SportsPants

Imagine working out and practicing for an entire off-season only to get hurt before the regular season starts. That would really suck.

Now multiply that by four years.

I can't imagine what has to be going through Lindsey Vonn's head as she attempts to move forward with her Olympic ski bid despite a bruised shin that is making things difficult. I know if it were my head, it'd be saying "are we advanced enough to create bionic legs?"

You might snicker when you see that Vonn's four-year quest for the Vancouver gold has possibly been thwarted by a bruised shin. After all, you probably played through bruised ribs or that sprained knee to help the team make the playoffs.

To you I answer: you've never skied downhill at a professional level. Those people go really fast. They scare me. In a good way.

The question isn't whether Vonn can physically make it down a hill on skis. I'm guessing she could. The problem is that she's being timed. She has to go downhill faster than everyone else on a bum leg.

That's the downside of individual sports: When there's a hitch in your giddyup, everyone notices.

Lindsey Vonn picked a terrible time to get injured. Or maybe it's the perfect time. After all, this is how Olympic legends are born.

Read more of Brad Seal at the original "SportsPants" blog.