“In our sport there are so many people that are involved in helping us out on every single level, and people believing in us is how we end up believing in ourselves to compete on the highest level.” – Three-time U.S. Champion Travis Ganong. Believe in U.S. is the rallying cry of the U.S. Ski Team going into the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. Athletes like Travis Ganong ride on the wings of belief of family, friends and the American public.
Believe in U.S.: Travis Ganong
A relative newcomer to the U.S. Ski Team, Triple U.S. Champion Travis Ganong has taken the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup tour world by storm with a slew of top-30 results and a few top tens, including a 10th in Bormio, Italy on Dec. 29. Ganong’s older sisters Megan and Ali may have been the first to believe in Travis and inspire his racing career, but today he relies on his friends on the World Cup tour, who also happen to be his teammates and coaches.
“We spend a lot of time with our teammates, our coaches and all of our staff. It’s always nice to have a teammate come up to you and say, ‘Hey, that was good skiing. Nice work.’ Or just help you out on a tough day. That’s just all a part of all of us believing in each other and believing that we can be the best ski team in the world and beat everybody on any given day. So believing in each other is really key.”
That support not only helps Ganong through the emotional rigors of the World Cup, it helps to solidify his confidence on the racecourse, which ultimately keeps him safe and performing at an elite level.
“Racing downhill is a really tricky event to do mentally. Every single race you have to get to that point where you understand what you’re doing and then you believe in yourself. Then you show up to the start and you wrap your head around what you believe in and you send it. You believe in yourself and that’s the only real way you can race safely.”
The personal belief that sends athletes like Ganong over the finish line at record speeds doesn’t come from a single source. It comes from the culmination of a whole nation of fans, friends, family and the U.S. Ski Team.
“It’s really cool to have this support system through the U.S. Ski Team and through all our donors and all the fans and all the parents and everyone. Everyone believes in us and believes in what we’re doing. They really want to have our whole team be successful. That support network makes me believe I can do it too. It’s really something special, so believe in us!”
If you Believe in U.S. and would like to be a part of Travis Ganong and the Team’s quest for gold, please click here to make a pledge to the U.S. Ski Team through the Team’s Medals Madness.
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