Thinking about where I was the last time I even flew overseas (being pushed in a wheelchair through the airport, hah!) in comparison to where I am now has naturally prompted a ton of self-reflection with regards to the journey I\u2019ve been on for most of 2020. (I feel like my writing generally ends up being incredibly cheesy during moments like this, but I must say, I truly feel like I\u2019ve learned a ton! Also, being a cheeseball is clearly in my nature, so we\u2019re just going to embrace this tendency at this point \ud83d\ude42 !) Given everything that has transpired over the last year or so, I think it\u2019s fair to say that I no longer feel \u201cready\u201d to handle what\u2019s ahead\u2026I\u2019ve already been handling it all for quite a while now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The \u201cend result\u201d of getting back to snow in less than a week at this point (!!!) has come together because of all the perseverance, resilience, sweat, persistence, laughs, hard work, and so much more that I\u2019ve poured into my athletic (and personal) journey \u2014 not only over the past few months, but also over the course of my entire career. When I had first torn my ACL, the overwhelming response from peers and teammates and coaches fell somewhere along the lines of: \u201cOh, you\u2019ll be fine! If anyone knows how to grind through something like this, it\u2019s you!\u201d While this line was flattering, I subconsciously utilized it to set inherent expectations for myself \u2014 a habit that has defined my existence. In essence, the past nine months has been a day by day struggle of learning to discard expectations in favor of accepting whatever reality may bring, controlling only the controllable, setting my sights on achieving the little things in life, and developing an understanding for my potential to be more than I\u2019d ever dreamed of\u2026 Speaking of the simple things, a sudden shift in perspective (as a result of my surgery and inevitably being forced back to the basics of life) made it so that everything \u2014 from learning to bend my knee again, to doing baby jumps off the ground, to getting back to jumping on water ramps, to relearning tricks on tramps that I haven\u2019t done in years<\/em>, to sliding around on snow \u2014 became cause for celebration! While frustrating at times, being forced to start from what felt like scratch has ultimately been refreshing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, with every obstacle that comes my way, I have learned to overcome it by figuring out what I need to do, then executing it \u2014 but not on my own. It’s not all rainbows and unicorns, that’s for sure! Sometimes, however, all you can do is continue chugging along and trying your best! Of course, this whole \u201crecovery\u201d (physical, mental, and emotional!) wouldn\u2019t have been possible without the awesome support crew I have in my life\u2026 My parents have been there for all of the tears and the laughs \u2014 and have always been there to pick me up when I\u2019m down. I\u2019ve built a team of family, coaches, friends, mentors, and peers who all inspire me on a daily basis. This, in particular, was something that I didn\u2019t know I needed. I have come to realize that my friendships, and all relationships in my life, are incredibly valuable to me. Each person that I trust in my athletic, academic, and personal life is invaluable to me\u2026 and my personal happiness (but that\u2019s just me being a lil selfish)!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond the PT room, too, I made a big effort to do things I wouldn\u2019t normally do (within reason due to COVID, of course) with a \u201cnormal\u201d training schedule. I went on a solo road trip; I coached the up and coming generation of mogul skiers on water ramps; I was a bridesmaid in my best friend’s wedding (and gave a speech!); I copyedited my first book; I saw my brother graduate from high school and visited him at college; I picked up a few new hobbies; I saw friends I hadn\u2019t seen in years and made friends that I wouldn\u2019t have met if it weren\u2019t for my injury; I baked waaayyyy too many sweets; and<\/em> I watched quite a few sunsets along the way \ud83d\ude43 In doing all of this, I realized that there\u2019s so much outside of skiing that makes me happy, too. There\u2019s so much to be said for a good life balance; however, I\u2019m beyond excited for mogul skiing to be back in the mix. While experiencing life to my<\/em> fullest, I also realized how deeply I miss the feeling of a dynamic, sharp mogul run split into sections by a few weightless, upside-down moments where time seems to stop completely\u2026and I can\u2019t wait to get back to that feeling SO soon!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Below is a collection of my favorite moments from the summer\/fall\u2026\u2026 \ud83e\udd17<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.oliviagiaccio.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/IMG_5985-scaled.jpg\")
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