BEIJING — What does it take to successfully navigate the slalom courses at the National Alpine Skiing Center? Is it skill? Is it luck? Is it poise?
We watched the course claim the best of sport this week in Beijing. It left Mikaela Shiffrin without a medal in the slalom and giant slalom. It left Nina O'Brien with a compound fracture of her leg. Dozens of other skiers failed to finish the course.
Being new to covering winter sports, I asked Paula Moltzan of Prior Lake if keeping calm is the best way to navigate a slope that everyone was unfamiliar with entering the event.
"I can tell you that my heartbeat was not slow," she said. "I was about to puke in the start gate. But that just shows how much you care about your sport when you get nervous."
Shiffrin's plight — she was a favorite to medal in both events — dominated headlines yesterday. It was hard to ignore, as the image of a devastated Shiffrin sitting off to the side of the course will not be forgotten anytime soon.
Moltzan's performance, particularly her runs on Wednesday, got overlooked. So this is a Props for Paula piece.
Moltzan, not considered a medal favorite entering the events, finished 12th in the giant slalom and eighth in the slalom. Looking back, she was in position to finish in the top 10 in giant slalom on Monday, when she nearly wiped out during her second run, and could have pushed for the podium on Wednesday in the slalom if not for a couple glitches in her runs.
But, as dozens of skiers failed to outlast the Ice River course and the National Alpine Skiing Center, Moltzan did more than survive. She delivered a message that she can ski well in big events and, at 27, her career remains in ascension.
"I've got a lot left in the tank," said Moltzan, who was once booted from the US program but earned her way back. "I may be 27. But I'm like, I act like I'm 18 most this time!"
Moltzan was born in Prior Lake and went to Lakeville South for two years before moving to Colorado. She's also one of the unofficial graduates of the famed Buck Hill in Burnsville. About 15 family and friends have gathered in Lakeville for viewing parties. Her fiance, Ryan Mooney, had about 35 family and friends gathering in Massachusetts to cheer her on.
"I called my mom and dad and FaceTimed them at 3 in the morning [Monday] and they still picked up," Moltzan said. "They're just so incredibly proud of me and I have the best support system."
