With just over three months to the Summer Olympics in London, many people are picking their favorites to win bronze, silver and gold. As I recall my own experiences leading into my second Olympic games, I've learned not to count out the media's underdogs.

When I returned to competition...

Photo courtesy of Nikki Stone

Experienced athletes often like to say that we are so confident, we could execute a maneuver or skill with our eyes closed. Aerialists have to perform each new trick hundreds of times into a pool before we're ever allowed...

Photo courtesy of Michael Spencer

I dedicate my post this week to a lady who lived her life in a way that many can only dream of. Sarah Burke, you are an icon, a hero, an inspiration, and a class act. When my flame...

Photo provided by Nikki Stone

With the weather being unseasonably mild, I slipped on my shorts to head outside for a late afternoon run. I knew that a few people might gasp at someone wearing shorts in the middle of winter in a...

Photo provided by Nikki Stone

After my second Olympic Games, I was invited to visit several children's hospitals. I still remember my first tour of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital just outside Boston. As an Olympian, I couldn't wait to inspire the...

When I qualified for the Freestyle Skiing World Cup tour, I began competing with athletes from all over the world. As an unknown skier my first year on the tour, I had no sponsors, and my parents had to...

When I started college, I had just broken onto the World Cup skiing scene, so I decided to pursue both ventures at the same time. The prospect of trying to find success in both skiing and academics was daunting. Getting through four years of school while trying to qualify for...

With so many people starting college or new jobs and positions, I thought it an appropriate time to share a story about my first year on the Freestyle Skiing World Cup tour. No matter how much knowledge and skill we carry to the table, there is always an unsure feeling...

It's been a long and heartbreaking week with the tragic passing of a friend and ex-teammate. The hardest part is seeing how challenging this has been to his family, best friends, and supportive teammates. This week I wanted to share a story that once helped give me some...

In the past I've talked about the pride of being an American walking into the Opening Ceremonies at an Olympic Games. I explained how I was caught up in the hype of the cameras and fanfare until I saw all the athletes decked out in their countries' colors, and many...

A couple weeks ago, I attended a fundraising event for a charity called Right To Play. I immediately fell in love with the organization after hearing about how their programs impacted children around the world. At the event, I was asked to share a story about my involvement with the...

I hate failing. Obviously, no one likes to fail, but one event made me see that I actually feared failing, so much that I missed key opportunities.

When I first made it onto the U.S. Ski Team, I was terrified to do any interviews. The vice president of communications for...

Because I won my Olympic gold medal in Nagano, Japan in 1998, the country has always held a powerful and touching place in my heart. Like many, I was really shaken by the scary sights of the tsunami that hit Japan on March 11. In the wake of this horrific...

How often are you driven by how much you can or will make? How many times are you encouraged by how many zeros precede a decimal point? How often is...

There is a saying by John Burroughs, "Leap and the net will appear." I put that concept to the test during my second World Cup competition overseas. The fog moved in and we could barely see thirty feet in front of us. No one wanted to disappoint the Japanese organizers,...

To kick off the New Year, I wanted to share a story on a man that everyone should resolve to be like. Shortly after my retirement from aerial skiing, I was elected to the U.S. Olympic Committee's Athlete Advisory Council. At my...

My impressions of the Olympic spirit were forever changed on August 5, 1984, at the very first women's Olympic marathon. I had long ago become an Olympic junkie, and my admiration of world-class athletes was firmly established, but not until that day did I...

As we're quickly approaching Thanksgiving, I thought I should share my thoughts on giving thanks in a way you might never have thought of. Let the season inspire you to show your appreciation to those that have helped you reach your past successes. You'd be surprised at how many people...

It was at a World Cup in Madaro, Japan, that I first learned how important a positive attitude can be. The day was warm and the conditions on the aerial hill were deteriorating. The sunny conditions prevented me from getting enough speed on my first jump, and I ended up...

Several years ago I was invited to a charitable conference called the Glocal Forum. The Forum was a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of international intercity relations in pursuit of a new balance between global and local forces. At the conference I met...