Picabo Street has been listed as the eighth talent in the world for downhill skiing. Overcoming incredible odds, she trained with the U.S. ski team at an incredibly young age and later became the first American woman in history to achieve the silver medal in the skiing downhill competition.
It has to be admitted that Picabo had an advantage. She was born near a well known ski resort near Sun Valley, Idaho. Just having these resources available, was not only an edge, but an enticement. She really didn’t have a true name for the first few years of her life. Her family called her ‘Baby Girl’ until she was named Picabo. It is actually pronounced ‘peek-a-boo’, and is the Native American name of town close by. Simply translated, it means silver creek or shining waters.
Growing up in Idaho, Picabo was a true tomboy. She competed with all of the boys whenever she could, always proving herself as an excellent athlete. She demonstrated a talent that came naturally in downhill skiing. Street became a member of the U.S. Junior Ski Team and took full advantage of the opportunity to train with them. It didn’t take long, because by 1988 Picabo proved her talent when she won the Super G event (also known as super giant or national junior downhill).
In 1990, Picabo received a major blow. She was suspended by the U.S. ski team due to her poor attitude, discipline and low physical condition. Street may have been disappointed, but it didn’t stop her. She relocated to Hawaii where she began an intense training program with her father. The following year she returned, demonstrating her new commitment to her sport. In 1994, Picabo blazed her new trail by her third place position in the U.S. Championships and again winning the Super G in 1992.
To say that 1992 was a good year for Street is a complete understatement. She was given the title of eighth talent in the world for the downhill skiing arena. Picabo continued in 1994 in the Olympics when she added a silver medal to our teams in downhill skiing. If you don’t think she could top that, you are wrong. 1994 brought Street the new win in the Women’s Downhill Competition where she became the first American woman to receive this award. She achieved yet another win in the 1996 World Cup, but, that year brought problems into Street’s life. During training, Picabo suffered a severe knee injury which threatened to bring future goals to a crashing halt.
It took two years of surgeries and a lot of physical therapy, but Street returned to downhill skiing in the 1998 Winter Olympics and the gold medal was proof of her strength of will and commitment.
While previous years were good to Picabo, 1998 proved to be a bad one. After the 1998 Olympics, there was an accident when she ran into a fence, resulting in multiple leg breaks. While again out for several years for surgeries and recuperation, Street surprised everyone when she achieved qualification for the Olympic Games in 2002. The injuries over her life proved to be too much and Picabo officially retired after those games.
Retirement gave Street the opportunity to write her autobiography “Picabo: Nothing to Hide”. Sharing her life accomplishments with her fans, she also continues to do speaking engagements for companies and various organizations in the sports world.