Image via Complex Original
When we think of Olympic gold medalists, we think of people whose entire lives have been geared toward one moment of glory. They have been coached and molded in training academies since they were old enough to walk, essentially faceless automatons built for one purpose and one purpose only. Their chosen sports consume their entire lives, and they have neither the time nor the interest for anything else.
Jamie Anderson, however, is not your typical gold medalist.
Trading a few extra hours of practice for a “medicine walk” and coaches for a “spirit grandmother,” Anderson rode “good vibes” (and ridiculous talent) to a gold medal in the first-ever slopestyle event at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Along the way, she built herself a legion of new fans by “trying to keep it light” despite the enormity of her accomplishments, and even 18 months later Anderson still endures as one of the stars of the 2014 Olympics.
As devoted to her beloved home of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., as she is the slopes, at 25 years old, Anderson embodies the perfect work-life balance most people spend their entire lives trying to find. She goes all-in on everything she does; in all aspects of her life, Anderson truly lives her obsession. With winter on the horizon and the snowboarding season nearly upon us, here are 10 Reasons to Be Obsessed With Olympic Gold Medalist Jamie Anderson.
No PEDs, Only Mantra Beads
Some athletes will do anything for an edge, even dipping into the world of chemistry to find a magical concoction to give them the extra boost they need to win. Anderson, however, doesn’t subscribe to that Western idea of turning her body over to science in order to dominate the slopes; instead, she relies on her mantra beads and power stones to win her events. And who could blame her? Not only are her items well within the rules of the International Olympic Committee, but they helped her win that history-making gold medal in Sochi. Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, et al.: take note.
She Was Winning Medals Before She Could Drive
What were you doing when you were 13 years old? Trying to summon the courage to talk to a crush? Fretting over the inherent difficulty and unfairness of Algebra 1? Anderson didn’t have time for such adolescent angst. No, she was out on the slopes competing against the best in the world at the Winter X Games, and by the time she was 15 years old she had become the youngest-ever medalist in the games’ history, passing the incomparable Shaun White. Not bad considering she wasn’t even old enough to drive a car yet.
Her Good Luck Charm Is Her 86-Year-Old Neighbor
Anderson clearly hasn’t heard of the more conventional rabbit’s foot. In her quest to bring as much good fortune to her slopestyle campaign at the Olympics as possible, Anderson brought her then-85-year-old neighbor along with her to Sochi. This was no ordinary neighbor, though; this was Anderson’s “Spirit Grandma,” there to help her young protégé stay centered and on her game. You can’t argue with results, and don’t be shocked if you see a massive influx of elderly people dotting the sidelines of professional sports teams across the world at the next games.
There’s Basically Nowhere in the World She Hasn’t Done a Handstand
If you follow Anderson on Instagram, one thing quickly becomes apparent: She’s got other skills. Her interests range far outside the world of snowboarding, and Anderson can be seen sharing photos of herself paddle boarding, slacklining, or even helping out on her mom’s alpaca farm in Vermont. But above all else, wherever out in nature she is, Anderson loves herself some yoga. Her favorite pose certainly appears to be the handstand, which she’ll photograph on cliff sides, on top of paddleboards, or basically anywhere else on earth. And when you’re as well-traveled as she is, that’s a whole lot of handstands.
She Doesn’t Have a Coach
In at least one respect, Anderson is the antithesis of 99 percent of Olympians. While most athletes have a coach for literally every facet of their sport, Anderson only relies on one person to help her improve: herself. That’s right, Anderson literally does not have a coach. The reason? “I did have a coach when I was a kid, but when I was about 14 or 15 I just kind of outgrew it,” she told ESPN The Magazine in July 2014. “I just wanted to ride with everyone whenever I wanted and not have any expectations or pressure, just follow my own intuition.” Clearly, her intuition is pretty damn good.
Her Secret to Not Getting Injured? Yoga
Crashes are a way of life in skiing and snowboarding, and the injuries that occur as a result of these wrecks are the easiest way for a promising young career to be cut short. But just as athletes in other sports have discovered, Anderson has made full-use of an age-old injury prevention technique: yoga. She’s a borderline yoga fanatic, making it a regular part of her training regimen both in and out of season, even taking some time the night before her gold-medal run to strike a few poses. “Yoga always comes through for me,” she said after her win in Sochi, and based on the results there’s really no arguing with that.
She Started Competing at Age 9, in Part Just to Make Some Extra Money
When you’re a kid, even the smallest amount of money can feel like you’ve just won the lottery. So when a 9-year-old Anderson discovered that she could actually get paid for snowboarding, she was all-in. “I started making a little bit of money from the competitions, and I was really stoked because I was always working as a young kid selling golf balls or working for my mom mowing lawns,” Anderson told ESPN The Magazine. And while being a golf ball salesman or a landscaper are certainly worthwhile pursuits, there’s something that just sounds a whole lot better about getting paid to do what you really love.
She Co-Founded a Documentary Film Company to Help Promote Women’s Snowboarding
Anderson doesn’t just limit her talents to the slopes, and she doesn't think only about herself. She's also incredibly invested in growing her sport, and making sure that the world has a chance to see what her fellow athletes and she can do. To that end, Anderson has teamed up with some of the sport's biggest names to launch Full Moon Productions, a Kickstarter project aimed at "documenting the past, present, and future of women's snowboarding." They've already surpassed their fundraising goal, and at this time next year they’ll release the group's first documentary film.
She Calms Herself Down Before Big Races by Hugging Trees
When people get called "tree huggers," it's usually being hurled at them with derision and isn't meant literally. Calling Anderson a tree hugger, however, is something different entirely. When she's feeling nervous before a big race and needs to calm herself, Anderson has been known to sidle up right next to a nearby tree and let out a nice, cathartic "Ommm." Unconventional, and maybe a little odd? Sure. But you know what else it is? Quite effective. Anderson has said that she communes with the trees, "Because we love them," and considering how many gold medals these arborous group hugs have brought her, it's easy to see why she feels so strongly.
She Gives Back to Her Hometown of South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
Even though she's one of the biggest names in the world of snowboarding, Anderson has never forgotten her South Lake Tahoe roots. She constantly finds new ways to give back to the community, whether that's by sponsoring local kids as they learn how to snowboard, planting Sugar Pine trees in her hometown, or participating in breast cancer education through Boarding for Breast Cancer. With so much accomplished in such a short time, it would be so easy for someone like Anderson to lose sight of where she comes from and the incredibly positive impact she can make on others, and yet, despite all her success, she remains as grounded and true to herself as she was before the accolades.