U.S. snowboarder Madeline Schaffrick eyes Olympics a decade after retirement

A decade ago, snowboarder Maddy Schaffrick found herself in the same spot as many people in their early 20s: living in her parents' basement and trying to figure out what she wanted to do with her life.

The American had been a rising star in the sport after her professional debut at age 14. Six years later, however, she felt burned out and announced her retirement from competition.

Reflecting on that time now, Schaffrick said her success at a young age left her grappling with being "a kid put in an adult world".

"I didn't really know how to cope with just the pressures and expectations of not only being a professional athlete but also trying to be a kid and a developing human," she said in a recent interview.

After stints as a snowboarding coach and a plumber, Schaffrick, now 31, is aiming to compete in her first Olympics at next month's Milano Cortina Games.

Born in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Schaffrick made the U.S. national snowboard team when she was 14.

She competed in contests around the globe including World Cup events and the X Games. By age 20, and after a few injuries, Schaffrick decided to end her career on the snow.

She lived for a few months in Salt Lake City before heading back to Colorado to live with her parents, who asked her to chip in on the family food bill.

Schaffrick needed a job and decided she wanted to keep her body moving rather than work in an office. A friend took her on as an apprentice at his plumbing and heating company. She worked there for a year.

Her return to the mountain came as a coach for seven to nine year old kids in Steamboat Springs. She said she volunteered for the gig so she could earn a free season pass. The experience gave her a fresh perspective on snowboarding.

"It reconnected me to my passion," she said, and made her realise people could find joy in the sport through various avenues.

'I NEED TO DO THIS FOR MY SOUL'

Schaffrick went on to coach teenagers and took a role as assistant coach on the U.S. Snowboard Team in 2022, which immersed her again in the elite levels of the sport and stirred up lingering feelings about her career.

"I felt guilty that I had all these opportunities and it felt like I wasted them because I didn't really achieve my goals that I was there to do," she said.

She said she realized she still had the skills to compete and could chart her own course. She decided to jump back into competition as a rider.

"I need to do this for my soul," she said, "and to heal my younger self."

In her first competitive event in almost a decade, Schaffrick finished third at a 2024 World Cup event in China. In 2025, she landed her first 900 (2.5 spins) in competition.

Schaffrick said she still experiences pre-competition nerves but can deal with them better now compared to when she was a teenager.

"I rarely performed well when the pressure was on those last like three years of competing in the past," she said. Today, she said she can recognize self-doubt and course-correct her thoughts.

"The last year and a half of competing again, for me, has been about recognizing the thought patterns, accepting them and doing something different."

This month, Schaffrick is riding in qualifying rounds to try to land a spot on the U.S. team.

"She's a smart competitor," said NBC snowboarding analyst Todd Richards, who competed at the 1998 Winter Olympics.

"She has a very, very solid foundation. She's smooth, she goes big, and she can look at the competition and say 'OK, I need to do a run that's incrementally better."

Schaffrick dislocated a shoulder while attempting a trick in December. She said she is recovering without the need for surgery. "I got really lucky on it. A doctor was able to put it back in on site within like 15 minutes," she said.

Whatever comes next, Schaffrick is sure about one thing: she does not want to return to plumbing.

"I learned so much, including that I never want to be a plumber," she said. "But I respect trade work so much. I swear a year of plumbing was harder on my body than seven years of snowboarding."

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine Editing by Toby Davis)