it's all a part of the game.
Now, in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games snowboardcross, Lucky Lindsey Jacobellis took a jump higher than her opponents, didn’t plant it well and skidded out of bounds. It was over for her. This time getting up didn't matter, her race was done - out of bounds meant game over.
Afterwards Lindsey said,
“I just landed a little front-footed. I feel OK, though.
Sometimes, you can't control the things you want to.
That's how it goes in boardcross."
When I learned to snowboard (Burton Snowboards!),
one line from The Pretenders kept playing in my head:
“We fall but we keep getting up.
Over and over and over and over and over and over…”
Full lyrics from “Message of Love” by The Pretenders: