When Tamara McKinney learned she was voted the greatest U.S. female skier through an Internet poll, her reaction went something like this:
Why me?
In Utah to take in the 2002 Winter Olympics, she's been in awe of today's skiers and death-teasing courses.
Greatest skier? Should have been Picabo Street, she says.
"I think with my skiing, I always know in my heart what I did," said McKinney, a 1982 World Cup champion and regular on the world circuit through the '80s, "and it always surprises me that people remember."
Enough people remembered, anyway, to tab her history's best in an unscientific Web poll sponsored by Sprint that may have been more about popularity than performance.
McKinney received 46 percent of the vote to beat three other candidates — Cindy Nelson (20 percent), Donna Weinbrecht (18 percent) and Andrea Mead Lawrence (17 percent).
With 44 percent, Phil Mahre was named the best U.S. male skier, besting Billy Kidd (39 percent), Steve Mahre (10 percent) and Trace Worthington (7 percent).
Candidates for both polls were chosen by the U.S. Ski Team. And, no, Picabo couldn't have made the poll anyway: Current Olympians were ineligible.
Mahre won the slalom at the 1984 Sarajevo Games, beating younger twin brother Steve, who took silver.
"I never really got into the sport to be recognized as the greatest ever," said Mahre, the only American man to win a World Cup title. "But it's a great honor."
McKinney, a nine-time U.S. champion, won World Cup races from 1982 to 1989.
Like McKinney, Mahre came to Salt Lake for the Olympics, and both skiers gave the Games high marks.
"Utah put on a great show for the world," McKinney said. "Just having spent a lot of time here (in Park City) . . . it was really touching for me to be able to watch the Olympic giant slalom there in Park City and see what a great show they put on for the world."
To honor McKinney and Mahre, Sprint will donate $5,000 to the United States Ski and Snowboard Association Foundation.
E-mail: slewis@desnews.com