I've talked here before about Dara Torres, who, at 40, was the oldest woman on the women's swim team at the Beijing Olympics, where she won 3 silver medals just two years after giving birth. I think she proved that age and childbirth do not signify the end of a world-class career if an athlete is determined enough.

Well, in case we missed the point, Sarah Shleper drove it home again.

She's not a household name, but she is a three-time Olympian, and a world-class skier on the American team. She recently skied in the Giant Slalom World Cup race in Aspen. She hoped to finish in the top 30.

She finished 13th, overall. Shleper was not a likely pick to finish so high in the standings: she's 29, the oldest member of the US women's ski team, and in the last two years she's had a career threatening injury and given birth to her first child. She was determined to get back in competition, though, and like Torres, set her sights on the Olympics.

I think we should watch her closely. Someone with that kind of determination is likely to work through mere physical obstacles.