“We equate winning with being O.K., and failure with being not O.K.
The real truth is that I’m neither O.K. nor not O.K.”
@mikaelashiffrin opens up about losing her father and the real nature of grief.
Still managed to win the overall cup. Such an incredible person you are.
I know what’s like losing someone like that, you just have to keep going because
nothing is going to change, you have your memories with you that will last forever.
Sending
from 
So, psyched you found a great guy in Kilde, after your father’s passing.
It may only take one amazing person to help fill the void of another amazing person.
Thank you so much for writing this. Your words are beautiful and resonate with me so deeply as I lost my mother last November. Your expression of grief and how it feels felt
like all the feelings that I have trouble expressing and explaining.
Thank you so much for shining a light on grief and death.
Our society has so much trouble and discomfort within this topic and it’s so important
that it’s more widely discussed. Everyone will unfortunately experience this one day so we as a society need to be better about understanding and supporting and most importantly speaking about it.
Life was never meant to be easy. We all are challenged for a reason.
Grow and be stronger from your adversity and you will always have us as a fan!
You are a beautiful soul, as well as a wonderful athlete.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to get to know that part of you as well,
in addition to what we see in the races!
My heart hurts for you. My dad has been gone for 13 years & I still dream about him.
So much of who I am is because of him & his impact on me.
Thank you for sharing your heart with all of us.
It is still hard, the pain is real, but the biggest comfort for
me is to know he knew Jesus & that I will see him again…
I will keep you in my prayers that you find peace…. it will take time
On the path to superstardom the entity called “Mikaela Shiffrin” that two years ago
went from supernova to black hole suddenly becoming an endless echo chamber for soul-rending grief. Even for a few hours a week try to slip out of that force field and become “Ann Walker” or someone else with zero celebrity, no interviews, no endorsements, just free to live and occasionally feel the private pang of loss over her father’s death, not the public grief of the “Mikaela” persona.
Very touching article and well written. There could not be a more true statement made in all aspects of life: “We equate winning with being O.K., and failure with being not O.K”… keep being strong and being you. Thanks for sharing. Mikaela Shiffrin (@mikaelashiffrin) • Instagram photos and videos
So complex, grief. It’s important to feel it all
. So darn Heartbreaking- I just get a wave over me where reality just doesn’t quite fit?
It just makes no sense. Mom should be here- what the hell happened???
….so Brave of you to share your journey. And cathartic. Thank you
Grief trauma resides in the body too, the ‘heaviness’ of it all…energy work, like Reiki has done wonders for me. It’s a cellular reset. Not a forgetting but a way to enter into joy again sans the guilt, fear, etc.
through your body. I encourage you to check it out
What a special human being. It’s a pleasure to watch her doing her work (turning it into some weird kind of “body art”), it’s mind opening to listen to her words, and I don’t know how she’s doing it but she’s always beautiful too. Respect, she really is one in a million.
Powerful and touching. The feeling of anger that comes with grief is real, and I’m sorry you’ve had to feel it because it means you’ve lost someone you loved deeply.
It’s OK to not be OK. Keep talking about him and to him
Your father’s spirit and love will always be with you and part of everything you do.
Even though his physical presence has left. It began the day you were born, and his
spirit will be passed forward to those you love.
This is the most honest, at the same time sad and yet filled with so much beautiful love statement of a public person I have ever read! It will be a big help to others who lost loved ones as well. And your courage to share this is inspiring! Keep riding these waves of grief and eventually they will get smaller… and allow you to be happy and have fun in your life as this is what your dad wants you to be…
Perhaps you have read it already, but I strongly recommend The Book of Joy by The Dalai Lama and Bishop Desmond Tutu. In it they talk about how chasing happiness will always disappoint, but that finding JOY can help us thrive despite the hardships we face in life. You seem to know this. Keep inspiring through kindness and self-awareness and hard work. May the Force always be with you!
It’s extremely hard to relive this pain, but the reason I’m doing it
is because maybe it can help someone else. You’re not alone.
“We equate winning with being O.K., and failure with being not O.K.
The real truth is that I’m neither O.K. nor not O.K.”
And you know what…it’s O.K. to not be O.K.
The main point to tell this story is that sometimes it’s as simple as getting out of bed
and putting one foot in front of the other. You don’t have to succeed every single day—
you won’t succeed every single day. Sometimes all you’re doing is trying & sometimes
that’s enough. Know that I see you and hear you. And I’m thinking about you.
People don’t often talk about this side of loss and pain, but it’s really so very important.
How does one move forward after such a loss?
Because not talking about it doesn’t equal not feeling it. It’s challenging to be open; I get it.
I’m hoping this helps someone out there to understand it’s OK to feel what you’re feeling.
Summer clock is running out for this girl. Just about time to ski again!
Mikaela Shiffrin (@mikaelashiffrin) • Instagram photos and videos
Ski szn is right around the corner so I thought I’d share a few exercises/workouts
that I’ve been doing over this summer that feel super effective in prepping for those
race-turn forces, and I thought maybe you guys would like them too!
Soooo… What are your favorite workouts?
Mikaela Shiffrin (@mikaelashiffrin) • Instagram photos and videos
1) Bulgarian Split Squats— I love that these can be weighted in so many different ways, holding a kettlebell in front of you, dumbbells at your side, with a bar like I am here,
or no weight at all! When done properly, these get your core, balance, quads, glutes and you even feel a bit of a hamstring! Great for building a wide range of stability and strength for the mountain.
2) KettleBell Swings— these make me giggle cause it’s like… “umm what are we actually doing here?” BUT, they are super effective. I’ve felt that these really help me build strength through the posterior chain and help to stabilize my lower back, without overworking my back.
3) PILATES… this is just straight up nourishment for the whole body. It’s a serious combo of a lot of core, upper body, hip, leg strength and active mobility. My sessions range from more recovery focused to a very intense core work, but it really can be targeted for your specific needs. It’s been a godsend for me over the last few years. (Shout out to Kim at @athleticclubwestin for always making time to see me when I’m home!)
Mikaela Shiffrin (@mikaelashiffrin) • Instagram photos and videos
Making it to the Olympics is a victory in itself.
Just. Be. Careful. A Littie over 3 yrs ago, I was run over by my own car after I fell, and it backed over me on a slight incline just as yours is here. Though it wasn’t moving fast, it still thrashed me and dragged me with unbelievable force. The tires broke my neck and femur as they rolled over my body, and I had cuts in my head that bore into my skull.
I was Flight for Life to Denver where I spent 2 weeks in the hospital, a week of which was in the ICU, and had 3 surgeries to repair my mangled body. I still have permanent nerve damage in my left hand, a vertebral artery occlusion which puts me at risk for stroke, and my neck has lost a lot of mobility due to having 5 fused vertebrae. I am grateful and extremely lucky to have returned to full activity, despite what doctors originally told me.
But I wouldn’t wish this upon anyone. Let alone America’s greatest skier
I always thought if I got really hurt it would be doing something more… extreme. As you know, weird stuff can happen when you least expect it so please be careful around the car!
MENTAL HEALTH”
I’m so proud of Mikaela and all the athletes for showing up every day during
a crazy Covid Olympics and competing with all their hearts on unfamiliar terrain.
Let’s cheer for everyone who made it to Beijing.
Medals or no, you’re all superheroines and superheroes.
And that goes for you too, @meganharrod
These words have been thrown around a lot over the last couple of years. As we have maneuvered a seemingly never- ending global pandemic and so much more, we’ve also had the chance to sit with our feelings. While some have become more compassionate and connected in this strange time, as a whole we have become increasingly more critical. We seem to have forgotten about the human at the core as we hide behind computer screens and tear others down with words as keyboard warriors.
Athletes that we have put on pedestals…it was bad enough before covid, but since
it’s been worse. Armchair experts weigh in on social media with their hot takes about why @simonebiles failed the nation and how anything but gold doesn’t matter. I watched the summer Olympics in utter disbelief at how the world was reacting to the greatest gymnast of all time’s momentary departure from the top. While so many people showed compassion, a dizzying number of people criticized her. I was sad, appalled, and honestly terrified for what was to come at the winter edition of the same event when world-sized expectations are placed upon our athletes’ shoulders.
And here we are. And I can assure you it is indeed dizzying.
When I ski, it’s like a song…flow, power, rhythm. You can’t help but feel amazing.
#sheskis #weareskiing
Last year at world champs, @mikaelashiffrin walked away with four medals in four events. It was amazing and spectacular, and she didn’t get as much credit as she should have after the year she had because she didn’t win four golds (which btw is absurd in this sport with so many variables) but she still won gold and made history. Again. Then she went on to make more history this season. Again, despite the loss of her father and continued grief. The back injury. A positive covid test and two-week quarantine at the most crucial part of the season. Yet, she remains in first in the race for the overall. She shattered records left and right and showed that the impossible is possible so much, that the world has put her on a pedestal, and anything less than a victory is a disappointment.
️3 Olympic medals️11 World Champ medals️73 World Cup wins️47 World Cup slalom wins️3 overall World Cup titlesTell it like it is…many out there need to find the ground again…where is the compassion and understanding that life isn’t a perfect movie. Having been around world class athletes most of my adult life…they all put their pants on 1 leg at a time…just like us mere mortals…who is anybody to say anything about any of them.
Time for the haters to look in the mirror and take a deep look inside their own lifes…I am sure it ain’t as perfect of a picture as they seem to paint for the athletes to have. Thanks for bringing everybody’s feet back to earth…so much truth in your post thanks for sharing that humanity.
Mikaela Shiffrin (@mikaelashiffrin) • Instagram photos and videos
ONE MORE THING…
A lot of people love to root against the ones at the top. Love/hate relationship. @lebron, @tombrady, @serenawilliams, … when one wins so much.
The public either :
1) grows to expect it or 2) gets bored. I’m so over rooting against athletes at the top and rather I’m here to just appreciate insane athletic feats. An athlete doesn’t get injured enough so they’re ultimately boring. FLIP THE SCRIPT. Just as falling and getting back up is impressive, it’s equally as impressive to stay at the top of your game, healthy, for so long. Look at Tom Brady. That blows me away. To stay healthy and fit and be the best at your craft for THAT long?!
That’s unreal. Let’s change the narrative.
Society needs a paradigm shift…and history will prove that the paradigm
shift will come on the backs of moments like this, and powerful individuals like
@mikaelashiffrin …. because moments like this show us exactly what is most important: the person. NOT the ratings, the results or the storybook endings. But the person, the challenges they face, and the transformation they experience through the process. It’s the transformation that we all seek…at the individual level, becoming a wiser/fulfilled/passionate human…. or at the societal level, becoming more compassionate/collaborative/diverse…. And it takes moments like these, and strong individuals like her, to show us a better way….in sport, and in Life.
Mikaela Shiffrin (@mikaelashiffrin) • Instagram photos and videos
abramowiczdaria
As a performance psychologist working with top athletes,
Let me just say…thank you for this post.
Mikaela Shiffrin (@mikaelashiffrin) • Instagram photos and videos
Verified: It’s always so inspiring to take part in the #ESPYs,
Mikaela Shiffrin at 2022 ESPYs in Hollywood #celebrities #goddess #beautifulgirl
Even more so this year with the celebration highlighting 50 years since Title IX.
Being surrounded by so many remarkable sports figures left me a little speechless
and starstruck. Also a very fun time to change out the usual attire of race suit or
workout clothes and get all dressed up
.A lot has happened this year. I can imagine it’s not easy to weave all the intricacies of social justice issues, the progress we’ve made thus far towards a more equal playing ground, the distance we have yet to cover, the war in Ukraine, the fight to get BG home, and so much more into an event that is fundamentally meant to be an uplifting and inspiring sports awards show. Somehow, @espn managed to put it all together with taste, humor and—when needed—seriousness.
Thank you, ESPN, for the invitation, the @playerstribune for continuing to share my journey, and especially thank you to all the athletes (those in attendance, and those who weren’t) who continue to push boundaries and break barriers every day, constantly proving what’s possible through passion, drive, and dedication.
I’ve been following ski racing for almost 50 years.
I remember Jean Claude, Franz Klammer, Spider, Rosi, the Maher’s ~ Wild Bill Johnson, and on.
Hands down Miki is the
!If she never runs another gate!
@mikaelashiffrin you are a rockstar! The numbers don’t lie. It’s empowering to see you putting it on
the line and skiing in all 4 disciplines. How many other athletes can do that?
Most team sport athletes play one position. They have one job to do.
You have seen success all across the board! Don’t forget that! USA, USA, USA!!
.
And so, when the media or fans or whomever says Mikaela let them down, or Simone was a failure, just remember when you replied all to a company email rather than just hitting reply. And know that that fuck up for you has far different consequences than competing in front of millions doing something where you are putting your life on the line.
Lastly, I’d love to thank all the written journalists who were wonderful yesterday in the mixed zone with Mikaela in what was an excruciating time as she spoke about things so much bigger than back-to-back DNFs in skiing. And to others who exploit an athlete when they are at their most vulnerable state: all I have to say is that I am truly sorry for you and I hope you reflect and attempt to understand the importance of athlete mental health and protecting athletes as humans *actually* means. And to @giuliettacandiago in the end and our peeps at the USOPC (@teamusa and @jonmason11)…
THANK YOU for being so amazing and actually prioritizing mental health.
A REMINDER:
MIKAELA HAS NOTHING TO PROVE TO ANYONE. Nothing. To. Anyone.
Mikaela Shiffrin (@mikaelashiffrin) • Instagram photos and videos
Is she disappointed? Yes. Is that understandable? Yes. She is a champion.
She is the best in the world at her craft. Of course she’s disappointed.
Does this define her? No. Does that fact make it hurt any less? No.
When anyone asks me about who Mikaela is as a person, this is what I share…she is a person who is kind and real and authentic when the cameras aren’t there. In Cortina a few years ago when she won the super-G, I had a horrendous migraine. It was so bad, in fact, that I threw up. I didn’t want to make a big deal of it so I hunkered down in my room, but it wasn’t lost on Mikaela. Rather than celebrating, she and Eileen came into my room to sit with me in the dark, bring me goldfish, and make sure I was ok.
Thanks to Her Mom. THAT is who Mikaela Shiffrin is.
People don’t give enough credit to athletes who just make it to that level, let alone win anything. The amount of skill, discipline, and hard work that goes into finishing DFL in the olympics is something the average person cannot grasp. They look for any reason to try and bring them down to their level because deep down they know they can’t compare to someone like that.
What an eloquent essay to ground the past couple of days. You are a true friend to @mikaelashiffrin and a true fan of the sport. Shame on the media and the uncompassionate armchair critics. Is the goal to further crush the best ski racer
(ever) in the world, or help raise her up in her moment of despair?
(“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel” – Maya Angelou)