Beyond The Slopes, Episode 2 - The ESPYs

The ESPYs! What a trip...Iiterally.

TBH…I seriously did not think I would win the ESPY. And, I kind of blacked out a bit on stage. But, I hope I at least got the message across about records, inspiration, how grateful I am for my entire support system, and setting the tone for the next generation to be great humans both on and off the mountain (or whatever their playing field is) and to maybe—hopefully—even reset my record one day.

I had a lot more that I would have liked to say…but it seemed best to keep it simple, hopefully not too long, and a bit more focused than my typical scatter-brained tangents😅. Especially when in shock🤣…but here are some of the thoughts I left out:

While in LA, Lewis Howes asked me, “what is greatness?”

I started thinking about actions, and people, and achievements…but then I realized that maybe greatness is not any of those things. Maybe it’s simply a feeling. It’s the shivers you get, up and down your spine, when you experience, or witness something that makes you feel grateful and SO lucky to be alive. Greatness is a moment, it happens to us, around us, and because of us, all of the time.

The amount of greatness in the room at the ESPYs…that was astounding to me. I felt so lucky to be there amongst so many spectacular athletes and people. Honestly the nomination alone was the win for me.

Over the past few years, something I’ve learned is that the one thing that we can all relate to above everything else, is that greatness can not exist without struggle and failure. Not for me, not for anyone in the room that night, or anyone who might have been watching on TV…

As Janet Fitch said, “The Phoenix must burn to emerge.”

People will root for you on your rise, all the way to the top, then they’ll get bored of you being on top. They’ll cheer for someone else, anyone else. They’ll actually cheer for you to fall. And they will tear you down further when you do fail.

You will fail, it’s unavoidable…and it will hurt. It’s supposed to hurt. My greatest failures have been the most defining moments in my career. The pain from them is etched into my memory, and that has guided me to work harder and smarter and keep improving.

The people around me, my whole world of support, have picked me up, dusted me off, and reminded me again and again that the most important thing above all else is simply having the courage to try, despite the chance that I might fail.

So to those people, I just want to say thank you.

To my team, my teammates, my friends. Taylor, Kristi, Aleks…especially my Mom—I absolutely would not be where I am without you…you are my greatest inspiration. Dad, we love you and we miss you so much. Lastly, thank you to ESPN and the #ESPYs for this recognition again, and congratulations to all of the nominees and winners this year.

Thank you all for the outpouring of love and support. Really. I got the chance to talk about body shaping underwear up on that stage because you all voted and you support me through thick and thin—thank you.

Love,
Mikaela

Directed By: Mike Dawson
Produced By: Megan Harrod
Edited By: Dana Willax
Special Thanks To: Longines and the Stifel U.S. Ski Team

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