‘Can’t miss him more:’ Shiffrin reflects on her late father

Mikaela Shiffrin’s tentative plans on Father’s Day: Dinner with household. Maybe a board recreation or a film. Positively some Jimmy Buffet or Paul Simon music.

As a result of that’s the kind of celebration Jeff Shiffrin would’ve needed.

Hardly ever a day goes by when some picture, second or tune doesn’t remind the American snowboarding nice of her dad, who died on Feb. 2, 2020, after an accident at his dwelling in Edwards, Colorado.

The 2-time Olympic champion can nonetheless hear his calming phrases of recommendation (a easy “focus” was a biggie). Or see him drumming on the steering wheel to no matter tune was on the radio. Or envision these household dinners adopted by a energetic board recreation.

“It’s not like today, Father’s Day, is de facto anymore emotional,” Shiffrin mentioned. “As a result of I can’t miss him greater than I already do every day.”

His legacy lives on by way of a fund set up in his honor. The Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund raised greater than $3 million to assist offset coaching and competitors bills by way of the pandemic. This season, the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Crew and the Shiffrin household are hoping to raise $250,000 for a direct-to-athlete fund.

“He liked watching athletes overcome challenges and nonetheless be capable of climb to the highest of the rostrum or have success,” mentioned Trisha Worthington, the chief improvement officer for the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Crew basis.

The proud father was often someplace on the hill taking photos of his daughter. If not there, he was within the stands, holding again tears when she gained, which was fairly a bit.

Shiffrin has an image of them at dinner collectively in Hawaii as her telephone’s screensaver. She additionally carries round a festive vacation gnome, who has an enormous beard. It was a gift she bought for him (together with an identical one with braids for her mother, Eileen) on their final Christmas earlier than his loss of life.

The 2020-21 World Cup season was emotionally exhausting for the 26-year-old Shiffrin. There have been good days (three World Cup wins) and loads of unhappy days that had nothing to do with racing. Like after that January occasion in Zagreb, Croatia, when she completed fourth within the slalom.

“Individuals thought it was as a result of I bought fourth and so they had been like, ‘I’m so sorry. You’ll do higher subsequent time,’” Shiffrin recounted. “I didn’t care about that. However I didn’t wish to be like, ‘No, it’s due to my dad. It’s not as a result of I bought fourth.’ It simply was a type of days that I didn’t wish to be there in any respect. I needed to be on the lodge in my bed room with the door shut and the lights off and never not on the market in that setting.”

Focus.

That’s the phrase she hears on days she’s feeling blue or having tough coaching classes.

Focus.

It was all the time his manner of getting her again to herself. Again within the zone of being the ski racer who has gained 69 World Cup occasions, three general titles and 6 world championships.

“I form of yell at myself and he used to say, ‘You recognize, I ponder if whenever you yell that’s truly including extra of a distraction than simply staying targeted,’” Shiffrin mentioned. “Generally I’ll give it some thought on the course and I’ll make a mistake after which I’ll yell at myself after which I’ll take into consideration how I shouldn’t have yelled at myself after which I’m like, ’Dad, you’re distracting me.’ It’s this snowball impact.

“However these are the sorts of issues I take into consideration.”

Music was a part of their bond. Her dad liked the Seaside Boys, Fleetwood Mac, Buffett and Simon. However he additionally appreciated the newer artists like Taylor Swift. He would drum alongside to the beat on the steering wheel earlier than turning and asking the identify of the tune.

“Generally, I obtain music as a result of I believe that he would really like it much more than I would prefer it,” Shiffrin mentioned.

Shiffrin just lately completed a large slalom and slalom coaching session o n snow at Copper Mountain in Colorado. In spite of everything, it’s an enormous upcoming season with the Winter Olympics in Beijing across the nook. She’s considering large, too — probably competing in 4 or 5 occasions. The one up for dialogue could be the downhill.

“I simply wish to see how issues are going as we get nearer, as a result of the very last thing I wish to do is compete only for the sake of competing after I know that I’ve teammates who’re dying for that spot,” mentioned Shiffrin, who captured slalom gold on the 2014 Sochi Olympics and the large slalom title in the course of the 2018 Pyeongchang Video games together with silver within the Alpine mixed. “I’m not going to take that except I actually, actually have a constructive feeling about what I can do.”

This will probably be an Olympics, although, with out dad. Her mother and father groomed her and her brother, Taylor, to be skiers — to have enjoyable on the slopes. The gold medals for Mikaela Shiffrin simply adopted.

The fund arrange in his honor might pave the best way for extra golds, by different athletes.

Via the cash raised on behalf of Jeff Shiffrin — and assist from the Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund — the group was in a position to make a COVID-19 hardship cost of $1,300 every to its ’20-21 nationwide staff members.

Take moguls skier Tess Johnson for example: She put the cash towards her summer season lodging bills in Park Metropolis, Utah, whereas she trains.

“My dad liked all sports activities,” Shiffrin mentioned. “He simply liked to see the work that athletes put into it, and the success they’ve from that work. He discovered it inspiring.”