{"id":2456576,"date":"2020-03-31T22:32:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-01T04:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/swirbul-finds-perspective-after-busy-world-cup-season-is-all-in-on-olympic-push\/"},"modified":"2020-03-31T22:32:00","modified_gmt":"2020-04-01T04:32:00","slug":"swirbul-finds-perspective-after-busy-world-cup-season-is-all-in-on-olympic-push","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/swirbul-finds-perspective-after-busy-world-cup-season-is-all-in-on-olympic-push\/","title":{"rendered":"Swirbul finds perspective after busy World Cup season, is all in on Olympic push"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.5172413793103\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-323612-907\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/swirbulski-atd-040120-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/swirbulski-atd-040120-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Steve Fuller\/flyingpointroad.com | U.S. Ski Team member Hailey Swirbul competes in the U23 World Ski Championships earlier this winter in Oberwiesenthal, Germany.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>U.S. Ski Team member Hailey Swirbul competes in the U23 World Ski Championships earlier this winter in Oberwiesenthal, Germany.<\/strong><br \/>Steve Fuller\/flyingpointroad.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/swirbulski-atd-040120-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"U.S. Ski Team member Hailey Swirbul competes in the U23 World Ski Championships earlier this winter in Oberwiesenthal, Germany.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/swirbulski-atd-040120-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/swirbulski-atd-040120-1-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"flyingpointroad.com\/courtesy | U.S. Ski Team member Hailey Swirbul competes in the U23 World Ski Championships earlier this winter in Oberwiesenthal, Germany.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>U.S. Ski Team member Hailey Swirbul competes in the U23 World Ski Championships earlier this winter in Oberwiesenthal, Germany.<\/strong><br \/>flyingpointroad.com\/courtesy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/swirbulski-atd-040120-1-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"U.S. Ski Team member Hailey Swirbul competes in the U23 World Ski Championships earlier this winter in Oberwiesenthal, Germany.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/swirbulski-atd-040120-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/swirbulski-atd-040120-1-2-682x1024.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"U.S. Ski &amp; Snowboard | Hailey Swirbul\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7\">\n<p><strong>Hailey Swirbul<\/strong><br \/>U.S. Ski &amp; Snowboard<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/swirbulski-atd-040120-1-2-682x1024.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Hailey Swirbul\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/swirbul-finds-perspective-after-busy-world-cup-season-is-all-in-on-olympic-push\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/swirbul-finds-perspective-after-busy-world-cup-season-is-all-in-on-olympic-push\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">The biggest takeaway from the season for Hailey Swirbul was about perspective. Whether it meant making the repetitive European breakfasts more enjoyable or being a better teammate, there was something to be gained from not focusing on the greater successes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe most important thing I learned throughout this whole year is to focus on the small victories. I\u2019ve been thinking about this a lot actually, because it\u2019s really easy to get caught up in a big result,\u201d Swirbul said. \u201cIt\u2019s easy to lose perspective about the small victories and the small motivations along the way and wondering why you\u2019re not winning world juniors, like some of these people around us are. I think that was really important for me and I was able to focus on something small.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Swirbul, a 2016 Basalt High School graduate, recently wrapped up her second season with the U.S. cross-country ski team. The 2019-20 winter came with a lot more challenges, including many more World Cup starts. Swirbul started four World Cup races in her rookie campaign last winter, three coming in the Quebec finals.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">This winter, she added 10 more World Cup starts to her name, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/coming-off-her-first-world-cup-points-hailey-swirbul-continues-to-rise-as-cross-country-skier\/\">including her first points<\/a>. The very first point came when she finished 30th in a sprint in Davos, Switzerland, a day she said she \u201cwill remember forever.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation p-0\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/at-banner-paypal.jpg)\" class=\"col-xl-8 p-3 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/donate\/?utm_source=website&amp;utm_medium=news%20article&amp;utm_campaign=donation\">Donate<\/a><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The extra grind also meant even more time in Europe, and she wasn\u2019t overly disappointed when the tail end of the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt honestly has been a long season. I have never started the season so early, like as early as I did this year \u2026 I was kind of ready for some play time,\u201d Swirbul said. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely an adjustment. I think it was a more stressful year than I really realized. Just figuring out how everything works and the dynamic and the lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Overall, the results and experience Swirbul gained this winter show a productive season for the 21-year-old distance specialist. She finished 77th in the overall women\u2019s World Cup standings with 24 points, 17 of those coming in distance events.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">She also won three races at the U.S. national championships in Michigan back in January, and had a strong showing at the U23 World Ski Championships in early March in Oberwiesenthal, Germany.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\"> \u201cIt was different to go into U23\u2019s this year after being on the World Cup most of the year, because I had a different perspective on how intense it was,\u201d Swirbul said. \u201cIt changed the dynamic of the races for me there, but I\u2019m happy with my efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">At U23, Swirbul\u2019s highlight was a seventh-place finish in the 10-kilometer classic, as well as a fifth-place finish in a mixed team relay.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cHailey was on the road a bunch with us this winter, which was really fun for me,\u201d said Sophie Caldwell, who led the U.S. women by finishing sixth in the season-long sprint standings. \u201cI knew Hailey a little, but hadn\u2019t gotten to really spend too much time with her on the road, so I feel I got to know her quite a bit better this year and I really enjoy her as both a person and a skier. So it was a blast for me to have that whole crew of girls on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Caldwell \u2014 who is married to Aspen\u2019s Simi Hamilton, a three-time Olympian on the men\u2019s side \u2014 has twice represented the U.S. at the Winter Games. A return to a third Olympics is up in the air, but she\u2019s among the veteran skiers who could help get someone like Swirbul to her first.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Swirbul\u2019s first two seasons on the World Cup stage came at a good time, as this season especially was arguably the easiest in the four-year Olympic cycle. Next season the world championships return, with the shadow of the 2022 Olympics in Beijing becoming ever present.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Swirbul has both events firmly on her radar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI\u2019m not trying to do this as a sprint. I\u2019m hoping to be in it for the long run and if I want to do that I need to make sure it\u2019s sustainable for me,\u201d Swirbul said of her skiing career. \u201cDefinitely the Olympics is a big focus and I\u2019m in it 100% until then and hopefully beyond. But I don\u2019t know, it\u2019s such a demanding sport and lifestyle that it\u2019s something you have to reevaluate year to year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:acolbert@aspentimes.com\">acolbert@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/swirbul-finds-perspective-after-busy-world-cup-season-is-all-in-on-olympic-push\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. Ski Team member Hailey Swirbul competes in the U23 World Ski Championships earlier this winter in Oberwiesenthal, Germany.Steve Fuller\/flyingpointroad.com U.S. Ski Team member Hailey Swirbul competes in the U23 World Ski Championships earlier this winter in Oberwiesenthal, Germany.flyingpointroad.com\/courtesy Hailey SwirbulU.S. Ski &amp; Snowboard Show CaptionsHide Captions The biggest takeaway from the season for Hailey [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2456576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 06:49:15","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2456576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2456576"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2456576\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2456576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2456576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2456576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}