This story was published in Volume 1, Issue 2
For Stacy Gaskill, the path to the Olympics didn’t start on the slopes. It began in her living room. Her journey took shape in the mountains with a family where snow sports were part of life.
“I grew up with the Salt Lake Olympic torch in my living room,” Gaskill said. “My mom was a Paralympian herself, and my dad grew up skiing … I pretty much got on skis before I could walk.”
Growing up in Colorado, weekends were often spent in Winter Park with her family. Skiing came first, but Gaskill knew she wanted something different.
“I wanted to snowboard when I was about six,” she said. “But my parents made me wait until I was eight. They were worried I’d hate it and want to go back to skiing.”
That never happened.
Her father taught her the basics of snowboarding, and soon after, she joined the Winter Park All Mountain Snowboard Team. While some kids were content with carving groomed runs, Gaskill preferred exploring the untamed terrain, always looking for something more adventurous.
“I wanted to go play around in the trees and all over the mountain,” she said.
Not long after, she discovered snowboard cross, a high-speed racing discipline where multiple riders compete on a course filled with jumps, banks and rollers. After making the podium in her first few races, she soon began winning.
But the moment that truly cemented her dream came while watching snowboard cross at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. That dream came full circle 12 years later at her first Olympic Games in China, then again in Italy this year.
That early exposure made the idea of becoming an Olympian feel possible. By the time she was eight, she was already saying it out loud.
“At my elementary school, they asked everyone what they wanted to be when they grew up,” Gaskill said. “Kids were saying things like being a doctor or an astronaut. But when they got to me, I said, ‘I want to be an Olympic snowboard cross racer.’”
After years of training, that childhood declaration became a reality. For Gaskill, standing for the United States at the Olympics was about much more than personal accomplishment.
“It’s a huge honor,” she said. “For me, representing the U.S. really means representing the whole village of people who helped me get there.”
Behind every Olympic athlete is an enormous support system. Coaches, family, teammates and communities make the journey possible.
“In a way, competing is my way of saying thank you to everyone who supported me,” she said. “Very few people get to wear the flag on their sleeve like that.”
From her first Olympic Games, one moment still remains above the rest. Standing in the start gate, minutes before racing, the magnitude of the experience hit her.
“I remember looking down at the course and realizing I’d earned my spot there,” she said. “I wasn’t just there as a rookie. I knew I could compete with the best.”
She finished in the top eight in her first Olympic appearance, a result that confirmed she belonged on the world stage. Still, reaching that level requires constant preparation. Snowboard cross is one of the most physically demanding disciplines in snowsports, necessitating strength, power and endurance.
However, most of the year isn’t spent on snow at all. Rather, it’s spent inside training. It isn’t just the physical attributes she needs to train. Mental preparation is equally important, as it gives her the confidence to perform.
Gaskill has worked with a sports psychologist since she was 12. Even with that preparation, setbacks happen. One of the toughest challenges of her career came when she tore her ACL just one season before the 2026 Olympics.
“To put it lightly, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through,” she said.
The tear required surgery and an intense rehabilitation process. Complicating things further, her recovery did not go smoothly, and she eventually needed a second surgery just months before Olympic qualification.
Despite the setbacks, Gaskill and her medical team pushed forward, determined to give her one last shot at qualifying. She made the most of that opportunity, completing an incredible comeback to earn her place at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
While she competes internationally, Gaskill also attends the University of Colorado Boulder, where she’s studying ecology and evolutionary biology. Balancing Olympic training with college classes is not easy.
“I usually take about two classes online each semester,” she said. “It’s taken me almost twice as long to get my bachelor’s, but I’ve made it work.”
When she’s not competing or studying, Gaskill enjoys spending time around Boulder with friends, playing ultimate frisbee or exploring the surrounding mountains. A particular favorite of hers is Sunshine Canyon Road.
“You can drive up there and look out over Boulder. Sometimes we’ll bring a picnic or do an art night,” she said.
Looking ahead, Gaskill plans to continue competing through the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, a home Olympics where she hopes to mark a successful end to her competitive career. After that, she’s considering a future in healthcare as a physician assistant or working in sustainability and conservation.
For now, though, her focus remains on the next race, the next season and the next chance to represent the country that helped her reach the start gate in the first place.
“It’s about showing up with my very best,” she said. “That’s what makes me most proud.”
