Mikaela Shiffrin Searches For Gold In The Hills She Calls Home
BEAVER CREEK, Colo. (CBS4) - She's a teen phenom with Olympic gold and gold at the last World Alpine Ski Championships, but this time it's different. Normally American ski racers live out of a suitcase nearly year round. This time the race is at home for Mikaela Shiffrin, who grew up in Vail.
"It's like my center of mass is just in Colorado, in my house, honestly, in my bedroom," Mikaela said. "I try and base everything in life off of that and the feeling I get when I'm home."
Mikaela travels year round with her mother, Eileen Shiffrin, who is happy to be home as well.
"We haven't been home in the winter time for a few years," Eileen said. "It's been four years since we've been able to be here in the winter time, and we've been loving it."
"In Europe it's just … skiing is like the Super Bowl. It's so big and people just love it," Mikaela said. "I'm incredibly lucky to have a World Championships in my hometown at all."
That means she gets a few fans visiting from time to time.
"I heard these little pitter patter of footsteps coming up to our front door and then these little girls … and they had dropped off these little posters saying like, 'Good luck Mikaela,' " she said.
"It was so cute, there were four girls and they were so excited, and they were not intrusive. They just said, 'We really want to give these to Mikaela and let her know we're really rooting for her.' " Eileen said.
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"I'm mostly just looking forward toward to getting in the starting gate, and I love the fact that everybody in my hometown seems to be cheering for me," Mikaela said.
In Aspen earlier this season Mikaela was in the lead after the first run, but finished off the podium after the second run. She said her nerves got the best of her -- something she says won't be an issue this week.
"Normally I'm not nervous if I feel prepared; and I feel really prepared. I feel like I've dialed my equipment in, I'm feeling healthy and strong, and my skiing has been really good the past two weeks of training," Mikaela said.
Something helping calm Mikaela is advice from people who have been there before.
"Probably the most encouragement I've gotten is from Missy Franklin and Aly Raisman, which I was so excited about," she said. "It's cool to get that support from other athletes."
On Thursday Mikaela will race in the giant slalom, an event she's only won once. Then on Saturday, her specialty -- the slalom.
"Definitely I think I have the capability to win both the (giant slalom) and the slalom if I ski my best," she said. "The fact that it's here is such a huge opportunity and to be at this point in my career knowing that I have an opportunity to win two medals is a good place to be, I think."
