Hannah Kearney is an Olympic mogul skier. If you have ever tried to ski moguls – those big, often icy bumps on the ski run – you know that it takes lots of confidence and courage to compete in this sport. Here is what Hannah told The Girl’s Guide to Swagger – “I am a college freshman even though I am in my late twenties. I was born, raised, and still live in Norwich, Vermont. I am a 3 time Olympian and a 13 year veteran of the U.S. Ski Team. I love my dog Finn, cooking, and the Boston Red Sox.”
When asked about challenges in her career, Hannah says “I’ve had ACL reconstruction in my left knee, which took me away from competition for a year. Two years ago, I crashed in Switzerland and bruised my liver and broke 2 ribs. I had to spend 5 days in the hospital on bed rest. Currently, I am recovering from a scope on my left knee. In summary, I’ve had a couple of injuries, but in my 18 year career, I’ve been pretty darn lucky. Injuries can be frustrating, be I try to find the bright part of the situation. When I tore my ACL, I adopted a dog. When I missed two months of training due to the liver contusion, I took the opportunity to put up a Christmas tree for the first time and watch my brother’s hockey games.”
Why I love my sport/activity
I love mogul skiing because it is a challenging sport that enables me to be outside in the winter. To ski a good mogul run, you have to be strong, quick, and acrobatic which makes it difficult, yet rewarding.
How to get started
I started skiing when I was only 2 years old, but I began skiing the moguls that naturally form on trails, just a few years later. It is best to venture into the bumps on a flat trail so that you don’t pick up too much speed when you are first learning to let your legs absorb the rut of the mogul while your upper body stays as quiet and square to the fall line as possible.
Overcoming fears
I find it helpful to breakdown fears into manageable components in order to overcome them. I was terrified of learning a backflip, so I took it step by step. First I learned on a trampoline with spotting ropes. Next I did it by myself and then I took it to the ramp where I skied down plastic, hit a jump and landed in a pool of water. I did this hundreds of times in order to build confidence.
Advice to girls and women who are interested in this sport
Freestyle America runs some fantastic trampoline, air bag, water ramping and on snow camps that are open to all ages if you would like to try freestyle skiing.
Accomplishments or personal bests
Winning an Olympic gold medal for the United States of America is one of my proudest moments because it represented personal redemption and years of sacrifice and hard work.
I am also very proud that I maintained a 3.97 GPA through high school while I played varsity soccer, ran varsity track and skied for the U.S. Ski Team.
Basic equipment/clothing to get started
Fairly straight skis that are eye height or shorter, a helmet and ski poles that are a bit shorter than normal