At 14, Charlie Mickel walked away from the most serious ski program he'd ever been in. His coaches saw exactly how good he was, but he wasn't having fun. Reclaiming his love for the sport by having fun on his own terms, he went on to win Junior Nationals, make the U.S. team, and earn his Olympic debut in Milan. Turns out, doing it his way was the right call all along.

Josh Pauls has won five Paralympic gold medals. He played the gold medal game in Milan with a split tendon in his wrist. He became the youngest team captain in program history. He’s been a flag bearer for Team USA. Josh Pauls has been the backbone of USA Sled Hockey and his perspective will make you rethink everything you think you know about what it takes to lead.

Kelly Curtis stood at the finish line of the last World Cup of the 2022-2023 circuit, tears streaming down her face. But anyone watching would have had no idea why. She was pregnant, and her husband was the only other person who knew. What looked like emotion about a race was actually something much bigger: the terrifying possibility that she had just slid for the last time.

Nine years sliding and Dan Barefoot's only non-negotiable has nothing to do with splits, strategy, or the competition. It's the same thing that kept him showing up to baseball practice at five years old. And it might be the most underrated performance secret in elite sport.

Austin Florian's visor fogged over mid-run. He was blind, 80 miles an hour, face down on a skeleton sled. He couldn't stop. So he didn't. What goes through Florian’s mind in that moment is a masterclass in operating under pressure.