Finding Grit And Doing The Macarena With Hanna Percy

Imagine all your dreams coming true at the age of 18. It's a real possibility for snowboarder Hanna Percy.

The athlete from Truckee, California, is the youngest member of the U.S. female snowboard cross team.

Typically, elite snowboarders earn a place on the U.S. Development Team before moving to the Pro Team and then onto an Olympic Team.

Hanna's results were so good that she skipped the development level and went straight to the pro team. Now, at 18, she has a shot at representing Team USA at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.

Hanna says, "We have six girls competing for three spots right now."

Hanna's parents were pro snowboarders in the 1990s. Their daughter's talent and need for speed showed up early. 

Her mother, Kim Percy, remembers "she was probably 10 when she passed me on the hill. It's like her board is a connection to her feet."

Hanna left Northern California when she was 16 and enrolled at the prestigious Gould Academy, where her snowboarding results soared. The small co-ed academy in Western Maine is a favorite for winter sports athletes with Olympic ambitions.

The move paid off. The environment allowed her to finish high school while launching her pro career.

In person, Hanna is incredibly likable and friendly. But on the snow she's known for a grit and fierce need to win that's propelling her career at record speed.

"I just like, kind of have to win," Hanna admits.

But there a playful side too.  And, it's evident in every start gate where she Macarenas to loosen up and lessen the stress!

On this Dying to Ask - The Road to Milan-Cortina:

• How to fuel your own competitive spirit
• How an 18 year old rose so quickly in snowboard cross and who taught this Gen Zer to Macarena? 
• How Hanna stays grounded when life and it's possibilities seem endless right now
• And my favorite attribute: grit. Where Hanna's comes from and the mentor who taught her how to dig in