The 2026 Winter Olympics may be in the rear-view mirror, but fans of the Games are in luck.
Because the 2026 Winter Paralympics are just getting started.
Over the next two weeks more of the world’s best athletes will tackle the ice, snow, and slopes in Italy during the 2026 Winter Paralympics, and ahead of the games SB Nation caught up with one of Team USA’s stars, snowboarder Brenna Huckaby. Huckaby has four Paralympic medals already on her resume, having won gold in both the snowboard cross and the banked slalom at the 2018 Winter Paralympics, and then gold in the banked slalom and bronze in the snowboard cross at the 2022 Beijing Games.
Over the course of a fascinating conversation we talked about her journey to the Games, what it takes to be at your best, the importance of finding yourself and yes, cats.
Huckaby’s path to the Paralympics
Huckaby’s path to the Paralympics has taken a long and winding road.
Including some time in the courtroom.
Growing up, Huckaby was a nationally-ranked gymnast, and was on track for a potential college scholarship. But in her early teens she developed some pain in her right knee, which she initially believed was a training injury.
But after multiple rounds of tests, it was uncovered to be osteosarcoma, a bone cancer.
Doctors tried treating the tumor woth chemotherapy, but the tumor continue to grow, and amputation of her right leg was raised as an option. Given the fact that the cancer was not responding to chemotherapy, and radiation was not effective against this particular condition, Huckaby proceeded with the amputation.
That is when she discovered snowboarding, during her recovery.
Her athleticism on the mat translated to the snow, and Huckaby began racking up wins in snowboarding, securing her first world championship in snowboard cross in 2015. She represented Team USA at the 2018 Winter Paralympics, taking gold in both snowboard cross and the banked slalom as noted above.
Then came the next twist to her tale.
“There’s two categories for women’s leg-impairment snowboarding,“ described Huckaby. ”I am in LL1, which means I have a level of impairment that, to put it visually, is an above-the-knee amputee or something similar. So, if you have both your legs, you’re affected to a similar degree as an above-the-knee amputee. The other category is LL2, which, to put it visually, is the equivalent for a below-the-knee amputee, or something similar. In my category, LL1, we also have double below-the-knee amputees.“
Following the 2018 Paralympics, the landscape shifted in the sport.
“So, my category, LL1 had many women retire in 2018 after the games, which left us with less number of women than we ideally would like to have. So, we began competing combined with the LL2 women, who also did not have very many numbers at this time, so that we could have levels of competition and enough people to compete,” said Huckaby. “We competed combined in this way at World Cups for a couple of years, after 2018, and we were told then that we would be able to compete combined at the Paralympic Games, so that we could have representation and show that we, you know, exist. And in LL1 women, we’re not putting the LL2 women at a disadvantage in any way.
“However, when the qualification guide came out in 2021, the LL1 women were excluded from being able to compete. We were not in the language that we were able to compete.”
But knowing the importance of the Paralympics, Huckaby pressed the matter.
“So, I knew that the importance of representation and having LL1 women, seen, knowing that, hey, that’s how you get more women, not only in our sport, but to know that you know, they’re worthy of being seen, and they are capable of doing incredible things. The way to do that is to be seen at the Paralympics, since that’s really our only time to have visibility at this scale. So I wanted to fight for my right to compete. I ended up hiring a lawyer, filing an injunction to allow me to compete on the basis of disability discrimination, and we won.
“So myself and my fellow LL1 competitor, Cecile Hernandez, was able to compete in the 2022 games in the LL2 classification. So, we were competing at a disadvantage, but to us, it was more important to be at a disadvantage so that we could showcase that we exist and we are worthy of showing up for other people. Now, moving into 2026.”
While the numbers are growing, Huckaby will still be competing in the LL2 classification during these Games. While that might mean a disadvantage, it is worth it to show the world what she and her fellow athletes can do.
“That is still the case, though worldwide we have more LL1 women than we have in a very long time. We have almost equal numbers to the LL2 women, so … Not sure why we’re still combined, but we are.
“So, at this Games, I will also be competing at a disadvantage, which is a massive challenge, but I know that it has grown me as a person, and it is worth it. Again, I would rather compete at a disadvantage than not compete at all, so that I can show, women with more severe disabilities that they deserve to compete.”
The chaos of snowboard cross
One of Huckaby’s events, snowboard cross, has been described as “NASCAR on snow.”
So I asked the athlete how to describe the event from her perspective, which looks like loosely controlled chaos to this observer.
“We always say there’s a line of control. So if you’re riding in control, you’re here, okay,” says Huckaby, gesturing.
“But to be the fastest, you kind of have to push that line a little bit, and sometimes that means you may not ride everything perfectly, and you may explode, and sometimes that means you take out other competitors, which is…a bummer, but it happens, and we call it getting border crossed,” described the Team USA athlete.
“So, in an ideal, perfect world, our level of control is so fast that nobody can touch you, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. So we’re all trying to kind of push our levels of speed in the courses, which can sometimes end in chaos. But I would say 90% of the time, though, everyone’s on their feet, doing some clean, really impressive racing, but sometimes those explosions do happen.
The Paralympic experience
I then wanted to discuss what the experience is like at the Games for an athlete, from what it is like to prepare for your event, to life in the Athlete’s Village. Thankfully, Huckaby was willing to each aspect, starting with getting ready for her events.
“So, it’s the same as any other event. So for us, [with snowboard cross] we get a practice day, so we’ll be on the course for one day, maybe two at the games,” began Huckaby. “But for sure, one day on course for training, and then, the next day you do qualifiers, which kind of feels like another day of training, because it’s all about your time, so you’re not racing with other people. And then the next day, it’s full-on heat after heat, racing first one to the bottom.
“We will be going to Italy a little bit early, so that we can acclimate to the time zone, and I believe we will be on snow during that time, just not on course. And then, very similar style for bank slalom, except it’s a training day, and then because we don’t race head-to-head with multiple people, it’s timed, the second day will just jump straight into finals of the timed runs.”
And for preparation, Huckaby outlined for me how much of that process comes down to the mental side of the sport.
“So when you get to a course, you do something called inspection, and you have about 30 minutes to basically memorize the course before you can start training on it. And, I think because of the experience I have, I’m able to memorize a course fairly quickly,” outlined Huckaby.
“For that 30 minutes, you’re going through every turn, every feature, you’re looking at, like, what’s the snow consistency? What is the fastest line for time trials? What is the fastest line when I actually start riding with other people? And you’re trying to get all of that data in 30 minutes.
“Then from there, I typically will visualize that course multiple times on the lift, until I get to ride it, and then, that visualization process is never-ending,” added Huckaby. “I continue to do it throughout the whole day, as I gain more feedback and understanding of the course as I ride it. So, it’s a lot of mental, visualization and knowing what you’re doing, to memorize it, because if you don’t, it can get really scary really fast.”
We moved to what the experience is like away from the snow. As someone who grew up watching the Games as a kid, I’ve often wondered about what life is like at the Games as an athlete.
According to Huckaby, pin trading remains a common pursuit in the Village.
“So, for this event, we start competing very early on. So, I will have a few days break in between both events. Haven’t decided yet how I will spend it. I think I’ll likely stay in the Village, but we do have the option to go travel around. For me, that makes me really tired, so I might just stay in the Village,” started Huckaby. “And then in the Village, there’s a lot of pin trading,” said Huckaby.
“I’m in competition with another teammate who’s probably gonna destroy me, because he’s so good at pin trading. But I want to give him a run for his money this year, so I will be spending time doing that.
“And then there’s also hair salons, nail salons, the gym, really beautiful gym facility the last couple of Games, and then, the food court.
“I love eating, so I’ll also be there.
“But yeah, there’s everything you need in just such a small little place. And I’ll hopefully be hanging out with athletes from other nations and other sports. I think we’re gonna be with the alpine athletes, so getting to know them will be really cool.”
On Hershey’s, and “real gold”
Fans who watched the 2026 Winter Olympics are already familiar with Huckaby’s work.
She was part of a campaign with Hershey’s along with fellow Team USA athletes Hilary Knight, Erin Jackson, Jason Brown, and Jordan Stolz, discussing their hopes for the Games. But as part of the campaign, the athletes were surprised by family members, who reminded them that happiness is the “real gold:”
That message is one that resonates with Huckaby.
“For me, that message is kind of everything,” began Huckaby.
“Over the last eight years, I’ve really been trying to focus on the journey and to let go of the outcome. And, what I’ve learned the most is pausing and slowing down and seeing what’s right in front of you is how you find happiness, and is where you see that, like, ‘oh, things are okay, and I have way more things than I thought to be grateful for.’
“And it doesn’t have to be this elaborate, like, spa retreat to feel good about yourself and feel happy. It can really be in these tiny moments of everyday life. But it is a practice. It is reminding yourself to pause, and knowing that you are worth pausing for, and so being able to spread that message with Hershey’s that happiness is found in these tiny, everyday moments, and is achievable, and it’s about, you know, the journey, and that’s where the real gold comes from, and I think that’s really important, and I’m excited to be a part of that message.”
As for what candy in particular Huckaby will be celebrating with in Italy, Almond Joy fans can relate to her answer.
“I am a Almond Joy fiend, so I will be eating an Almond Joy, for sure. I actually have some in my freezer that I am going to take with me.”
Having won a gold medal before, I did want to ask Huckaby what it is like being on the podium, and hearing “The Star-Spangled Banner” played as the American flag is raised.
It is a moment that almost cannot be put into words.
“No, I cannot put it into words,” replied Huckaby.
“It is such an overwhelming feeling, to the point, even when I hear our national anthem not at the games, it brings me back to that moment, and I can feel it in my body. And sometimes it makes me teary-eyed, because it… it really was such an overwhelming experience.”
Before our conversation came to an end, I had to ask Huckaby at least one question … about Mouse.
As someone who became a cat person later in life, and currently chases Sunny and Rosie around the house when I have a spare moment, I wanted to get Huckaby’s thoughts on her cat Mouse, and how Mouse has helped prepare her for the Games.
“Oh my gosh, I love Mouse so much,” began Huckaby.
“I think one of the biggest things about having a cat is, she forces me to slow down when I am very energetic. I can get the human zoomies, and I can be loud, and she kind of reminds me … she wants nothing to do with me when I’m like that. So, I know if I can be calm and quiet, and I go sit with a heated blanket, she will come and snuggle me. So, she is a physical reminder to pause, to be in the moment, and to be present,” continued Huckaby.
“Oh, I love her so much, I wish I could take her to the Games with me. Oh, I’d love that. My parents have a cat, and I just love them so much. I was never a cat person, but now I am.”
Expectations for the 2026 Games
We closed with a discussion about her training for the 2026 Games, and her expectations for Italy. Huckaby outlined for me how her preparation has been “consistent,” and she is seeing a lot of progress in her performance.
“I would say it’s as good as it can be,” said Huckaby about her training for the Games.
“You can only control what you can control, and I’ve been really focused on my nutrition this year, really dialing that in so that my body is fueled for sport, and also just been very consistent with my gym training. And it’s paid off, because now that I’m back on snow, I have seen a lot of progress in things that I wasn’t able to do. I’m able to do them a lot faster and quicker and with more power because of my training this summer. So yeah, I’m feeling really good and really strong.”
As for her expectations for the Paralympics, as a “competitor” she is aiming for gold.
“I mean, of course, I’m hoping for a gold medal. I think that in an ideal world, that’s what I would like to walk away with. I wouldn’t be a competitor if that wasn’t going for gold,” began Huckaby.
”But you know, you can’t focus on an outcome because it’s not guaranteed. So, for me, I want to be able to be at the Games, be clear-headed, to feel strong, and to do what I know I can do on a snowboard. And so, releasing any pressure and expectation, and just be in the moment and perform the way that I know that I can.“
Whether she wins gold again or not, three things wait for her after the Games: An Almond Joy or two, “real gold,” and Mouse.
Three very special things indeed.
