Mindset Is Trainable. That’s The Defining Lesson of the 2026 Olympic Games.
LIVIGNO, Italy — Over the past month, I’ve sat down with 25% of the 2026 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team.
We’ve talked about growing up skiing in small mountain towns. About catastrophic injuries and Olympic debuts. About standing in the start gate feeling alive with adrenaline. About fear. Confidence. Burnout. Balance. And the decision to keep going.
The questions varied. But every conversation ultimately explored the same idea: how do the best American athletes build and sustain their mindset?
In uncovering how top competitors think under pressure, navigate uncertainty, and sustain belief across years of risk and sacrifice, one thing became immediately clear. There is no single mold, shared personality type, uniform family background, or predictable path to sport.
The common thread that emerged was something far more powerful. They are deliberately training their mindset with the same consistency, structure, and intention as their physical training.
Mindset is trainable. At the highest level of sport, it is the defining competitive advantage.
1) The Best Athletes Love The Process
From the outside, the Olympics capture the world’s attention every four years. From the inside, they are defined by something far quieter: a love of the daily process.
Halfpipe specialist Riley Jacobs described it with disarming clarity: “I can probably ski better than I can read. This is exactly what I know how to do, and I happen to love it too.”
Three-time Olympic silver medalist and freestyle moguls star Jaelin Kauf shares the same mentality. “Every run I’m pushing out of the gate and just telling myself, ‘deliver the love.’ That’s why I’m out here skiing. I absolutely love it. It’s not about chasing medals. It’s about skiing for myself and putting down runs I’m proud of.”
Slopestyle skier Grace Henderson, reflecting on nearly a decade with the U.S. team, put it this way: “This quad, I took a step back to reflect on how grateful I am to travel all over the world, doing my favorite thing in the world. Yes, there are really hard days… but look at the life I get to live.”
Loving the process shifts the source of motivation from something external and uncontrollable (medals, rankings, recognition) to something internal and constant (daily improvement, mastery, and purpose).
2) They Take Bets on Themselves
Every Olympic athlete described moments where the outcome was uncertain, when chasing their dreams required real sacrifice and the cost of foregone opportunities. They placed bets on themselves anyway.
Ice dancer Emilea Zingas recalled being told she would never succeed: People told me, ‘You will never be successful as an ice dancer.’ And I said, you know what? You can say that, but I’m going to try.”
Emilea’s decision to chase her dreams sounds simple but it isn’t. Choosing belief when the outcome is unknown is a marker of true courage. “You have to take a risk on yourself. Have the courage to take that chance. Don’t let what other people say make you doubt yourself.”
Today, after finishing 5th at the 2026 Olympic Games alongside partner Vadym Kolesnik and emerging as rising stars in ice dance, her bet has paid off. But that was never a guarantee.
At 16, ski jumper Tate Frantz similarly took a bold risk. He moved alone to Norway to pursue ski jumping at the highest level, leaving behind everything familiar. “I showed up not knowing anybody and had to teach myself to speak Norwegian fluently just to go to school. It forced me to trust myself. I had to create a life, a rhythm, a community from scratch.”
Looking back, he sees this leap differently. “Now I look back and think…that was freaking awesome. It taught me that if I want something, I can go after it.”
This pattern appeared again and again. Every Olympian we spoke with described moments where the odds were stacked against them. There was no guarantee they would make the national team, much less an Olympic team. They moved forward anyway.
Alpine skier Kyle Negomir notes this willingness to bet on yourself extends far beyond sport. “For me, it’s broader to the rest of life. I want to always have the courage to try to be really excellent at something, even when the odds are stacked against me.”
3) They Build Identities Outside of Sport
Contrary to popular perception, the most accomplished athletes are not training 24/7. They practice balance and cultivate an identity beyond sport.
“At the end of the day, there’s more to life,” three-time Olympic curler Tabitha Peterson explains. “Sports are amazing… but I love the fact that I have other areas of my life that I care just as much about—or quite frankly more. You can do it all. It just takes a village.”
This separation is a competitive advantage.
Kendall Kramer, the 2024 NCAA Division II Cross Country National Runner-Up and 2026 Olympic Nordic skier, intentionally competed across disciplines to preserve her mental freshness. “I always found that cross country helped me stay fresh. By the time it was done, I was super ready and excited to ski again.”
Alpine skier Sam Morse shares a similar perspective. “I love skiing,” he says, “but my identity is grounded in something greater.”
Sports at any level have their ups and downs. A balanced lifestyle is what provides stability when results fluctuate, perspective when pressure mounts, and resilience across competition cycles. It is what makes longevity possible and burnout avoidable.
4) They Have Borderline Delusional Belief
For many athletes, belief begins long before it appears rational.
Standout hockey goalie Ava McNaughton can trace hers back to eighth grade. During the early stages of her recruiting process, she covered her wall with a vision board. At the center was a single image: the Olympic rings.
Similarly, after becoming a mother, now 2x Olympic curler Tara Peterson was gently warned by her sports psychologist that returning to the Olympic level would be unlikely. The physical, emotional, and logistical demands would be immense. The window, realistically, might have closed.
Peterson’s response was immediate. “No. I’ll make it back.”
Skimo star Anna Gibson explained that the mind is always projecting forward. The only question is which future you allow yourself to see. “Imagining a future of success is a choice…just like imagining failure is.”
The common ground here is that belief is not the result of success. It is the starting point. And over time, actions turn belief into reality.
A Permanent Record of the Mindset of the 2026 U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team
The podiums, medals, and moments that unfold before millions will certainly be remembered. But they are only the visible outcome of something far less visible: thousands of quiet decisions made long before the world was watching.
The decision to continue when progress stalled.
The decision to believe when doubt was louder than certainty.
The decision to show up, again and again, without guarantees.
At Back The Team, we are on a mission to interview 100% of the 2026 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team, preserving their mindset takeaways and creating the most comprehensive archive of mental performance ever assembled at the Olympic and Paralympic level.
The most important takeaway from these conversations is this: there is nothing mystical about the way Olympic and Paralympic athletes think.
They love the process.
They take bets on themselves.
They build lives larger than sport.
They carry an unreasonable belief in what they are capable of becoming.
Mindset matters. And it is trainable.
