Lauren Bussey

Three years coaching. Twenty years understanding how young athletes think.

Lauren grew up in Upstate New York, where her parents wanted a winter activity the whole family could do together. They got all four kids into ski racing. Three of them raced through college. Lauren was one of them.

She raced through high school, then captained the University of Notre Dame club team, competing Division III in Michigan and Indiana—not exactly known for their alpine terrain. The day before Nationals at Squaw Valley, Lauren got her first taste of real Western skiing. It was very different from the Midwest. She loved every second of it.

Here's what makes Lauren different: She's spent over 20 years working with middle and high school students as an educator—currently as Head of Upper School at Garrison Forest School. She knows how adolescents think. She knows how to motivate them, engage them, and teach them. And she's taken all of that expertise and aligned it with her passion for ski racing.

Her coaching superpower? Understanding the adolescent brain. She knows how to help athletes convert nervous energy into speed, how to build confidence without overinflating egos, and how to teach kids that they're stronger than they think they are.

When she's not coaching or working, Lauren's at soccer games with her kids. She's a morning person (rare among ski coaches), drinks coffee to fuel the early starts, and will ski anywhere—any opportunity to be on snow is a good one.

What she wants athletes to know: "You're stronger than you think you are. And if you're nervous at the start? That's a good thing. It means you care. That nervous energy can be converted to strength and speed on the course."

Why she coaches: "Skiing is the best way to spend time in the winter. I look forward to winter all year. I have so many great memories related to skiing, and I'm grateful to have the opportunity to give back by coaching. Ski racing is an amazing sport and can teach so many important life lessons."