Basecamp Podcast: Olympic gold medalist Hannah Kearney

Hannah Kearney (Norwich, Vt.), the 2010 Olympic gold medalist in moguls, was named to the Hall of Fame. (Getty Images)

Hannah Kearney, a three-time Olympian and two-time medalist, including moguls champion from the Vancouver Games in 2010, joined Basecamp Podcast co-hosts Mike Specian and Keith Pearson recently.

The Norwich, Vt., native looked back at her career, beginning with ballet skiing roots at Waterville Valley, the highs and lows that come with the Olympics and her success on the World Cup tour, where she won six moguls titles and four overall freestyle titles.

She will be an analyst for NBC when the World Cup is at Waterville Valley on Jan. 24-25.

Currently, Kearney lives in Park City, Utah, and has been teaching her 1 1/2-year-old to ski.

Watch the pod

Highlights

How did you learn how to ski and get into freestyle?

I learned how to ski by my Mom and Dad putting my body in a horse halter. We had a draft horse named Sequoia and she had a big head that was the same size as my little body. And that’s how I learned how to ski.

How I actually turned into a moguls skier is actually more of a freestyle story. And it was back when freestyle was moguls, aerials and ballet skiing. And it was offered as an afterschool [00:10:00] program at the Dartmouth Skiway Wednesday afternoons from, I think like, 2:30-4. So pretty small exposure there, but I signed up with my mom when I was in first grade, and I was hooked right away. I loved the acrobatic components, I loved navigating the lack of bumps or bumps that we could find at the Dartmouth Skiway, and I just loved the freestyle friends and spirit.

What do you remember about being on the podium to receive your gold medal?

The emotion that isn’t there when you cross the finish line. The medal ceremony was actually a whole day later, so you’ve had 24 hours to process everything, and you’ve gotten your hair and makeup done and you’re wearing the official medals uniform and you’re in the giant stadium where they’re having concerts every night.

There were thousands of people in there for, I think, a Nelly Furtado concert that night. And they do all the medals from the day before or even that day. My event was so late that it was the next day. … I’ll just walk you through the whole experience.

So, crossing the finish line is athletic performance redemption. And then, of course, the celebration with my family. But the medal ceremony the next day is what you see on TV as a kid and say, “I want to win a medal for my country and for myself.” That was the moment that you actually get to reflect on being a little kid who feels that way.

And then hearing the anthem. Because of that experience, I can’t hear it now without getting tears in my eyes. I can probably barely talk about it without getting tears in my eyes, because that experience was like the culmination of everything I had worked for. And that’s the moment that you actually become a gold medalist, versus earning the title the day before, if that makes sense.

Listen

Olympic Champion Hannah Kearney | New England Ski Journal’s Basecamp (direct link)