Dan Barefoot Has Been Sliding for Nine Years. Fear Still Hasn't Shown Up.
Nine years in. Ask Dan Barefoot if fear has ever been part of the equation.
He laughs.
"It really hasn't been. But every time you go to a new track, there's a little bit of butterflies because it's kind of a new thing. But once you do it once, it's just sliding."
Just sliding. Nine years of chasing speed seems to chase away fears.
One Cue
At the top of the track, the mind wants to go everywhere. Barefoot's job is to make it go nowhere, or as close to nowhere as possible.
"It's very easy to be thinking about a lot of things. You're trying to make it very little. So whatever that one cue is that you need, that's what you think about. For me, the start is a lot of what I'm thinking about. I'm thinking drive, drive, drive. Just really focusing on my form in my mind as I'm starting."
One word. Three times. That's his pre-run mentality.
Stay in Your Lane
Skeleton leaves no margin for error. Runs are timed to the hundredth of a second. Athletes hit speeds up to 80 mph. It's the kind of margin that can make a sport feel cruel.
Barefoot doesn't see it that way.
"It's really a stay in your own lane kind of sport. There are certain tracks that you really jive with, certain weather conditions. Some people are really good on hard, cold, ice days. Others are better when it's warm. Others are better at high pressure tracks, or low pressure tracks. The best are good at everything. That's the goal. You find your strengths, you find your weaknesses. But you really try to just do your own thing and not overthink."
Control what you can control. Everything else is noise.
Barefoot’s Only Non-Negotiable
So what does Barefoot actually need going into a race? What's the thing he won't compromise on?
"I have to have fun. If I'm not enjoying what I'm doing, I'm not going to be good at it. And that goes back to playing baseball at 5 years old. You gotta enjoy what you do, and if you enjoy it, you excel. That's really the most important thing at the end of the day."
Not the competition or the results.
Just having fun.
ABOUT THIS SERIES
I’m Amy Wotovich and I am on a mission to interview 100% of Team USA's 2026 Olympic and Paralympic athletes to create the most comprehensive mindset record of a single Games cycle. What do elite competitors actually believe about pressure, identity, failure, and joy? Dan Barefoot is one of hundreds of athletes sharing their unfiltered answers. Follow the journey!
