4-time Olympian Ann Battelle - A True Champion On & Off the Mountain

Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Show

It's not every day you get to hear from a 4-time Olympian, World Champion Mogul Skier & 6-time National Champion, so when you do, you take your time and get the full story! Ann Battelle is not only a champion on the mountain, she's a champion human off the mountain too as she shares her passion and experience with the next generation of freestyle skiers as our moguls coach for all ages.

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Today's conversation is a roller coaster - part trip down memory lane and part big picture lessons and insights.

We cover the following and so much more:

• What the sport of freestyle skiing is & how Ann got into it
• Ann's background as an athletic outdoorsy girl dabbling in lots of sports including soccer, gymnastics and more on the east coast
• Ann actually started her competitive athletic career in a different sport - she played collegiate soccer at Middlebury College
• It's never too late to start a new sport if strong athletic foundations are in place - soccer and gymnastics translated perfectly to her new passion
• How a little cockiness was required for Ann to make the switch to freestyle skiing & set incredibly lofty goals after college
• Ann shares her roller coaster career as a 4-time Olympian dealing with successes and trying times - it's hard not to give her a hug in the middle when she talks openly about her Olympic disappointments
• Topics include: mental blocks, coming back after injuries, perseverance, setting goals and more
• Advice for parents: "This is your kid's journey."
• Quote of the day: "Let me be me."

For more on Ann Battelle (shown here at the top of the course with her daughter who is a U19 racer!):

Ann is Steamboat’s first four-time Olympian as well as World Champion Mogul Skier. She discovered Freestyle Ski Racing at the end of her college experience & competed for the SSWSC from 1989-2002. She moved to the Front Range and started 5 Circle Fitness, an outdoor ski and sports conditioning fitness business. After a particularly frustrating 9-hour commute (the drive usually takes under 3 hours) from Steamboat back to the Front Range, the Battelle's decided to return to Steamboat in 2014. She joined the SSWSC as a coach this time with two daughters in the freestyle program. Ann has coached at all levels in the program, and is currently working with kids of all ages.

As always, please share your questions, comments, feedback and requests. Go to sswsc.org! Now get out there and support, lead or be a champion on and off the mountain!