Snowboarder Maddie Mastro is taking the stage at her third Winter Olympics. Learn more about Mastro’s mindset going into Milan, how she prepares for competition, and what’s filling up her social media feed.

TOGETHXR: Snowboarding is one of the many winter sports where the women's competition is just as fierce, if not moreso, than the men's competition. What's it like to be part of a sport where women are increasing visibility and running the show? 

MM: It’s really cool. I am grateful, first and foremost, that I get to be a part of women's snowboarding and be in that world and environment. I also think that we've come a long way in snowboarding and getting our… I don't want to say “moment”, because it should be a lot longer than just a moment, but finally getting the eyes, respect, and attention that women's snowboarding deserves is really, really cool.

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TOGETHXR: You've already competed in the Olympics twice. What would your rookie self think about preparing for your third games? 

MM: That's a good question. I genuinely don't even know what she would say. My 18-year-old self feels so far away presently. Not always though, because normally I still feel like I'm 18. But right now, 18-year-old me feels so far away. I think she would maybe say “Stop making it so serious. Don't be so serious about this. The 18 year old me had a lot of fun at her first Olympics and enjoyed the whole experience. She would be saying something along the lines of enjoy it, have some more fun. 

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TOGETHXR: Is there any one specific aspect of your performance that you're focused on improving? 

MM: Anything and everything I do, I want to do it to the best of my ability and improve it as much as possible. I feel like a lot of people and athletes feel this way — as soon as you improve one part of your snowboarding, you think, “Okay, I need to now improve the other part.” It's this never-ending cycle. I wouldn't say that there's any one aspect in particular that I'm focusing on, though. It's the whole picture, the big picture, for me. Putting it all together. 

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TOGETHXR: For so many athletes, success isn't just dependent on their physical training, but also their mental and emotional health as well. What routines or strategies do you use when you're experiencing stressful times? 

MM: I’ve worked with both therapists and sports psychs, which are two really important tools that I use. Getting tools from both of those people on managing and controlling your mindset. Building routines and having the internal dialogue to manage [mental health] has been incredibly helpful for me. 

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TOGETHXR: Do you have any superstitions that you do right as you're about to drop in? 

MM: I always take deep breaths. I try to center myself as much as possible, and I say a couple internal dialogue things in my head before I drop in. I wouldn’t say I'm superstitious with those ones in particular, but I do them pretty consistently.

TOGETHXR: A lot of snowboarders listen to music. Do you? If so, are you listening to the same artists and songs every time, or do you switch it up? 

MM: Yeah, I listen to music when I'm competing or snowboarding. It just kind of depends. Typically, my contest drop-in song will be pretty similar throughout the season. I'll find one that works, or one that I do well with, and then I'll be like, “Okay, this is the song for the season. Now I have to listen to it for the rest of the year, every time I drop in.” So I'll find one that works — and it can be super random — then I just listen to it on repeat when I'm competing and dropping in for those contest runs. 

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TOGETHXR: So when you find a song like that, is it just random, based on the vibe? Is it the rhythm of when you’re landing tricks? Or is it that you did a good run with that one and you’re sticking with it? 

MM: I did a good run with this one, so we're sticking with it. Typically, it does have some type of upbeat vibe in it, that goes along with it. Normally it's one that I've landed runs or tricks with and that makes me feel confident, so I keep going with that. 

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TOGETHXR: If you had to switch to another Olympic sport for a day, what would you choose? 

MM: I don't know, probably something completely different — and probably something in summer. Maybe beach volleyball? Because that would mean I get really tall, and that would be fun. I’m not super tall, not super short — I'm pretty run-of-the-mill, average height. If I got to morph into a super tall person for a day, that could be cool. 

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TOGETHXR: Everyone was obsessed with your first-person perspective of what it was like to be an Olympian series on your TikTok. Will we be getting a round two of behind the scenes content in Italy? 

MM: Yeah, definitely. TikTok is something I enjoy doing and creation, in that sense, is really fun for me to do. I enjoy watching these BTS/POVs, informative type of creation. Like, I've always wondered how that works, what that's like, what goes into making a dress, what does this studio look like — I love consuming that type of content. So I enjoy producing that type of content and putting some eyes onto snowboarding and snowboarding at the Olympics. 

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TOGETHXR: You like to keep an interesting mix of educational and fun content that you put out on your socials, which is obviously in our feed. But what's in your feed?

MM: It really depends on what my hobby is currently or where I'm at. I've recently gotten into knitting, so I have a lot of knitting on my feed. 

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TOGETHXR: As weather wimps, we wanted to ask a pro for advice. What's the secret to staying warm? Is it layering? Is it 300 hand warmers, goose feathers? What's the secret? 

MM: Merino wool and handwarmers. I'll take the handwarmers, shake them up, put them in my jacket pockets, and then I'll put my phone in there to help keep my phone warm, because phones always die in the cold. Merino wool would be my biggest suggestion for keeping warm. 

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TOGETHXR: You've been through your fair share of injuries, but you've never viewed it as a deterrent. What have you learned during your different injuries and rehab processes? 

MM: Good question. Every injury is different and provides a whole new set of mental challenges and things to work through. I’ve found that there is no, like, copy and paste what worked before on a new [injury]. You’ve just got to figure it out and do it. But some things do ring true in all injuries — talking to a therapist, talking to sports psych, showing up for yourself, even when you don't want to show up. Those are the things that ring true with every injury.

Your favorite sports movie: Surf's Up. 

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Your album of the year: Board's newest album. 

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One non-snow athlete that is killing the game right now: Caity Simmers. 

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A product you're obsessed with right now: Salt & Stone deodorant. 

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Your biggest pet peeve: Slow walkers. People that take up a lot of space and lack self-awareness in public. Walk slow if you want, but walk slow on the side. Over there.

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Your best piece of advice for young athletes: Work hard and have fun.