Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Temperature: -16°C Clouds: Clear Skies
Maribor, Slovenia.
Temperature: -15°C Conditions: Mist Clouds: Clear Skies
Portoroz, Slovenia.
Temperature: -5°C Clouds: Cloud and Visibility OK
Her style is impetuous. Her defense is impregnable; she’s just ferocious.1
Photo: Sašo Domijan/sdmedia.
Last month, Slovenian skiing sensation Tina Maze (pronounced MAH-zeh) won a giant slalom race in St. Moritz. What may have been a fluke no longer looked like a fluke this past Saturday, when she won again — this time in Santa Caterina Valfurva, Italy. Now, it’s a streak.
In Slovenia, hopes are high that the streak will continue and that she will terminate her competitors with extreme prejudice at the upcoming Golden Fox 2005 (Zlata lisica) in Maribor, Slovenia. Last year she didn’t do so hot, finishing in 24th place — despite the home-crowd advantage. (Her historical best was in 2002, when she finished right behind the year’s winner, Sonja Nef.)
I was there last year and vividly remember the mood being somber, with the exception of a few pockets of Swedes and Austrians, who were cheering wildly. Of course, they had every reason to cheer wildly. Sweden’s Anja Paerson took home the Golden Fox Trophy and Austria’s Michaela Dorfmeister finished second. (There are some pictures from the 2004 competition here.)
If you have nothing planned for next weekend (January 22-23) and are within reach of Maribor, consider coming by to root for Maze. I’ll certainly be in the audience and, if all goes well, cheering wildly.