Talent, not weight, tips scales in Vonn’s favor

[rocktivity]

Commenting on a woman’s weight can bring nothing but trouble. But when that woman happens to be...possibly the greatest female ski racer ever produced in this country...it’s downright ridiculous...

(A)t 5 feet 10 inches and 160 pounds, Vonn is far from small in the ski racing world...Austrian women’s Alpine coach Herbert Mandl...(sees) Vonn’s weight...(as) help(ing) her in the downhill events, and...(he) emphasized the “giant duel"...between Vonn and her German rival, 5-10, 168-pound Maria Riesch...

“The Austrian coaches actually apologized to me," said Vonn, whose weekend propelled her past Phil Mahre as the second-winningest US skier with 28 World Cup victories. Only Bode Miller has more...“If weight were the key to success in ski racing, then everyone would be stuffing their face..."
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Meow, Mr. Mandl--you sound like a envious upper middle-class suburban junior high schooler.

Your insinuations pissed me off so much, I checked out a couple of http://www.healthchecksystems.com/heightweightchart.htm">female height-weight charts. At 5-10, the "normal" range is from 133 to 169 pounds depending on frame. That means neither Vonn nor Reisch are overweight (though at 5-6 and 165, I might be. :blush:) On the other hand, it's said that the average woman is 5-4 and weighs 140--so would you suggest there were TWO women's ski divisions?


rocktivity