By Katie Kieffer

Image credit: Red Bull

Wouldn’t it be fun to shred the U.S. recession into oblivion the way a skier shreds the Jackson Hole gnar gnar? It would be as exhilarating as finding a cure to cancer – on an economic level.  Well, the U.S. does have a nearly fail-proof template to follow for ending the recession and creating jobs: Lindsey Vonn.

Vonn is often hyped for her amicable personality and good looks. Lost in this hype is the bigger story: the tale of sheer American grit, rugged persistence, sacrifice and goal-focus. Vonn’s story shows that America can shrug off her recession if she acts like a champion.

Many athletes at one point appeared to be all-around champions, and then disappointed, such as Tiger Woods, Mark McGwire and Marion Jones. But, Vonn is the template we’re looking for. Below is her recipe for bouncing out of recession. Let’s rip.

Champions race when it hurts.

There is a disease in America called apathy. Symptoms include a lack concern for anything deeply meaningful. Apathy is different from liberalism. It is disengagement from the entire civic arena. When you hear someone say something like,”I don’t get into politics. It stresses me out. Besides, Jersey Shore makes me happy,” they’re probably apathetic. We cannot bounce out of recession if we sit and widen our bums while China’s economy grows. We need to get up and take action. A fall, even as big as our economy has taken, is no excuse to disengage.

When Vonn crashed in the 2006 Torino Olympics and was helicoptered away, she was visited by her life-long idol, three-time Olympian, Picabo Street, in the hospital.  Street bluntly told Vonn, “A real champion would get up and race.” Vonn proved her metal by racing two days later in excruciating pain and still finishing eighth overall.

When Vonn fell again in the Feb. 2, 2010 pre-Vancouver Olympics practice run in Austria and badly bruised her shin, she didn’t have a bailout. As loved as she is, there was no sponsor, no coach, no friend who could do it for her. Last week in Vancouver, she was not even able to take an injection to fully dull her pain, but has had to suffer through with ordinary painkillers to avoid violating Olympic antidoping guidelines. Still, she plans to grit her teeth, and race.

Likewise, the U.S. can stand up and race her way back to the top if she is able to handle some pain and stops trying to mask it with government stimulus packages, proven to fail.

Champions are coachable

“Don’t hunch over,” Street recalls telling the young Vonn. “Stand up straight. Stand tall. Be proud.” Vonn has made a concerted effort throughout her career to reach out to other champion skiers, like Street, and model her game after their success. Once-respected champions like Tiger Woods fell from favor with fans and sponsors partly because they became so self-absorbed that they forgot to listen to reason and wisdom.

Vonn is almost always accompanied by her husband, coach and spokesman, Thomas Vonn. Rather than imitating Woods and filling her mobile phone with the contacts of hot ski-patrols, Vonn works hand-in-hand with Thomas Vonn to achieve success. Vonn also has a deep respect for other members of her “team,” including her ski technician and communicates frequently and openly with them.

Lindsey and Thomas Vonn. Image: Clive Rose/Getty Images North America.

Similarly, the U.S. could recover from economic wipe-out if our elected officials would start listening to their best coaches, constituents. Americans are tired of government spending, bribery and growth. We want the government to start listening to us, and to our small businesses.

Champions work hard

Lindsey Vonn celebrates her World Cup victories with her ski technician, Heinz Haemmerle. Image: Doug Haney/NYDailyNews.com

Lindsey Vonn does a lot of behind-the-scenes hard work for her big wins. Vonn’s professionalism and work ethic are extraordinary. Her “ski man,” Heinz Haemmerle says, “She’s very focused on where she wants to get. She wants to win every race,” he says. “I get so many informations from her about skis.”

Unlike many super-star skiers, Vonn goes the extra mile and provides her ski trainer with detailed notes every day. Vonn has made notes after skiing in different weather conditions and she tried between 20 and 25 different skis in 2009. In skiing, even a fraction of a second can make a difference, and she puts in the work necessary to conquer time. “I never had anybody else do this,” says Haemmerle. “After each run on the chair or whatever, she writes it down. It’s very professional. Every day she makes her notes.” And, Haemmerle is no newcomer to the sport. He is the “best available” ski technician.

Washington could take a lesson from Lindsey’s work ethic. Instead of blowing up the budget, Washington needs to do its homework, treat the American people like a team, as Vonn treats Haemmerle, and be transparent about new legislation instead of bribing Senators to clandestinely pass unfavorable health care “reforms” on Christmas Eve.

The U.S. can take inspiration from Vonn’s willingness to put in the extra effort to come up from behind to become the strongest female skier in the world:

Some argue that Julia Mancuso, another member of the U.S. Ski Team, who won gold in the giant slalom in Turin, was the “naturally gifted junior, a fine all-round skier who occasionally took her talent for granted.“ Today, “Lindsey Vonn” is practically a household name and Mancuso has faded to oblivion. I think this is because Vonn spent the past four years working hard in a challenging Austrian-based training program, mastering men’s skis, and focusing on developing as a skier, while Moncuso proclaimed that, “I think underwear is my calling” and channeled part of her time away from the slopes to develop a lingerie line called Kiss My Tiara.

Image: Getty Images/AFP-Fabrice Coffrini.

Unsurprisingly, rugged grit and persistent hard work proved a better strategy than living like a ski princess since Vonn, not Mancuso, emerged to become the most decorated American female skier in World Cup history, winning back-to-back overall World Cup championships in 2008 and 2009.

Likewise, the U.S. can no longer flaunt herself as the “biggest and the best” – she has to go out there and prove herself again on the world stage. But, in order for this to happen, big government needs to step out of the way and give individuals, banks and small businesses breathing room.

Champions make sacrifices for their goal

Luck is not a strategy to win. Having fun is not a strategy for success. Blood, sweat and tears are.

Think of how much sacrifice goes into being an Olympic skier. You never have an off-season. For four years you are working towards a few minutes on the slopes. Vonn often sacrifices leisure to achieve her goals. According to Parade, ‘Between practicing, competing, eating, and sleeping, it’s tough to work it (watching other Olympic events) in. “I highly doubt that I’ll have time to watch any other events, but if I get a chance, I would really like to watch figure skating. Or maybe speedskating. We have a lot of pressure, a lot of obligations.”‘

Like Vonn, the U.S. can use setbacks to grow stronger. “It is important to note that Vonn always comes through. She has skied with an injured hand taped to one of her ski poles and still won. Her back was a mess after the fall in Turin and still she competed. If she can stand up, she’ll attempt to make it down the hill,” the Pioneer Press reports.

Americans have something special. We have a unique Constitution that provides opportunity, independence and freedom for all. As long as we uphold the Constitution and respect the proven success of capitalism and the free markets, our economy will flourish. But, if the U.S. continues to increase its dependence on unnatural governmental supplements, such as bailouts and stimulus packages, it will perpetuate its floundering economy.

Similarly, Vonn’s sacrifice and focus has made her so strong that Street says of Vonn’s Olympic odds, “As embarrassing as it is for the rest of ‘em, I’m sorry but, yes, she can spank you on 80 percent.“

Even now, with a severely bruised shin, Vonn “spanked” the rest of the competitors on the slopes this week. She tore up the gnar gnar and brought in the fastest time in the women’s training run.

Similarly, America is bruised and her economy is in a sling, but she need to grit her teeth and deal with some of the pain of this recession in order to move forward. As Glenn Beck implies nearly daily on his radio show, it will hurt Americans a lot more if we allow government to grow bigger and rely on Washington to patch up our oozing economic wounds with freshly printed junk dollar bills.

Ultimately, whether Vonn, who is still experiencing “throbbing” pain when she skis, but plans to “grit my teeth and fight through it on Wednesday,” wins five, one or zero gold medals in Vancouver, she has proven herself on the world stage. Vonn is a champion.

Take on the recession like a Vonn, America.

Additional articles cited for this piece:

St. Paul Pioneer Press: “Vonn will try to ski today,” by Frank Fitzpatrick on Feb. 2, 2010. “NOT AGAIN!,” by Tom Powers on Feb. 11, 2010, “Shin injury and all” by Tom Powers and “Street: Vonn can still win” from the Associated Press on Feb. 12, 2010.

By Katie Kieffer

Rachel Alexandra wins Preakness. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

The answer to ending the U.S. recession comes straight from the horse’s mouth: “Rachelize it.”

No, I’m not calling Rachel Green a horse or suggesting Rachel Uchitel could solve our monetary affairs even better than she could pull off an affair with Tiger. I’m talking about sitting down in the stable and listening to the real stories of Rachel Alexandra. This bay filly racehorse – voted Horse of the Year by a wide margin – has some advice on how the U.S. can pull off the biggest win for the economy.

Ride the storm: Rachel Alexandra’s ride to become the first female horse to win the prestigious Preakness since 1924 was not smooth. She had changed her jockey, barn, exercise rider, groom and diet – all only two weeks before the Preakness.

Takeaway: We are in turbulent economic times – unlike anything we’ve seen before. But, we can’t let a few bumps in the road take our eyes off the prize.

Choose a leader who takes smart risks, pushes you and promotes your freedom: Rachel Alexandra’s owner, Jess Jackson, has empowered her to win. Jackson is an entrepreneur who took on substantial – and smart – financial risk to pursue his lifelong passion for horses: In one 2004 sale, he gambled away roughly $22 million to purchase 95 horses and he reportedly spent around $5 million to purchase Rachel Alexandra after she easily won the Kentucky Oaks.

Jackson is an owner who pushes his prize horses – Curlin (’07 and ‘08 Horse of the Year) and Rachel Alexandra – past conventional limits. He confidently raises the bar, and they race to meet it. He ran Curlin as a 4-year-old (Jackson produces horses with Brett Favre’s longevity), and plans to do the same with Rachel Alexandra. Immediately after purchasing Rachel Alexandra, he ignored the advice of her prior owner and raced her – not once, but three times – against males.

Key to Rachel Alexandra’s success has been Jackson’s refusal to limit her freedom and brilliance. He says, “We haven’t yet defined her.” And, in a sport where ego is king, he allowed a rustic jockey with boatloads of passion and an uncanny chemistry with the filly, Calvin Borel, to ride her to victory – even though Curlin’s jockey, Robby Albardo, was the favored rider. Jackson does right by his horses and doesn’t let his ego or a desire to micromanage prevent their success.

Takeaway: Just as Rachel Alexandra’s wins are attributable to the freedom and confidence her owner gave her – our economy will bounce back in leaps and bounds if the government rejects liberal political practices like bailouts, increased regulations and flagrant spending in favor of capitalist principles and lower taxes to empower entrepreneurs and small businesses to hire, innovate and invest again.

Owner Jess Jackson kisses Rachel Alexandra's Preakness trophy as jockey Calvin Borel holds it. Image: John McDonnell-The Washington Post

Punish – but don’t kill the goose that laid the golden egg – on rumors of steroids. Jackson has been a loud advocate for eliminating drug use in U.S. horse-racing while others in the industry have chosen to take a more quiet stance. Jackson’s jealous detractors claim his use of tainted – but proven – trainer, Steve Asmussen, is hypocritical.

The reality is that Asmussen’s racing violations are mostly trite human errors – and the few that do involve juicing allegations have been blown up by the media without a fair inspection.

Sports Illustrated’s Tim Layden reports: “I have 300 [horses], 300 employees, a wife and three children, and I’ve got a lab in a basement somewhere?” the trainer (Asmussen) says, his voice raised. “I’ve dedicated my life to this sport, and I’m going to risk losing the opportunity to train Curlin and Rachel Alexandra? Are you out of your frickin’ mind?”

Asmussen argues that the breadth of his operation not only results in his horses’ being tested more than any other trainer’s but also leaves him vulnerable to sabotage by jealous opponents, and to veterinary errors. “Some people think they can beat me even though I’ve been doing this my whole life,” he says. “They let you bet on this game, so people feel cheated. I say if you can’t beat me, run against somebody else.”

Here is what hurts most deeply: “All this talk about me and medication,” says Asmussen, “and Rachel gets dragged down because of it. It’s wrong beyond belief.”

Jackson understands about Asmussen what President Obama, his pay czar, and congressional liberals fail to understand about Wall Street and wealthy American entrepreneurs: Good, talented people make mistakes but that doesn’t make them Satan’s spawn. Overtly corrupt outliers should not be able to ruin the system for everyone. Bailing out criminals and bad business models – and then demanding repayment – is a foolhardy way to end corruption and an economic downturn. This practice enables corruption and discourages those who are playing by the rules from continuing to do so.

A better route – that Jackson espouses for raising prize racehorses – is to expose and punish gross misdemeanors – without letting jealousy, gossip and trivial errors squash the best talent. Jackson doesn’t believe in excessive criminalization and regulation as a means to blowing his horn as the savior of mankind and the destroyer of corruption, as the Anointed One’s Administration is apt to do.

Takeaway: Sometimes people cheat. So, make an example of them. But – we can’t let an obsessive fear of cheating destroy trust, freeze transactions, cripple innovative risk-taking and drag down our economy.

There you have it: How to end the recession – straight from the horse’s mouth.

By Katie Kieffer

Image credit: nfl.com

Brett Favre is the best thing that happened to the Minnesota Vikings this season. The U.S. could rapidly end the economic recession by cloning Favre’s success on the football field on Capitol Hill.

Currently, the U.S. is playing all defense and no offense. Brett Favre steamrolled the Giants 44-7 yesterday and ended the Vikings season by setting NFL and personal records for touchdowns and interceptions. His offensive play set the Vikings up to get a first-round bye and gives them a positive entrance into the playoffs and a run for the Super Bowl. Let’s watch some of Brett Favre’s tapes and steal some insights for how to improve our existing roster of elected officials in Washington.

Brett Favre’s Secret Sauce:

Brett Favre has impacted the entire Vikings team and NFL franchise in a positive way. When Childress lays off his high horse and lets Favre work his magic, the entire team benefits.

Brett Favre knows the recipe for success:

• Develop what former NFL quarterback, Trent Dilfer, calls a “mastery of the West Coast offense more than any other quarterback ever has … (and) the best in-game feel of any quarterback to ever play – his intuitive feel for the game is second to none.”
• Become one of the NFL’s top three highest-rated passers
• Take your team to the Super Bowl
• Win three MVPs
• Set the record for Pro Bowl selections – 11
• Spend countless hours in film study of opponents

Image credit: ESPN NFL online

Spend 19 years in the NFL developing a sixth sense for the game and achieving the above goals. Combine with sensitivity and charisma to pass these skills on to your teammates in the locker room. The entire team will rave:

Star receiver, Sidney Rice: “He’s pushed my confidence through the roof. … When you have a guy of his stature, who’s done all the things he’s done, trusting you and believing you’re going to make that play, it means a whole lot.”

Defensive end and sack man, Jared Allen: “(Favre brings) Confidence. He brings so much energy and toughness to this team. I think his impact has been awesome.”

Tight end, Visanthe Shiancoe: “You feed off that (Favre’s contagious swagger and confidence). That’s the captain that steers the ship, man.”

Brett Favre believes in balance. He doesn’t want to overthrow or disrespect coaching authority. But, my assessment is that his primary goal is to win games. And, his philosophy to win is for everyone – coaches and players – to play to their strengths and give each other freedom. He wants to have a say in the offensive strategy, and becomes frustrated if a coach dictates plays without input from the seasoned quarterback they worked so hard to recruit.

Success – in sports, or in public policy – requires that leadership trust. Just like young Vikings players attribute their rapid growth to Favre’s trust and encouragement, the American people need leadership to trust that they are capable of making decisions on their own.

America’s Political Roster:

Primary Weakness: Inexperience

Greatest Strength: Media Savvy

Caution:

Childress is great at encouraging the team, and, particularly since the Vikings’ game against Chicago, he has been feeding the media and the team positive messages. But, going into the playoffs, the Vikings need Childress to trust Favre and the younger players he’s helped to mentor. Only the players can lead the team to the Super Bowl, so the coach needs to enable – not disable – the players.

Likewise, President Obama convinced young people to vote for him with his motivating speeches. Once elected, he has trusted the government more than the people to come up with the best solutions. This lack of trust could disable the entire economy because the markets, consumers and businesses will freeze.

Key Players:

1. Barack Obama, President
   • Former Southside Chicago community organizer. He has “the least experience and training of any chief executive in history,” reports Newsmax.com.
2. Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve
   • He’s a scholar who lacks business experience and openly admits he missed the ball on the recession. He’s better fit for the library than the real world.
3. Obama’s Cabinet Appointees
   • Only eight percent of Obama’s Cabinet Appointees have any private sector experience.
4. Czars
   • More alarming than the questionable backgrounds of Obama’s expanding entourage of Czars is their very appointment. Wouldn’t you question the qualifications of regular football referees if the NFL suddenly felt the need to appoint numerous “czars” to oversee the reffing of the game?
   • The Constitution doesn’t call for these extra layers of bureaucracy, so – by creating extraneous levels of control – the current Administration admits its incompetence to govern with the tools of the Constitution

Game-day strategy:

Brett Farve’s positive impact on the Vikings stemmed from one thing: His experience with the game. Let’s learn from this when we vote in 2010 – and especially in 2012. By electing “Brett Favre Mirrors” – politicians with experience, charisma and character – not just media savvy – we can change our roster from rookie elites to experienced team-players who will take our country and our economy to the “Super Bowl.” Let’s take a step away from leaders who espouse Childress-style micromanaging and a step toward Favre-style teamwork, confidence and experience.

Just as the Vikings’ confidence soared with an experienced and trusting leader like Favre, the U.S. economy would benefit with leaders who trust the American people to make their own plays. Consumer confidence will rise; banks and small businesses will develop the mutual trust needed to invest and take risks; the economy will start rocking and rolling again – if our elected officials and the Fed Chairman give back rightful control and freedom to the American people, entrepreneurs and the market.

Image credit: cfnews13.com

Sources: St. Paul Pioneer Press: “Give Favre the keys to the offense” and “Favre leaving lasting impact on the Vikings” by Sean Jensen on Dec. 30, 2009 and Jan. 1, 2010, respectively. “Eight Vikings are Pro Bowl picks” by Rick Alonzo on Dec. 30, 2009. “Rice: Favre helped me get to the Pro Bowl” by Bob Sansevere on Dec. 31, 2009. “Down but not out” by Rick Alonzo on Jan. 3, 2010.