Olivia Giaccio

A moment that stood out:
The biggest moment that stood out to me was the opportunity to celebrate with family and friends. Especially in comparison to the Beijing Games, I am so thankful that I was able to share this monumental achievement with the most important people (more specifically, my parents and brother) who have supported me to no end so that I was able to achieve this monumental milestone. Finishing up my qualification run and getting to hug my parents was just about the best thing ever!

A lesson learned:
A lesson I learned (even though I thought I had a great handle on this beforehand) was the idea that I am so much more than my result. I have put in an immense amount of work to be able to call myself an Olympian — and that is a body of work that has taken tremendous grit, perseverance, persistence and tact. Even though I wasn’t able to achieve the performance I was hoping for, the fact that I was able to even make it there is something incredible to be proud of! I’m so excited to see where this sport takes me as I move forward from the lessons learned from this experience.

Riley Jacobs

Something that took her by surprise:
The size of the Olympics. I knew that the Olympics were a big deal but I didn't fully grasp it until I was in Italy and saw Olympic banners and signs across the whole country. I felt amazing to be a part of such a huge deal. 

A piece of advice:
A piece of advice I heard while I was there was from another Team USA athlete, passed along through my team manager. "Your first Olympics is for participation, your second is for a medal, and your third is to win it all." I really liked that. It makes me want to keep going and know it's not all over. 

Favorite food:

I ate so much pasta and pizza in Italy. Italian food is my favorite food but I am definitely getting a bit tired of it. The margarita pizza was delicious!

Jaelin Kauf

Something that took her by surprise:
Honestly, how nervous I was. This is my third Olympics, so I came in thinking I’d feel like the veteran - calm, composed and fully in control of the moment - which I think I did get to eventually. I’ve competed on this stage before. I’ve had good experiences and tough ones. I thought I’d figured out that Olympic pressure. On singles Day 1, everything felt great at first. I was excited, enjoying the atmosphere, and felt strong pushing out of the gate. But after I landed my top air, something shifted. My legs just didn’t respond. I hit the first mogul and suddenly had no control over what my body was doing. I couldn’t feel my legs, which is something I haven’t experienced since my very first World Cup start over ten years ago. That really caught me off guard!

A lesson learned:
That experience reminded me how different every Olympics truly is. I thought I could lean on what worked for me four years ago and recreate that same mindset and performance. But it doesn’t work like that. Every Games is new. I’m a different competitor than I was four years ago -  more experienced, more skilled, and honestly, a significantly stronger competitor. With that growth comes new pressure and new expectations. I learned that you can’t copy and paste that past success into a new moment. You have to meet each experience where you are now and adapt in real time.

A great piece of advice:
After my tough first day, as mentioned above, I spent some time just hanging out and talking with my brother and my boyfriend. I really needed that space to reset and process everything. They both reminded me to ski for myself. To have fun, let go of the expectations, and just focus on one run at a time. It sounds so simple, and it’s something I’m always telling myself anyway, but it was exactly the reminder I needed. Sometimes hearing it from the people who know you best just hits differently. It helped bring me back to center and allowed me to approach the rest of the competition with more freedom and joy.

A favorite meal:
I think the best meal that I ate in Italy was tagliatelle con casera e patate – which is pasta with cheese and potatoes in it. I think that’s what it’s called at least! 

Avital Carroll

A moment that stood out:

Going to my family after my runs stood out to me the most. They have been there through it all, the ups and downs. Being able to go over and jump into their arms was one of the best feelings I’ve ever felt in my life. A lot of tears were shed and it’s a special moment I’ll never forget. Experiencing the games with my husband and coach, Bobby, was the most insane thing — we get to share this experience for the rest of our lives! Whilst we worked really hard to get there, we also felt so lucky and so loved. Forever grateful! 

Something that took her by surprise:
The outreach of love and support from basically everyone I’ve ever met from around the world. That was super cool and special and something I didn’t anticipate! I felt so loved and so lucky to be a part of competing on the biggest stage of sport.

A lesson learned:
Even though there’s a lot going on around you, the most normal thing you will experience at the Games is your sport. That’s where I found my normalcy and embraced that.

A piece of advice:
The best piece of advice I got was, yes it’s a big deal to be competing at the Games, but to try and keep your routine as normal as possible. Just because there is all this stuff going on around you and many opportunities, doesn’t mean you have to do it all. And I’m really glad I got this advice because my brain was working overtime already!

Favorite meal:
In the athlete village one night they served Olympic rings pasta!