GRETCHEN BLEILER

Over the course of my 13-year career, I've had a lot of concussions, and yet, because I'm no longer competing or suffering from concussion symptoms, I felt like I was in the clear. The reality, though, is that I get concussions far more easily, and my symptoms last far longer than ever before.

From any traumatic injury, you're going to experience a lack of confidence. There's a whole process you have to go through to break free of that.

I think everyone in snowboarding is close. We've become a big family. It's not a cutthroat sport. I'm competing against one of my best friends, and I think it's cool to be at the top of the half pipe, dropping in with your competitor but your best friend, too.

Our job as pros is to walk a very fine line: be the best but stay healthy so you can continue to progress and be at the top. You can't push the sport and yourself if you're always hurt.

It takes a village to earn a spot representing your country, and I know that every single person who helped me get to the Olympics was also touched by the dream. The web of inspiration is incredible. Because of this, I know that the core principles and spirit of what the Olympics stand for are worth protecting.

Every year, I push myself to do something different - and push the boundaries a little bit more.

Being at the top means never being satisfied with what you're comfortable with - comfortable means you've stopped pushing, and you're either going to get passed, or you already have been. But if you're constantly pushing yourself, then you're exposing yourself to falls and injuries.

If you're stressed at work, or before a competition, or if you need to be energized, or relaxed, there's so many scents that kind of take you there.

After the Winter Olympics in 2006, I realized I had a platform to speak about causes that were important to me - and people would listen.

Growing up with brothers, I've always been a very competitive person and also very involved in sports. So when I was younger, whatever sport I was involved in, I wanted to go to the Olympics for that!

From day one, snowboarding led me down a totally different path, and it's that path that's kept me laughing and continually intrigued. I love the satisfaction at the end of the day of overcoming my fears, of spending all day outside working hard, and there's nothing better than the feeling of landing a new trick for the first time.

It's okay to feel nervous before a competition because it means you care about doing well.

I love songs with a lot of confidence.

I care about the way I look, and I want to look my best. My regime isn't crazy. For my face, it's just sunscreen because foundations and tinted moisturizers rub against my neck warmer. But I do like eyeliner, mascara, and a little color on my lids.

I don't have too strict a diet.

I love how snowboarding is like no other sport out there - I mean, some of my best friends are my biggest competitors. And we just cheer each other on. It's a very supportive sport.

When I started snowboarding, I was looking for success to bring me identity. I still love to win, but at the same time, I don't need the X-Games to show me who I am.

I'm a Midwestern girl; I was born in Toledo, Ohio, and grew up in Dayton until I was ten years old. Then my whole life changed.

Change can be uncomfortable and scary. But I believe change exists to teach us to appreciate and enjoy the right now.

It took me a long time to figure out how to deal with pressure.

As long you are doing what you love and making decisions from the heart, you will be successful.

My family moved to Aspen, Colorado, where we had 'Avalanche Danger' days that kept us from going to school, climbed 14,000-foot peaks as part of my education, and I learned to snowboard.

I'm so grateful for all the experiences I've had; the life lessons I've learned along the way are just completely invaluable.

I get to experience so much in my life as I travel around, and it's just such a great way to get to share that with people. All these sites, like Twitter and Make It Pro, give me such a very strong way to interact with people. It's easy to let people be part of your life and to keep all of your friends and fans together.

The programs I do with my trainer are amazing for overall strength and have a major focus on building my core. We do a lot of unique exercises that shake up the nervous system, which builds my balance and propreception. That's really important for my sport.