Learn Fast, Fail Faster: the Mentality Bryan Sosoo Brought to the Olympic Stage

The worst-case scenario was a drive to Lake Placid.

That's what Bryan Sosoo was working with when a recruiting email from USA Bobsled and Skeleton landed in his inbox. He did the math. A few hours of driving. A tryout. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't. And if it doesn't?

"If I had gone down the bobsled route and it didn't work, the worst thing that had happened is I spent a few hours driving up to Lake Placid and exploring that journey. On the other side of things, I go down that path, and I'm able to call myself an Olympian."

He made the national team as a rookie. Just eighteen months later, he was competing at the Winter Olympic Games in Cortina.

Learn Fast, Fail Faster

Sosoo operates with a model he applies across every part of his life — athletic, professional, personal.

"Learn fast and fail faster."

The framework is built on an honest assessment of downside. Most people overestimate what it costs to be wrong. Sosoo doesn't.

"I think a lot of times when it comes to decision-making and taking risks, the risk and the downside of it isn't that bad. It's an uncomfortable area for some folks to operate in."

The idea is deceptively simple. Move toward the unfamiliar, not away from it. Get your information from doing, not from deliberating. And when things don't work, extract the lesson and move — fast.

Getting comfortable with that discomfort, he argues, is not a personality trait you're born with. It's a muscle. And like any muscle, it's built through use.

"When you learn to get comfortable with the uncomfortable, it allows you to grow. It allows you to really step into an area that pushes you past your boundaries."

Sosoo had been building that muscle long before bobsled. Going out of state for school. Exploring different sports. Walking into rooms where he had no track record and had to establish one. 

Accepted Risk

Bobsled is not a sport that allows you to pretend nothing can go wrong. Sosoo doesn't try.

"When you think about a sport like bobsled, there's accepted risks that you have to take. Crashes happen. Just part of being an athlete is accepting that you're pushing your body to a limit. High performance comes from pushing those limits."

Sosoo is quick to emphasize the power of controlling the controllables as the foundation for his success.

"I work on the little things. How am I fueling myself? How am I making sure I'm focusing on my recovery? All those come into play. Not to get rid of risk as a whole…because it's always going to be there…but to minimize and manage it in order to stay ahead of things."

The Gift That’s Also A Curse

The USA bobsled program is deep with talent. For a newer athlete still building his track record, that means the lineup is never settled and opportunities are never guaranteed.

"That talent is a gift, but it's also a little bit of a curse sometimes. Throughout the season, there were constant movements in terms of who's racing on what sled, what week, what opportunities are people getting."

Sosoo's response: treat every start as if it might be the last one for a while. You get a run. You make the most of it. 

"With high-level performance, only so many opportunities may come to light. You have to make sure you're ready for those opportunities because sometimes those are the only ones you get to prove yourself."

That approach moved him from the USA 3 sled in Austria on week two, all the way up to USA 1 with seasoned pilot Frank Del Duca. He got there by making each opportunity undeniable.

Taking a Bet on Yourself is Only Half of It

This is the part no one talks about. You can take a bet on yourself all you want. But at the end of the day, you also have to have the reciprocal belief from others. And going back to controlling the controllables, that is out of your control. 

You can do everything right. You can show up and give 100% each day. Fuel your body. Prioritize recovery. Build the plan. And work the plan. But selection committees have the final say. 

“Certain things are out of your control. Your job is done when you finish the race. Your job is to put yourself in the best light possible.” 

That’s Sosoo’s mindset. Do the work. Control the controllables. And make yourself impossible to ignore.

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 for Back The Team's series Inside the Mental Game of the Games — the most comprehensive mindset record of a single Games cycle. What do elite competitors actually believe about pressure, identity, failure, and joy? Bryan Sosoo is one of hundreds of athletes sharing their unfiltered answers. Follow the journey!