Home

John Russell

John Russell's sports column appears Sundays in Steamboat Today. Contact him at 871-4209 or e-mail jrussell@SteamboatToday.com.

It’s hard not to root for a guy like Johnny Spillane.

I’ve been covering him since he was a child competing with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, and I’ve still never heard him complain. Not once.

He didn’t complain when the U.S. Nordic combined team he was a member of just missed an Olympic medal in the team event at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. The team finished fourth, but instead of whining, Spillane used it as motivation for the following season, when he won gold at the World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy.

I didn’t hear him complain when a broken shoulder hampered his performance at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy. A coach had to tell his mom, Nancy Spillane, what was going on with Johnny. Despite the injury, he skied to 10th in the Individual Gundersen event — his best finish to date at the Olympics.

This summer, Johnny and Eric Camerota injured their knees while competing at a Fourth of July event in Steamboat Springs. Johnny told me that he felt bad for Eric because his injury was more serious than his.

He didn’t complain after undergoing two operations on his knees and spending two months recovering.

Instead, he said it was nice to get a break, and he thought the time off would make him stronger this winter.

Guess what? He was right.

But there are a lot of other reasons Johnny is a fan favorite.

Maybe it’s because he keeps his skiing medals wrapped up in a SmartWool sock in his dresser drawer but proudly displays the plaque he was given when he won the Wilbur Madsen Memorial.

Johnny was the first winner of the award, which is named after one of his former coaches at the Winter Sports Club. Madsen died in a 1993 accident at the World Extreme Skiing Championships when the cornice he was on gave way.

Nancy Spillane says Madsen gave Johnny a great piece of advice before his death that left a lasting impression on the Nordic skiing sensation.

“Johnny went to the Rocky Mountain Division awards banquet in Winter Park when he was younger, and he got nothing. Not a plaque, not a ribbon, not even a door prize,” Nancy recalls. “After the ceremony, Johnny was down, and Wilbur told him that if he was in the sport for the prizes, then it was time to get out.”

Nancy said the coach’s words became a philosophy that has guided Johnny throughout his career.

You see, he doesn’t race for prizes, glory or the attention that comes from winning. He races for a love of the sport, and that’s why it’s easy to root for a guy like Johnny Spillane.