By Rachel Walker
Why should you watch these five American women this February when they join athletes from 19 countries to vie for Olympic gold? Because they are more than good—they are outstanding.
Lindsey Jacobellis, Snowboard Cross
DOB: August 15, 1985
Lindsey
You don’t get into snowboard cross—boardercross— if you’re timid. Racing against four competitors on an obstacle-laden course at full speed requires chutzpah, which Vermont native Lindsey Jacobellis has in surplus. The entire world glimpsed it in 2006 when she fell attempting a show-off jib and lost her chance to clench the gold medal in the sport’s inaugural Olympic event. Second place isn’t as sweet—but don’t expect Lindsey to belabor her mistake. In the four years since Italy, she’s channeled her talent and energy into a driven work ethic that’s given rise to a wizened maturity.
“I’ve been competing against the best in the world, attending World Cup events, and doing really well since I entered the tour at age 17,” says Lindsey. “I was the only girl when I started [in boardercross]. Now there are more girls on the team, and I’m putting all of my time and energy into my work. This is my job.” In this line of work, performance reviews occur in full view, on the podium. Lindsey has spent the last few seasons pushing her athleticism with coaches Peter Foley and Jeff Archebald, getting back up despite her myriad crashes (Did we mention this isn’t a sport for the fainthearted?), and discovering camaraderie and support among her teammates. She says she’s matured. Still, no amount of sophistication can quiet the obvious passion Lindsey has for her sport.
“I love how unpredictable boardercross is,” Lindsey says. “Before each race, I am on the mountain and am so stressed, wondering why I do this. But then I finish and get really fired up and aggressive. I can never trigger those emotions by myself, but if I am in a course, I know exactly when it turns on.”
When Julie Chu takes to the ice at the 2010 Olympics, she’ll be one of the calm ones. With two Olympic medals under her belt, she already knows the thrill of victory. This time, she says, her job will be to channel the energy of the U.S. women’s hockey team’s new players.
“We only have six returning Olympians out of the 20 who played in 2006,” says Julie. “The younger players bring a phenomenal, fresh outlook and a new identity, and the veterans give us the strong foundation we need.”
In other words, this is a team led by experience and fueled by new enthusiasm—exactly what the Americans need to score a competitive edge, Julie says. Julie falls into the veteran category. The Harvard University grad helped the Americans secure a silver medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and bring home a bronze from Italy in 2006. She’s also helped create an international appreciation for girl’s and women’s hockey. But don’t expect her to crow about these accomplishments.
“My personal goal is tied within the team goal,” says Julie, who plans to retire from the U.S. team after the Olympics and possibly pursue a coaching career. “It’s not that important who gets the goals or assists in a game. A lot of people put too much heat on who scores the goal. For me, what’s more important is doing the things that make the team work.”
Noelle Pikus-Pace, Skeleton
DOB: December 8, 1982
An Olympic favorite leading up to the 2006 games, skeleton slider Noelle Pikus-Pace weathered a severe setback when a runaway bobsled shattered her right leg at the team trials six weeks before the games. Doctors told her that learning to walk again would take months and to forget her Olympic dreams. “I never knew how strong I was before that,” Noelle says. “I wasn’t satisfied with their diagnosis and didn’t want to put limits on myself. Just because no one had done it before didn’t mean that it couldn’t be done.”
She didn’t make it to the games in Turin, Italy, but Noelle returned in 2007 to clench the world championship. Then she had a hard decision to make. “Going for the Olympics—it’s not easy to let go of,” says Noelle. “My goal was to retire after 2006. My husband and I knew we wanted to start a family and move on with life. But for us the Olympics are the biggest race there can possibly be. I knew I wanted to compete.”
Rather than retire, Noelle, who had earned an MBA prior to the 2006 Olympics, continued training, got pregnant, gave birth to a daughter, and started a company, SnowFire Hats (www. snowfirehats.com). Now, with the support of her family, she’s favored to win gold in Vancouver.
And what might her championship run feel like? “Skeleton is like driving down the freeway and sticking your head out the window,” Noelle explains. “Look down at the lines going by— that’s how fast we go. We take off at a full-sprint control, jump in our sled, and then relax.”
After the Olympics, Noelle plans to retire and apply the lessons from her sport to her post-competitive-athletics life. “You need to look ahead,” she says. “You can’t dwell on the past. You steer and focus on what lies ahead.”
Julia Mancuso, Alpine Skiing
DOB: March 9, 1984
After surprising the world with a gold-medal finish at the 2006 Olympic games in Turin, downhill skier Julia Mancuso charged into the 2007–2008 season determined to win. Her banner year fueled expectations that she’d claim the world championship title, which ended up going to her U.S. teammate, Lindsey Vonn. And then last season, the tiara-wearing speed demon only finished in the top 10 three times—a poor showing for a woman vying to be the best in the world. So this summer the part-time Maui resident retreated to the gym and the sea, devoting four days a week to weight training and Pilates sessions and surfing in her free time. Now, she says, her “new” body is ready to defend her 2006 gold in Vancouver.
“A lot of the exercises I had been doing were wrong because they emphasized my bigger and stronger muscles instead of my smaller ones,” Julia says. “So I worked really hard, and I feel stronger now than I’ve felt in four years.”
Standing atop the Olympic podium isn’t all Julia hopes to achieve this year. The budding entrepreneur launched her own underwear line called kiss my tiara (available at her website, www.juliamancuso.com). And her skiing goals extend beyond the Olympics. “I have so much more to accomplish,” says Julia. “When I won the gold [in 2006], I found the difference between being in the top three and winning. I want to win.”
Katherine Reutter, Speed Skating
DOB: July 30, 1988
One of speed skater Katherine Reutter’s biggest challenges has nothing to do with ice: Taking time to recover between training sessions is especially tough aspects for the aspiring gold medalist.
“I never leave the rink or training knowing there is something else I could have done,” says Katherine. “The very worst feeling in the world is if I have to cut a session short when I know my legs need a break.”
Katherine broke onto the international speed-skating scene during the 2007–2008 season, winning her first World Cup medal and securing the overall U.S. championship title. That year she moved from Marquette, Michigan, to Salt Lake City to train with the national team. A senior in high school, she relocated on her own, shared a room with another speed skater, and split her time between school and training. Katherine remembers this time as an enormous—yet necessary—sacrifice. “I lost a lot of relationships with my friends back home,” she says. “I wouldn’t be the skater I am today if I hadn’t done it, but I wish I hadn’t left so early.”
If this sounds like ambivalence, well, it’s not. Katherine is focused and driven, and her goals include winning an Olympic medal, a world championship, and more. “Sure, these are things every competitive athlete strives for, so I have to work hard enough and make sure it is me who reaches those goals,” she says.
Katherine’s formula for success includes rigorous training, a supportive family, and confidence. “My family is extremely driven,” she says. “We’re positive thinkers. It’s never been questioned that I can do what I think I can do. We don’t sit there and think, Wouldn’t it be nice to do this? Once we decide to do something, we figure out what we have to do to make it happen.”
