We caught up with Tricia Mangan, a recipient of the 2019/2020 SYNC Athlete Fund, to do a little Q&A and learn more about her!
Q: So where did you grow up skiing?
A: Holimont, NY.
Q: What is your favorite discipline and why?
A: Super-G. I like that it's only one run so you have to give it everything you have. I also like that it's fast but still technical, and often very unpredictable.
Q: How has this season been going so far? Are you on track for the goals you set out for yourself at the beginning of the season?
A: The season has definitely been full of ups and downs so far. Doing better than expected in some races and worse than hoped in others. I think this is good for me to always know that nothing is ever easy in ski racing and its important to focus on the skiing, not the results, as well as always remembering to give every run your all, no matter the conditions, the race, or the event.
Q: So where do you see yourself in five years?
A: I either want to be skiing on the World Cup tour consistently in the points or starting a career in robotics and prosthetics. Or doing both :)
Q: What is one fun fact that many friends, teammates, and coaches don't know about you?
A: I'm really good at the game where you have to guess how many candies are in the jar. Ex. a mason jar full of m&m's and have you have to guess how many m&m's are in it.
Q: If you could give yourself one piece of advice when you first started racing what would it be?
A: I think it would be to not forget about the big picture. Be super focused and intentional with trying to get better at skiing and racing, but at the end of the day be able to take a step back and appreciate how lucky I am to be ski racing in general.
I think the one thing I regret the most about my years racing when I was younger was how caught up I would get.
Q: If you were not a ski racer what sport do you think you would pursue instead?
A: I've always wanted to be a professional surfer or a beach volleyball player because I love the sun. But I can't do either. Maybe a triathlete or a mountain biker of some sort.
Q: Which World Cup race would you want to start in the most?
A: I had a really really bad experience at Bad Kleinkircheim, so I think it would be very rewarding to go back and do well there.
Q: Can you walk us through your pre-race routine and describe how you mentally prepare?
A: It depends on the event, but I like to go through all the options and circumstances in my head and decide what my game plan is based off past experiences. I think it's important for me to consider all the factors and fully commit to a plan for each run. But in general I've been trying to think less and charge more on race day.
Q: Finally, we have to know, if you could be any part of a burger what would it be and why?
A: I think I would want to be the cheese. Because nobody expects a ton out of the cheese, but it has the potential to make the burger really really good.
Comments
Tricia,
Keeping focused on the best of days is the EZ part. It’s the worst of days that’s the challenge. Here’s to many of those Best of Days and Great skiing.