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As we bade farewell to the year gone by and welcomed in the new one, wishes and resolutions were made at midnight as per tradition, with some having come true already.
Even the most incredible ones as made by Andrej Jerman, a Slovenian skier came true as he can confirm having won the Bormio downhill.

Just ten days before he was in Val Gardena, lying in bed and watching the Saslong downhill race. After his fall in the Super G the previous day, the pain from his injuries was just too bad for him to compete; however, he didn’t give up. Mustering all his strength he undertook treatment and physiotherapy and recovered well enough beyond all expectations. The rest is skiing history. He arrived at Bormio feeling well, had two perfect trainings and a race that he nailed in the second half. The message of this story is that from hard work, determination and confidence can lead to great things.

That we can make a difference, Obama’s slogan “Yes we can” is definitely not just talk, for if we all just gave up when faced with an obstacle, there would be no progress. Humanity wouldn’t get nearly as far as it did. Some of you might argue that our progress has brought us to the edge of disaster, but that isn’t strictly what I’m talking about. It’s about the cultural and spiritual progress, about art and, to an extent, technological progress. People can make a difference. All of us can make this planet a better place in every way possible. This is my New Year’s wish for you.

With the holidays already over, I hope you spent them with your families, with those, who mean most to you. That you also thought about the elderly and spent time with children as life gets back on its old tracks so soon after the holidays.

Athletes’ lives are not easy. The skiers, that are not Europeans, can’t always get home for the holidays. Ski jumpers, for instance, have a competition on the 1st of January. The holidays gain importance with time, and older and more experienced skiers sometimes take time off for Christmas and New Years races, so that they can visit their families. Bode Miller, for instance, chose San Diego over Bormio this year. He would have ranked high had he taken part in the downhill race, but he has a daughter waiting for him in the US. Luggage full of presents, he returned home twice this holiday. When he came back, he was more at peace, focused on the task before him: do well in the world cup races and then win Olympic gold, a wish, shared by all the alpine skiers. We will have to wait for Vancouver, however, to see who the one that wants it the most is.

I wish you health, peace and success in 2010,

Urban Laurenčič