How to raise an Olympian, from Keri Herman’s mom

Note: This article originally appeared on EpicMoms.com. To read the full story, or learn more about mountain town moms, head over to EpicMoms.com. 

Few of the athletes converging at the XXII Olympic games in Sochi next month got there without nurturing and support from their family. That got us at Epic Moms thinking: what does it take to raise an athlete of that caliber? Sure, there’s natural talent, the winning of the genetic lottery. But is there something more? We asked, moms answered. The takeaway? If you want to raise a world class athlete, do the following: Kill your television. Don’t let them quit. Get out of the way. Offer support when the going gets rough. Keep it fun. But don’t just take our word for it. In the next few days, we are going to run interviews with moms of upcoming competitors. Today we hear from Diana Herman:

Diana Herman, mom of Keri Herman, member of the first U.S. Olympic Slopestyle team and Breckenridge-sponsored skier.

At age 31, Keri Herman is one of the oldest athletes in her field, a reality that’s cost her sponsors in recent years, despite her impressive number of wins. A Minnesota native, Herman played competitive hockey throughout her childhood and only got serious about skiing when she matriculated at the University of Denver. There she spent her free time in the mountains and discovered her talent for boosting off of jumps, throwing tricks in the air, and hitting rails. She entered her first competition on a lark and won it. What followed were more wins, a semester off so she could live and ski in Breckenridge, and the decision to turn pro following graduation. She officially qualified for the first ever U.S. Olympic Freeskiing team earlier this month. Keri is on the Epic Pro Team and is sponsored by Breckenridge Resort. Her mom is her biggest fan.

As a toddler, Keri was always energetic. When she was really little, we had giant evergreens next to our house, and often I would go outside to look for her, and there she’d be, right up at the top.

When our kids were little, we didn’t let them watch TV. Our neighbors used to ask us to let them watch more TV because they were out throwing rocks in the road, but that didn’t change our mind.

Read the rest of this story on EpicMoms.com.