Kelly Clark grew up in a small town in Vermont and first learned to ski when she was just two-years-old. At the age of seven, she began snowboarding and joined the U.S. team when she was in high school. Now, at 31, Clark can’t believe how much she has been able to accomplish over the years in the sport she loves.

Clark won a gold medal in the women’s halfpipe at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. She won her first bronze medal eight years later in Vancouver and took home another bronze at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. She has compiled several other victories in her storied career, including nine medals at the Winter X Games. Clark has won every major event in the sport’s history and is the winningest person in snowboarding.

During her first contest run in Sochi this year, she fell and recalled just how bad the conditions on the halfpipe were.

“The weather was too mild. The conditions were really bad.” Clark also admitted that the fall was “really a low point for me.”

But instead of wondering about whether or not she would even make the podium, she knew she just had to pick herself up and continue her run.

The four-time Olympian is always looking to push the boundaries in her sport and has incorporated and successfully landed several tricks in competitions. One of the most memorable moments of her competitive career is when she landed the 1080 at the X-Games in 2011.

“I was the first women to land that trick in competition and I got to the bottom of the run and my friends tackled me. It was a huge moment for me, and for our sport. It is easy to celebrate yourself, but it is another thing when your friends celebrate you.”

When it comes to her workout routine, Clark takes her training just as seriously as she does the actual competitions. She has a strict workout regimen and hits the gym with a trainer six days a week to stay in tip-top shape. She also maintains a healthy diet and realizes that she needs to protect her skin from the harsh elements she competes in. She said she always wears “sunblock and a mask about 90 percent of the time” when competing in order to protect her face. As for her outdoor winter workout attire, the athlete always dresses warm in “non-cotton layers.”

“Gloves and a hat are great too. I find if I can keep my hands, feet and head warm, I can handle any kind of weather.”

In 2010, she started the Kelly Clark Foundation to foster youth snowboarding. Knowing how expensive competing in snow sports can be, the non-profit organization was created to provide youth with the resources to eliminate financial barriers. Its mission is to make snowboarding more financially accessible, while increasing diversity in the sport and using the opportunities created through snowboarding as a tool for personal success. The Kelly Clark Foundation has already rewarded over $60,000 in scholarships to talented youths in the U.S.

The Olympian is a role-model to so many young people and has a message for those who dream of competing in the Olympics one day, but do not know where to begin.

“I would start by saying that nothing is impossible, my life is a testament to that. And I would also say don’t discount the power of hard work. I have never been the most gifted athlete ... I just made the most of what I had. So find out who you are, and where you want to go and then do it!”

As for Clark competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics, she is still undecided at this point.

“I don’t really have an answer yet. It is well within my reach, but it will require a lot of time and commitment to pursue and do it well. So I am going to keep competing and see what’s in my heart during this next season and go from there.”

One of Clark’s longtime sponsors is Burton. She has been with the snowboard manufacturer, which is based out of her home state, for about 15 years.

“Burton is the largest snowboard brand in the world.” They have done so much for the sport and have really “championed women” snowboarders.

Burton products are marketed worldwide in over 4,000 stores.

The decorated snowboarder may use the popular Burton boards today, but she started out using a plastic board from Kmart. She has fond memories of going up and down snow piles on her first board and even posted a picture on Instagram of herself next to her father on what she called her “Mobile Monster.”

When Clark decides to retire, she hopes to be remembered and “included in with some of the greats of the sport... But more so than anything I hope that the sport of snowboarding is better because I was part of it.”

Image courtesy of Kelly Clark via Twitter.