SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY---Lindsey Vonn is a record-breaking ski racer, one of the most famous in the world, but a tumble during a race in Austria has left Vonn with torn ligaments in her knee and a questionable future in the sport.
Taylor Harrison is a ski race instructor at Elk Mountain Ski Resort in Susquehanna County. He has been ski racing for 20 years and knows a thing or two about injuries. Just a few weeks ago, he fell and suffered a concussion.
"It was graphic, to see her knee and leg hit the ground at the same time, is extremely disturbing. It's the inherent risk of taking on the race course," said Harrison about Vonn's fall.
Ski racers practiced on the slopes at Elk Mountain Tuesday night. Some are very young, and have been skiing for years.
"I like the gates, the noise they make when you hit them, the speed and being out in the snow all the time," said 12-year-old ski racer Conor Newman of Dalton.
Despite Lindsey Vonn's injury or injuries of their own, racers Newswatch 16 spoke with said they would never stop the sport they love.
"It's extremely addictive, the speed, the desire to go faster and faster every time. Honing in your technique is also a desire," said Harrison.
According to the Consumer Protection Safety Commission, there are about 145,000 skiing-related injuries a year in the United States.