Forgive Dan and Amy Macuga if they have to consult a spreadsheet to figure out where their children are. This is one of those things that happens when your three girls are all skiers on the inside track to make the U.S. Olympic team. There’s a boy, too, who also skis competitively and may eventually end up on the U.S. team, but not in 2026.
But here’s what makes the Macugas different: Through the combined forces of having different body types, different interests and probably a healthy dose of the self-preservation instinct that led them to not want to compete against each other, each Macuga pursued a different skiing discipline. The result: When you meet them, there is a bit of a “Sound of Music” vibe to the Macugas, if the Von Trapp family had been filled with skiers rather than singers.
They all started skiing in the same winter sports program at Park City, Utah. Each sister liked something else. Their parents did not complain. “They kind of self-selected,” Dan Macuga said. “We’ve always told them, ‘As long as you’re having fun, just keep doing what you’re doing.’ It’s not really our decision to make. It’s what makes them happy, and they chose the sport that they wanted to do.”
Alli, the mogul specialist, has been the top performer of the family so far, aiming for a spot on the 2026 Olympic team. She landed on two podiums last season and finished fifth in the world rankings and has two top-15 finishes to start this World Cup season. There’s not too much mystery surrounding her success. Lauren, the alpine specialist, has also shown great promise, finishing fourth in the downhill and 12th in Super-G over the weekend. Sam Macuga, the ski jumper, is accumulating points toward a spot on the U.S. team for 2026.
The spreadsheet is largely for the parents’ use. The children have their own methods. “My teammates will be like, ‘Oh, where’s your brother? Where are your sisters?’” Alli Macuga said. “I’m like, ‘I don’t know, somewhere across the world? I think they’re in Europe. Maybe like Japan, or like Norway or, I don’t know, Germany.’ It’s always just a guessing game. Or I’ll check Find My Friends (app) and be like, ‘Oh, that’s where they are.’”
Source link
