Episode #255
Noelle Pikus Pace
Silver Medal Olympian In The Women's Skeleton Has Quite The Story In + Out Of The Spotlight
Guest Bio:
Noelle Pikus-Pace's strength and speed has led her to become one of the best skeleton sliders in the world since beginning the sport in 2001. Pikus-Pace suffered a compound fracture of her lower right leg as a result of a freak accident when she was struck by a bobsled, causing her to miss the first half of the 2005-2006 season. Showing her true competitiveness and determination, Pikus-Pace recovered and had the best season of her skeleton career in 2006-2007, claiming the World Championship title in St. Moritz and finishing second overall in World Cup standings, just behind teammate Katie Uhlaender.
Pikus-Pace took a break from the sport during the 2007-2008 season to have her first child, Lacee Lynne Pace, but returned to the sport in top form again. She raced to fourth place at the 2010 Vancouver Games and announced her retirement after the final run. Just a year after having her son, Traycen, Pikus-Pace and her husband, Janson, decided she'd make a comeback and aim for a medal at the 2014 Sochi Games. Pikus-Pace swept the national team selection races series to earn her position back on the team.
Pikus-Pace is the youngest of eight children. She graduated from Utah Valley State College in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in Community Health and Physical Education and received a master's degree in Business Administration from Colorado Technical University in 2008. Pikus-Pace participated as a track and field athlete while at college, where she broke the Utah Valley University high jump record and was named first team All-American. Pikus-Pace also won the 2005 NJCAA National discuss championships. After graduating she assisted in coaching track and field at Utah Valley State College.
Show Notes
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Introduction (1:10)
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Being an Olympian (3:15)
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Paying attention to the right thing (8:53)
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World Champion (11:07)
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Ups and downs of competing (24:15)
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Giving it another shot in 2014 (38:29)
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Current life (43:15)
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