BIOGRAPHY:
Colorado native Sarah Schleper began racing with Ski Club Vail at age 11 and just five years later made her World Cup debut—in Vail, no less. In between, she won five Junior Olympic gold medals and was the Whistler Cup slalom champ in 1994. The only American female four-time alpine Olympian, Schleper missed  the 2007 season to rehab from ACL surgery and spent 2008 welcoming her son Lasse (born Jan. 30, 2008) into the world with her husband Federico Gaxiola. She returned to the U.S. Ski Team lineup full-time to open the 2009 season, made the 2010 Olympic Team, and continues to charge on the World Cup tour into her 30s.

As the preeminent example of hard work, Schleper traveled the World Cup tour for the third consecutive season with her husband and young son—balancing family, training, and racing along the way. While showing speed throughout the season (though the results may not have fallen where she'd liked), Schleper finished inside the World Cup top 30 for both slalom and giant slalom to retain her spot on the U.S. elite squad. She takes her role there very seriously, continues to be a motivator and inspiration for her teammates, and even with the constant question of retirement, is still fast, having fun, and knows she can be back on the World Cup podium. Without an Olympics or World Championships in 2012, there's only one place to focus on: that podium.

SARAH SAYS:
"The hardest things for me are when he like, pees on himself and I’m like, ‘What do I do? I didn’t bring extra pants. Those accidents are rare. But I’m in between runs, struggling with a peepeed boy and trying to get ready for my run. Those are the things I stress about a little more than other people would."

"My teammates help me out so much. I feel like they think it’s their priority to help him, too. In that way I’m so fortunate—Resi, Hailey, Megan...they’re his aunts, they’ve taught him a lot while we’re on the road."

"He’s friends with almost all the girls on the World Cup. He knows them by name. He has his favorites—Tina Maze, Maria Riesch, Lindsey Vonn. He loves seeing Lindsey Vonn’s car in the parking lot. He’s always like, ‘That’s Lindsey’s car!’ I was always thinking that Anja Paerson grew up with her dad coaching Ingemar Stenmark and maybe that’s how she got her inherent ability to win all the time. So maybe it will get instilled in Lasse. You know, I don’t really care if he becomes a ski racer, but he definitely has a head start on a lot of kids his age."

"I’ve always devoted my whole life to skiing since I was very young. So I think for me it’s a natural ability, an inherent trait I have. Skiing is my No. 1 focus, that’s why when I go slow, I’m so upset. To have Lasse in there, it makes me less serious about it...which is how it should be. It’s nice to have an outlet."

FIRST TRACKS:
Raised largely by a single dad, a card-carrying “ex-ski bum” who owned his own ski shop in Vail, Schleper’s first skis were a gift for her second birthday. At the first snow, she immediately began hiking up the hill behind her house. She moved into racing with Ski Club Vail at 11. Five years later, she was in her first World Cup—at home! In between, Schleper won five Junior Olympics titles and was 1995 Junior Skier of the Year for Ski Racing; she also was Whistler Cup slalom champ in ’94.

OFF THE SNOW:
Summer loves include surfing, mountain biking, yoga and relaxing in Mexico. Two weeks of the summer are also spent at the family property in Minnesota where wakeboarding and waterskiing take center stage. Younger bro Hunter is also a member of the U.S. Ski Team and is a competitive wake boarder and incredible musician. Goals in life are to open an eco-farm in Mexico and live off the land with son Lasse fluent in English, Spanish and German.