Olympics Without a Trace Vertigo Forces World Freestyle Aerial Champion Worthington to Retire
Worthington Collects World Cup Frequent Flier Miles
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Friday September 12, 1997
America's most successful freestyle skier, Trace Worthington, announced
his retirement from ski competition on Friday, Sept. 5. Worthington was
diagnosed with vertigo early in 1996, but returned to World Cup skiing
this winter. He has been training this summer and was looking
forward to the Olympics, but "that's not to be," he said.
"As I've seen in the last two seasons, this thing can roll in at any time,
and I didn't want to be on this roller-coaster any longer. I've been up
and down for too long," Worthington said.
Worthington, 27, holds 43 World Cup victories and, three winters ago was
the first skier
ever to earn two gold medals at the World Cup Freestyle Ski
Championships. It was in December of 1995 that something much more
dangerous than the shoulder and knee problems he had overcome to retain
his titles threatened his career.
"It started with a simple fall. I had a normal "slap-back" jump where
you land and tumble down a little bit. It was just a regular crash fall
like an extreme skier might have," Worthington said in a Mountain Zone
"Playing In Style" interview last year. He had suffered a minor
concussion; sinus and ear infections followed, and so did several more
falls. Worthington had lost his equilibrium.
"I could look down at the jumps, and I couldn't even picture my jump, how
I would do it. It was the scariest thing in the world, knowing that you
can't picture something that you've done for so long. I didn't know what
to do," he said in the interview last year. Worthington sat out most of
the '96 season.
At that time, the US Freestyle Coach Wayne Hilterbrand said, "As much
as he didn't want to quit competing, he knew in his head that it was
the thing he needed to do. And as much as I didn't want him to quit
competing, I knew that was what he had to do in order for him to come
back and be a viable candidate for the 1998 Olympics."
Not for lack of trying, unfortunately Worthington's attempt at a second
comeback is not going to happen.
"That's not to be. I've trained hard again this summer but I wasn't
where I wanted to be. The problem is only at the highest level of
tricks, and then it's really only a question of consistency. Vertigo's
a physical thing, but you never know when it's going to come back," the
two time Olympian said in his announcement.
"I've been to two Olympics, and I know I could qualify again this winter
but I don't want to go and be fifth or 10th. I want to win, to be on the
podium. I gave it my shot. I've done all the right things and it hasn't
worked, so I'm stopping on a high note," Worthington, who has been
approached to do endorsements and television commentaries, said.
Worthington hopes to be a part of the Nagano commentary team, has spoken
to TNT Sports and will be meeting with CBS Sports, he said. So
Worthington will be at the Olympics some way or another and has had an
amazing nine year career. In seemingly good spirits, Worthington said,
"I've got seven (World Cup) crystal globes over my bed right now and
that's huge; I look at 'em every night and I'm proud of what I was able
to accomplish. But now it's time to move on."
Sarah Love, Mountain Zone Staff
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