How Brenna Huckaby Conquers a Snowboard Course | NYT - Inside an Olympic Athlete's Mind

Off the course, she's missing a leg. In her snowboard pants, she's just Brenna. When her heart races, she transports herself home to the smell of Cajun cooking and sound of her mother’s voice.

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When I'm at the start gate and
I'm preparing to visualize,

I'm usually looking
down the course.

Usually I've memorized
the course to almost a T.

Pull out of the gate, flat,
roller, roller, roller,

stay flat, don't speed
check - you've got this.

Pop, tabletop, pop
down, turn one -

Any time I feel my
heart rate starting

to go up, whether it's
good or bad, I reset.

I go to my happy place,
which is usually home.

I have my entire family, my
mom's cooking, sit with my dad,

and I can smell Cajun food -

I'm from Louisiana.

Roller, turn two, absorb hole -

After having my daughter,
for whatever reason,

while I was competing,
I heard my mom's voice

saying, “Come on, baby."

Because she used to say that
in all my gymnastics videos.

I could hear my mom being
like, “Come on, baby.

Come on, baby."

Four, drawn out.

Five, super tight.

Waterfall.

Six, speed check.

Jump.

Seven - tight.

Eight, hold speed, roller,
roller, roller, jump, finish.

I'm always envisioning
the course and winning.

I hear “Brenna Huckaby,
U.S.A.," and you're like, wait.

That's not right.

But you go up to the
first place anyway.

There's a pink background
behind me, there's a bear,

there's little flowers that
they made, and I see the seats.

And I see myself
standing in first.

The reason I love
snowboarding so much

is because I feel
like everyone else.

I cover my - well, not cover
my leg because I want to,

but it's cold, so
I put my pants down

and nobody knows that I'm
missing a leg, and I love that.

It just gives me that
sense of freedom.

Whenever I'm walking
down the street,

someone's always staring
or someone's always gotta

bring that up.

Being on snow and being
in my snowboard pants,

like, I'm away from that.

Just - I'm just Brenna,
and I love that.