One of our favorite Olympians to hit PyeongChang during the Winter Games last month, was none other than Lindsey Vonn. The stunning Alpine Skier not only went home with a little more bling, but went on to continue competitions. We caught up with her here in NYC to find out when she fell in love with the sport, what it's like to perform at a high level, her partnership with Bounty and her personal style.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us about how you got into the sport of Alpine Skiing.
LINDSEY VONN: My Grandfather was the pioneer of skiing for our family and he passed that love onto his kids and my Dad passed it onto me.
AM: We have interviewed a number of Olympians and have heard various fitness levels when preparing for the Olympics versus maintaining fitness goals. What was your training like leading up to the Olympics and then while you were there?
LV: Well, I’ve been training for this Olympics for 8 years! I’ve been in and out of rehab for my knee and elbow, but have still maintained a strict training program to keep me in shape. In between racing, I work out every day and during races I get up early and ride my stationary bike for a warm up.
AM: You're fresh off winning your Bronze Medal at PyeongChang - what was your biggest take away from the experience?
LV: The best part of my experience was just accomplishing my goals of getting a medal for my Grandfather. This Olympics has been such a long time coming that I’m just thankful I made it, I was healthy, and I did the very best I could.
AM: We know that you partnered with Bounty as we saw your commercials throughout the Olympic Games, tell us about this and why was it a natural fit to do?
LV: Bounty is a natural fit if you have 3 dogs! It was a great experience filming the commercial with my dog, Lucy. She is now more famous than I am!
AM: The schedules of Olympians are always crazy, but you left the games and continued on with other races - tell us what you've been up to in terms of races that you have participated in as we know you were at The World Cup Finals.
LV: Yeah, I couldn’t take as much time off after the Olympics as I would have wanted. I had a press tour and then had to head to Sweden for the World Cup Finals. Getting 1st and 3rd in finals was a great ending to a perfect year. I’m that much closer to beating Ingmar’s record. I think I may have a chance to beat it next year!
AM: What does the racing season look like for you in terms of how much of the year it takes up?
LV: Well it’s not just the racing that takes up time, but the training—and that’s a full-time job. So I have a weeklong vacation once a year and then it’s back to the gym, training, and head to Europe for the World Cup--I don’t give myself room to slow down.
AM: As we've been fans of yours for a while, we checked out your IG and see that you were on the set of Ballers - does this mean that we'll see you on the upcoming season with The Rock?
LV: I wish! I’ll have to work that out with Dwayne next time I see him :) I was on Law & Order though, so I have some experience with acting.
AM: Tell us about going to the Oscars and share with us details about your dress as it looked beautiful.
LV: The Oscars was amazing! I just took in every moment of it because it was such an honor to be invited. Well, my dress was supposed to be long-sleeved! It was too tight to get my arm through so we had to cut the sleeves at the very last minute. It was crazy, but I loved that dress and I felt great it in.
AM: What are you working on now professionally coming off of so much activity?
LV: I have been busy in New York on a press tour and am headed back home to Colorado for my Foundation Gala event and to spend some time with my family and my dogs.
AM: What are you working on?
LV: Personally, I’m working on just taking it easy and having fun. Now that the Olympics are over I can relax!
AM: We know that this fall, you have a Signature Skiwear Collection with Under Armour coming out which we're excited to see. Tell us about your personal style - what would we see you wearing when you're going out for cocktails and a night out versus running errands about time?
LV: 99.9% of the time I’m in sweats. I live in head to toe Under Armour, so it's nice to dress up and feel pretty. For cocktails, I like to wear maybe leather pants and a fun top. And heels… I love a great pair of heels.
AM: Wherever you're based, where could we find you grabbing drinks and a meal, shopping and then your favorite fitness studio to go to.
LV: You can find me at Starbucks anywhere. I need my coffee! For a meal it depends where I am—probably at the hotel restaurant. For shopping, I love going to boutiques where you can find one-of-a-kind things. I am either in my gym at home, at the Red Bull gym in LA, a hotel gym or outside.
AM: Tell us about the Lindsey Vonn Foundation - why it was created, what it focuses on and who it assists.
LV: My Foundation was created because Picabo Street inspired me as a young girl to be an Olympian within five minutes of meeting her. I know the impact that a little encouragement and inspiration can do, and I want to give that to girls. We have had three free camps helping 300 girls to be friends, leaders, and gain confidence. I stay with them the entire 2-day camp and work with them. We will have our 4th camp in LA this summer with 200 girls. We just relaunched our Scholarship Program this spring focusing on enrichment activities for both girls and boys to help find their passions outside of school. Whether it’s a ski club, violin lessons, or cooking class—we want them to be able to find and do what they love.
PHOTO CREDITS | PG 128 Under Armour Launch of Lindsey Vonn's FW18 Under Armour Signature Skiwear Collection | PG 130 Bounty | PG 132 Bstefanov Lindsey Vonn (USA) at Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Ladies' Super G on February 26, 2012 in Bansko, Bulgaria |
Read more from the March Issue and see On the Slopes with Lindsey Vonn in mag.