The Mindset That Fast-Tracked Abby Winterberger to the Olympics at 15-Years-Old

By Amy Wotovich

Abby Winterberger was six years old when she got left behind. Her friends in gymnastics all moved up to level 3, and she didn’t. "I was competing in gymnastics and all of my friends had made it to the next level," she said. "They made it to level three and I was still in level two. So I had to do level two for two years."

Most six-year-olds wouldn’t think twice. For Winterberger, a switch flipped. "I think that really switched something in my brain, and I wanted to work super hard that year to be with my friends again."

She laughed when asked to explain the psychology of her six-year-old self, but landed on a simple takeaway: "I think I just changed my mindset. I mean, I was six years old, so I don't really know what I was thinking, but I just wanted to work really hard from that point on."

That instinct (other people are already there, so why not her) has become a theme throughout her career, which has moved unusually fast, at an unusually young age, all the way to a spot on the 2026 U.S. Olympic Team.

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She didn't specialize early, either. Alongside skiing, she spent nine years in competitive gymnastics and played lacrosse — "just always, always active," she said. It's the gymnastics background she credits most directly with her skiing progression, particularly the aerial component of the sport that intimidates plenty of athletes who didn't grow up flipping.

"Gymnastics was definitely a huge part of my growth in skiing," she said. "It's really good for just building your confidence, doing tricks, being in the air, and it does also have, like, a correlation on what tricks you're doing."

The gymnastics-versus-skiing math eventually forced a decision. By her last year of competitive gymnastics, she was already racing FIS ski events, and the two seasons overlapped directly. "Gymnastics season and ski season is the same, so it was really difficult that year," she said.

I've always wanted to be in the Olympics. I wasn't sure what sport. I wanted to do gymnastics, but then thought, oh, skiing's cool, maybe I'll do that.” What came next happened faster than even she expected. "I’m really making my younger self proud, which is really special.”

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Winterberger is quick to credit the people behind her. "My mom and my dad…we have a super close relationship, and they help me so much," she said.

That support system showed up most visibly at the Olympics themselves, where Winterberger says the sheer scale of the event caught her off guard. "Everyone told me, like, it's just another World Cup, you've already done this four times this year, you got it," she said. "But then you're around the Olympic Village, and you just have this crazy realization that this is not just another World Cup stop anymore, this is the Olympics. Honestly, it was very difficult to comprehend."

What kept her grounded was the same support she'd leaned on all along. "My whole family was there. I had my coach, and I mean, he's coached me since I was seven. Just having that support system around me was just super special."

That support makes a difference even in the smallest moments before she pushes off. Boots buckled, skis clicked in, helmet and goggles secure…"have to look good on the cameras," she joked…then a fist bump from her coach and his long-standing cue before she goes. "He always says, three deep breaths. So then I take my three deep breaths, think about my run, say some little things in my head, and then I go."

Photo Credit: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

It's that same grounded, unhurried mindset she'd pass on to anyone chasing a big dream of their own. "Slow down everything, you know? There's no rush to get all your training runs in. Take it all in, it's gonna be okay," she reflects. "Enjoy the experience!"

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Winterberger's career is a case study in refusing to accept "not yet" as a permanent answer. At six, falling just behind her friends in gymnastics wasn't a reason to settle into level two — it became the reason she worked hard enough to catch up. Years later, the same logic scaled up into an Olympic roster spot reached faster than she ever planned for.

Underneath her pursuit of lofty goals is a deep support system: family members, a coach since age seven, and teachers willing to be flexible with her unconventional travel schedule. After all, rapid progress is possible when you're surrounded by people who make big goals feel achievable. Who's in your corner supporting your dreams? This is your reminder to send them a thank you!

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