The 2015-16 season was a red-hot one for Olivia Giaccio. She was quickly recording top results, including three top-5 finishes at the Selections event in December 2015. Her outstanding performance at Selections earned her the chance to start in a World Cup event at Utah's Deer Valley Resort in February 2016. Giaccio qualified for the finals in her first world cup event, finishing 16th in singles. Her success continued on 2016-17 with a first-career podium and two medals at the FIS Junior World Ski Championships, including gold in dual moguls. 

Q: What was the breakthrough moment when you realized you could compete at the elite level?
A: I’ve always wanted to compete at the elite level of my sport, so that hunger has driven me through my years of competing. I think things actually sunk in when I competed in and made finals at my first World Cup in Deer Valley in 2016. Standing at the top for training next to many of my idols in the sport and truly realizing that I had the ability to really compete against them was pretty surreal.

Q: Are you involved with any nonprofits, charities or social causes?
A: I am involved in an organization called the i-Tri Girls, a group of pre-teen girls who are based out of New York and learn the importance of goal-setting, exercise and nutrition whilst training for triathlons that they compete in throughout the summer. I've traveled to New York to talk to them and learn their stories as well, hopefully to inspire all of them to continue on in sport. I love being involved with this group of girls because they inspire me to continue pushing forward on days where I don’t feel motivated; I love knowing that I have a diverse and caring support crew standing behind me.