Photo: US Ski and Snowboard Team
Owens grew up in Vail, Colorado, with parents Amy and John Owens, where she says she always spent time connecting with her Chinese heritage.
“I learned some Mandarin,” she recounts. “It’s always been an important part of myself for me. … And being able to go back [for the Olympics] would be just incredible.”
US Ski and Snowboard Team
With a lot of time, sacrifice, and dedication required, the training schedule for an Olympic skier is rigorous. But Owens has the drive.
“I love competing and I just — I really want to win,” she tells PEOPLE. “I want to be the best athlete that I can be and perform to the best of my ability.”
Part of being the best athlete is taking care of her body, and allocating time for recovery. Lately, she says, she’s been “doing some PT.”
Elaborates Owens, “Some stretching, just physical recovery. I’m trying to hit everything that I can for meals. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a nutrition plate but it’s just carbohydrates, fruit, veggies, meat. I just make sure I hit all of that in a meal.”
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Owens, along with the rest of the otherOlympic hopefuls,will have to wait until this weekend to find out her fate. But for now, just thinking about what this trip across the globe means is exciting.
“That would just mean the world to me,” Owens says. “I think it would just be a reflection of my hard work and my stars aligning. And I think it would just be a huge deal and so special for me and my community. Just everybody around me and including myself. I think it would reinforce how lucky I am and that I get to do what I love and be good at it.”
And her big moment coming in China? Well, she says, that’s just “full circle.”
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visitTeamUSA.org. Watch the Winter Olympics, beginning Feb 3, and the Paralympics, beginning March 4, on NBC.
source: people.com
