Last fall, I became a fan of Julia on facebook. She is great on facebook. She posts stuff all the time. She is a good writer and appears to be happy sharing her crazy life with all of us. She lives right in the moment.
While I have admired her for a long time, I became a huge fan of hers at the last Olympics. She showed me (and the rest of the world) that all her sacrifice and hard work to accomplish herself in skiing was, underneath it all, fun... just plain fun! What better message is there for any athlete in any sport at any level?
Over the years, I have coached some rather elite athletes and parents often wonder how far their child can go. I can never answer that question. There are US Ski Team athletes that were great when they were young and others that found their racing when they were teenagers. The best explanation I have heard about getting on the ski team, and one that parents can understand, is this: there is one child born in the United States each year that will make the US Ski Team...pretty long odds I'd say. Anyway, the point is; you don't make it to the level Julia has attained without being incredibly focused, incredibly focused, a great skier, and incredibly fit. Did I say incredibly focused? Julia has managed to be these things and remain interesting and fun. She gladly shares her interests beyond racing on skis with the whole world. She has managed to stay upbeat and find fun all winter and is happy when she skis well regardless of outcome.
Last week she posted on facebook to see if anyone was reading her travel blog (find also in my following list). It is the opposite of this blog; it is all about big mountain skiing all over the globe. I did not realize she was writing it until her post. It is a pretty fun read, check it out. Julia also writes a "Kiss My Tiara" blog on her website. I occasionally check that out too.
Congratulations Julia on a wonderful race season!
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