You start seeing all of the athlete profiles on NBC, and whenever the Summer Olympics come up, I feel like I share the same experience with the Summer Olympians.
You have to be a little crazy to be a downhill skier.
Anytime you’re on the podium, it’s good.
I never felt sidelined, I was supported by my friends, my family and my team. I always knew I could do it. I had confidence in myself.
Everything about my life seemed so perfect to people. But I struggle like everyone else.
When you’re young, you develop ways to win, and you think they will always work, but then you get to the top, competing against the other top athletes, and sometimes things don’t work.
I want to show America who I am and inspire young kids.
I take risks – that’s my life on the slopes and off.
Today it was win or lose. But my victory yesterday and the downhill globe boosted my confidence. My record in Cortina was also a liberation.
I try to eat on the healthier side, but baked goods are hard to resist. I just love sweet things.
I can’t picture myself being the people I always looked up to.
I love the cowbell. I think it’s awesome. My family got the cowbell app on their iPhones. It’s a classic part of ski racing.
Mascara is my go-to product before stepping out of the house.
There is a dessert dish in Austria called Kaiserschmarrn – it’s kind of like a sweet raisin pancake with eggs and sugar. It’s definitely not something I can eat often, but if I’ve done well at a race, sometimes that’s my celebration treat!
Especially when I’m in the gym, I get really motivated by hip-hop.
I have a little Nintendo DS, and I play these brain games that are supposed to stimulate your mind.
I get up early, but it doesn’t mean I like getting up early.
Making ski racing fun and engaging for kids and families is an exciting opportunity and a real passion of mine.
I did gymnastics when I was a kid. I wasn’t very good at it.
Divorce doesn’t fit my cookie-cutter image.
In the end, it’s a mental maturity to let your best come out.