"The ripple effect of his legacy has no bounds"- Lindsey Vonn honors childhood coach Erich Sailer in emotional tribute

Lindsey Vonn posted a heartfelt tribute on social media for her childhood ski coach, Erich Sailer. She hosted a memorial ceremony for Sailer in Minnesota, attended by many of the coach's former students. Sailer was a prominent youth ski coach and even coached Vonn's father, Alan Kildow. He coached at the Buck Hill Ski and Snowboard Area in Minnesota from 1969 to 2022, before passing away at the age of 99 on August 20, 2025.

Vonn was coached by Sailer from seven to 11 years of age. Born in Austria, he coached thousands of students at Buck Hill and eventually became known as one of the world's best youth ski coaches. Aside from Vonn, he also coached Kristina Koznick and Olympic gold medal winner Julia Mancuso.

In a post on Instagram, Vonn shared a heartfelt tribute to Sailer as she announced that she hosted a funeral for him in Minnesota:

"A Celebration of Life… yesterday hundreds of people came together to celebrate and pay respects to my/our coach, Erich Sailer. He touched so many people and helped so many of us achieve our dreams. The ripple effect of his legacy has no bounds and we will continue to pass down the lessons he taught us."

"It was an honor to speak, or try to speak anyways, at the service, but no matter what I said, there will never be enough words to describe his life and the impact he had on mine."

Lindsey Vonn also shared an emotional message online after it was announced that Sailer had passed away in August. The two shared a close relationship, with Vonn even stating she wouldn't be the skier she is today without him.

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Lindsey Vonn: "I feel like I ski my best when the pressure is high"

Vonn at the World Cup Finals - Super G - Source: Getty

After earning a podium finish in the women's Super-G at the World Cup finals in Sun Valley, Idaho, Lindsey Vonn became the oldest female skier to ever do so at the age of 40. In an interview with Olympics.com, Vonn discussed her remarkable feat:

"I always knew that I could, but I think that it just gives me a lot of confidence going into next year. I have a lot of work to do still, but I'm a lot more positive after today. I feel like I ski my best when the pressure is high, and I really wanted to ski well for my family and for the home crowd."

Lindsey Vonn is also aiming to compete at the Winter Olympics in Milan next year and stated that she plans to retire after that if she competes in it.