The New York Times published a lengthy and in-depth profile of Mikaela Shiffrin recently. The article provides a great exploration of how Mikaela has risen so far so quickly as an alpine ski racer while also developing into a mature, happy, and just plain nice young woman.

I had several take-aways from the article that should be useful for all young athletes, parents, and coaches:

1. The drive must come from within.
2. Parents must create opportunities.
3. It takes many, many hours of training on and off the hill.
4. It also takes an inborn athleticism, balance, and feel that can’t be taught.
5. If you focus on the process, the results will come.
6. It’s about long-term development, not short-term gains.
7. It’s a family experience.
8. Maintain normalcy.
9. Focus on improvement.
10. Have fun!

I’m going to write a longer post about these 10 lessons in the next few weeks.