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:
lucky%20Lindsey%20Jacobellis%20pre-fall.jpg
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:


Now the reason we’re here
as man and woman
is to love each other
take care of each other
when love walks in the room
everybody stand up
oh it’s good, good, good
like brigitte bardot
Now look at the people
in the streets, in the bars
we are all of us in the gutter
but some of us are looking at the stars
look round the room
life is unkind
we fall but we keep gettin’ up
over and over and over and over and over and over
Me and you, every night, every day
we’ll be together always this way
your eyes are blue like the heavens above
talk to me darlin’ with a message of love
Now the reason we’re here
every man, every woman
is to help each other
stand by each other
when love walks in the room
everybody stand up
oh it’s good, good good
say i love you, i love you, i love you, i love you, i love you, i love you
Talk to me darlin’ Talk to me darlin’