CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Elana Meyers Taylor’s boys are too young to realize that mom is an Olympic champion. Kaillie Armbruster Humphries’ son just wanted to play in the snow around the medals podium where his mom had just stood.

But every woman who’s ever tried to juggle motherhood and a career, who’s felt as if she’s giving everything she’s got and more and still coming up short, they’ll know. And Meyers Taylor and Armbruster Humphries hope they’ll see a little of themselves in the two women on that Olympic podium.

“I hope it shows that just because you’re a mom doesn’t mean you have to stop living your dreams,” said Meyers Taylor, who finally got the Olympic gold medal she has so long sought by winning the monobob on Monday, Feb. 16, finishing ahead of Germany’s Laura Nolte and Armbruster Humphries.

The standards for any woman are impossible. Add a family, in whatever fashion it is, and it gets exponentially more difficult. Add getting older, in a society that considers women over the hill before they’re eligible to run for president, and you might as well be scaling the mountain on which the Milano Cortina bobsled track is located.

Meyers Taylor and Armbruster Humphries have felt that. Have felt all that.

Two nights ago was the first time Armbruster Humphries had been apart from her son since he was born and it gutted her. She knew she needed rest – she is competing in the Olympics, after all – and she wouldn’t get it with a toddler who still wakes up in the middle of the night.

That didn’t make it any easier.

“My husband is here, my parents are here, my in-laws are here. So I knew he was in really good hands,” Armbruster Humphries said. “So for me, it’s compartmentalizing probably more than anything. Recognizing that mom guilt is a thing and it existed, but that I needed to do it in order to be my best.”

Meyers Taylor and Armbruster Humphries are the first to acknowledge they are not doing it alone. They both have husbands who are supportive and, as former bobsledders, understand the grind. They have families who pitch in.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee provides resources, financial and otherwise, for its athletes who are mothers, which isn’t something a lot of women can say.

But no one else can quiet the voice in her head that every working mother has. No one else can weigh the conflicting choices and decide what sacrifices are acceptable. No one else can tell them it’s OK when priorities change or give them permission to put themselves first.

“This medal is also for all those moms who weren’t necessarily able to live their dreams, but their kids are now their dreams,” Meyers Taylor said. “Because those people keep me grounded. Those people kept me going. And those people are the ones who reached out to me when things got hard and encouraged me to keep going.”

And as they stood atop the medals podium with their little boys watching, Meyers Taylor and Armbruster Humphries hoped they gave other moms that same type of encouragement.

It doesn’t matter if they are chasing Olympic medals or just trying to get through the day. These two badass women understand and empathize with the struggles because they face them, too.

“I hope that it inspires other people to go out and chase their dreams, whatever it may be,” Armbruster Humphries said. “I grew up in the sport when, if you have kids, once you get to 40, it’s all downhill. And Elana and I get to be proof that that’s not true.

“It might look different then when you’re 20, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t stand on top of the podium. It doesn’t mean you can’t go out there and achieve your dreams.”

It’s not easy, this juggling act. But for everyone who does it, those Olympic medals around the necks of Meyers Taylor and Armbruster Humphries are for you, too.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

The playoff picture is coming into view across NCAA women’s hockey as the final week of the season approaches. 

It also means the top programs in the nation are in their final week without Olympians on their rosters. There are only two games left in Milan, Italy, with Team USA and Canada facing off in Thursday’s gold medal game, while Sweden and Switzerland face off for bronze.

This month, with many stars overseas, some players have also stepped forward individually, bolstering their 2026 PWHL Draft status.

This week, Princeton was the biggest faller, while several programs took small steps forward.

Here’s a look at the top 10 NCAA women’s hockey programs this week:

Women’s college hockey power rankings

1. Wisconsin (WCHA)

Wisconsin got an unexpected boost this weekend with the return of fifth-year forward Marianne Picard, who came back in time to finish her career with the Badgers from a leg injury that originally looked like it would end her season. She collided with a goal post and missed seven games. Lacey Eden, meanwhile, continued to climb the national scoring charts with a four-point weekend as the Badgers swept Minnesota State. Eden now sits only one point behind Abbey Murphy, who’s at the Olympics.

2. Ohio State (WCHA)

Ohio State had an impressive weekend, beating Minnesota 4-2 and 3-1. Rookie Maxine Cimoroni had two goals and two assists, while captain Jocelyn Amos had another strong weekend for the Buckeyes, helping to power their two-way game. Goaltender Hailey MacLeod has looked better facing more shots in recent weeks, but Ohio State’s crease remains its biggest question mark heading to the playoffs.

3. Minnesota (WCHA)

A pair of hard-fought losses to Ohio State were difficult for the Gophers. The return of Abbey Murphy, Nelli Laitinen, Josefin Bouveng, and Tereza Plosova from the Olympic Games can’t come soon enough for the Gophers, which managed only two goals this past weekend. Chloe Primerano scored her ninth goal and 24th point, tying her for 11th in the NCAA among defenders in scoring.

4. Quinnipiac (ECAC)

Quinnipiac beat Brown 5-2 and Yale 4-3 in overtime. As she has all season, Kahlen Lamarche continued to produce, with three goals and four points combined in those games. She now has 35 goals in 34 games this season, which has her tied for second among the NCAA’s top goal-scorers. With Team Canada looking for an influx of youth, Lamarche has thrust herself into that conversation this season.

5. Penn State (AHA)

Losing 3-2 in overtime to RIT to open its weekend won’t instill confidence in Penn State as a nationally ranked team in anyone. They remain so high because of a weak schedule. This is a significantly different team without Tessa Janecke, Matilde Fantin and Nicole Hall, who all advanced to the Olympic quarterfinals, with Janecke and Hall set to play for a medal.

5. Northeastern (Hockey East)

It was like another Beanpot weekend with Northeastern playing two other Boston schools. They beat Boston University, but were then shut out by Boston College. Northeastern’s youth have had to do a lot of lifting up front recently, and it’s come with some bumps. Defender Jules Constantinople is climbing the PWHL draft charts with her second-half play.

7. Yale (ECAC)

An overtime loss to Quinnipiac and a shutout win over Princeton made this another good weekend for Yale, which is peaking at the right time. They did squander a two-goal lead in the final 1:02 against Quinnipiac, but they carried that lead for most of the match against the Bobcats and also shut down one of the top lines in the nation with Princeton.

8. UConn (Hockey East)

UConn handled Boston University and New Hampshire with ease this weekend. With Tia Chan in net, the Huskies can beat anyone on any given night. While it could be a concern with other programs, UConn doesn’t have one player it relies on offensively. They certainly have players who score more than others and help drive possession, but this team thrives when the attack is spread out.

9. Cornell (ECAC)

Cornell beat St. Lawrence in overtime and Clarkson this past weekend. It was a good test for Cornell, which won a pair of hard-fought one-goal games. Annelies Bergmann continues to be one of the best goaltenders in college hockey, making 64 saves over the weekend. She has a 1.83 goals-against average, .931 save percentage and seven shutouts through 30 games.

10. Princeton (ECAC)

Something didn’t click for Princeton this past weekend. They opened their weekend with a shutout loss to Yale, then had Brown take them to overtime. Issy Wunder is a superstar in NCAA women’s hockey and a top prospect for the 2026 PWHL Draft, but she can’t be Princeton’s only weapon if this team wants to win.

LIVIGNO, Italy — When Team USA snowboarder Jess Perlmutter gets finished chasing medals in Italy, she’ll have homework to do.

A lot of homework.

“I had like 42 assignments missing, like last week,” Perlmutter said with a laugh. “Which is really bad. I’m usually a good student and only have like a few missing.”

Perlmutter and teammate Lily Dhawornvej will compete Feb. 17 in a final at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Each qualified Feb. 15 by finishing the top 12 of the women’s slopestyle qualifying at Livigno Sports Park, which was a heck of an achievement considering this fact:

Both are only 16 years old.

In snowboarding and freestyle skiing, that’s not too young to represent the United States in an Olympics. And particularly these Olympics. Some of brightest rising stars in Livigno have been high school aged kids. On the men’s side, 17-year-old Americans Ollie Martin (big air/slopestyle) and Alessandro Barbieri (halfpipe) have each impressed.

“We’re young,” Perlmutter said, “but it’s a pretty young sport.”

Indeed. Ten of the 30 riders in the women’s slopestyle qualifying, including Perlmutter and Dhawornvej, weren’t born before 2007. Sky Remans, who competed for Belgium, won’t turn 16 until October.

Obvious question: What are these kids doing for high school?

Answer: The majority are taking online classes that offer the flexibility to complete course work on their own timeframes while competing globally.

“My schedule just got pretty busy,” said Dhawornvej, of Colorado. “I wasn’t really home that much. Online is definitely the move. … It’s pretty hard. I’m not going to lie. I’m pretty behind on a lot of my schoolwork. But I do online school, so I can snowboard and just do it online whenever I have time.”

Freestyle skier Avery Krumme, 17, reached the finals of the slopestyle at this Olympics, finishing 11th. She is a native Canadian who chose to compete for the United States, and she does “online school through my local high school,” she said.

“My teachers are really kind,” Krumme said. “They sort of let me go slow, because they understand this takes up a lot of my time and effort, and just everything goes into my skiing and training for it. So they understand. I’ll hopefully graduate this June. We’re working up to that.”

Perlmutter, who’s originally from New Jersey, attends the Killington Mountain School in Vermont, a school geared toward helping winter sports athletes “pursue excellence on the slopes and in the classroom,” reads the school’s website.

“It’s not fully online,” Perlmutter said. “I can go in there whenever I want and do school, just like a normal school. But, yeah, I just do it from remote. … Especially at this level, pretty much everyone, if they are doing school, they are doing online or a special program or something.”

And about those missing assignments?

“Honestly,” Perlmutter said, “I’ll just tell my teachers that I’m at the Olympics.”

LIVIGNO, Italy — Mac Forehand’s first two jumps were so good that he could take it easy on his third and still win the evening.

Two other Americans – Troy Podmilsak and Konnor Ralph – scored well enough to advance, too, and all three are promising to come out swinging with bigger and better tricks in the final at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Yeah, Feb. 15 was a good night for Team USA in the men’s freestyle skiing big air qualifying.

“I don’t want to jinx them,” said teammate Alex Hall, “but I think we are going to get at least one or two medals in the big air. They are riding so good. It’s so fun to watch.”

One quarter of freeski big air’s 12-man Olympic final on Feb. 17 will be comprised of Americans who’d already competed in these Games in slopestyle.

Same goes for the men’s slopestyle snowboarding qualifying final on Feb. 18. Three USA riders qualified – also on Feb. 15 – for that final. Ollie Martin, Jake Canter and Red Gerard were in the big air previously in snowboarding.

So what does slopestyle have to do with big air? That seems a popular question.

Qualifying Olympians in snowboarding and freestyle skiing are automatically added – or forced, you might also say – to compete in both slopestyle and big air. There is a systematic connection between these two events despite clear differences. Slopestyle is contested on a longer course with rails and various jumps. Big air is just one jump off an enormous ramp. It’s kind of like traditional ski jumping, except athletes perform acrobatic tricks before landing.

It is entertaining. It’s more dangerous, too.

As such, it’s generally viewed as better to have slopestyle scheduled first in an Olympics, because you aren’t risking injury as much in slopestyle, whereas an injury in big air – if it’s up first – could impact both events.

Freestyle skiing got the benefit of having slopestyle first in these Olympics, while snowboarding did not.

Hall, who won silver in freeski slopestyle earlier in these Olympics, was the lone American not to make it out of the Feb. 15 big air qualifying.

“I just love slopestyle way more, honestly,” Hall said. “… Not that one is more impressive than the other, but this is like going to war. You’ve just got to survive and do the craziest trick you can ever think of, where slopestyle is a lot about finesse and figuring out a run.”

Gerard, a former gold-medalist in snowboarding slopestyle, was critical earlier this Olympics of a format that makes him compete in both events when “I’m not a fan of big air at all,” he said. “… If I wasn’t forced to do (big air), I wouldn’t do it.”

While others haven’t voiced it as strongly, many seem to agree with Gerard and Hall. They’d lean toward a preference for slopestyle, even if they’ve performed well in big air.

“I definitely like slopestyle more,” said snowboarder Martin, who nearly medaled in big air earlier in these Olympics. “It just feels safer. You’re able to have a run going. It’s more creative.”

Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris, a three-time bronze medalist in slopestyle, was injured during big-air training leading up to these Olympics, causing him to miss that event. He was fortunate to be able to return for slopestyle, and he has qualified for that final.

“The last two Olympics since (big air) has been added,” McMorris said, “it’s been slopestyle into big air (for snowboarding). Big air is pretty dangerous. So I definitely preferred the other way around. …

“Big air can take names. Including myself.”

With the slopestyle already out of the way in freestyle skiing, an American like Forehand said he took advantage of a bit more freedom for risks in big air.

By scoring 93.25 in his first jump and 89.75 in his second, Forehand placed first in qualifying with a 183.00 total. He is a strong contender for a medal in the big air final, and he’s not alone among Team USA.

“I’d prefer, I think, big air second, honestly,” Forehand said. “We did big air first in Beijing. I feel like you can go into big air kind of in a gung-ho attitude, like do whatever you want. You don’t have to worry about getting hurt for slopestyle.”

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Lindsey Vonn is back in the United States after she suffered a complex tibia fracture at the 2026 Winter Olympics, she announced on social media on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

‘Haven’t stood on my feet in over a week…,’ Vonn wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. ‘been in a hospital bed immobile since my race. And although I’m not yet able to stand, being back on home soil feels amazing.’

What happened to Lindsey Vonn?

Vonn hooked the fourth gate with her right arm, which sent her spinning and hurtling into the hard, packed snow. She tumbled end over end several times before coming to a stop.

‘Things just happen so quick in this sport,’ U.S. teammate Bella Wright said after the race. ‘It looked like Lindsey had incredible speed out of that turn, and she hooked her arm and it’s just over just like that.’

The three-time Olympic medalist remained prone in the snow, and she could be heard wailing in pain. The gasps and groans from fans faded into shocked silence as medics worked on her. Vonn remained on the course for approximately 13 minutes before being loaded into a helicopter.

What is Lindsey Vonn’s injury?

In an Instagram post on Feb. 9, Vonn shared the devastating news that she suffered a complex tibia fracture that will require multiple surgeries. The 41-year-old updated fans on Feb. 11 after a third surgery in Italy and included some gruseome photos of her progress. On Feb. 14, Vonn posted after her third surgery that she still has more procedures ahead of her, but was finally able to return to the United States.

‘Once I’m back I will give you more updates and info about my injury,’ Vonn wrote.

A tibia fracture is a break in the shin bone that is an emergency needing immediate treatment. ‘Your tibias are some of the strongest bones in your body. It usually takes a lot of force to break one,’ according to the Cleveland Clinic. ‘You probably won’t be able to stand, walk or put weight on your leg if you have a broken shin bone.’

A complex fracture involves multiple breaks in a bone and damaged soft tissue, according Yale Medicine. Symptoms include extreme pain, numbness and, sometimes, a bone that protrudes through the skin. Treatment involves stabilization and surgery.

Lindsey Vonn crash video

NBC broadcasts the Olympics and posted video of Vonn’s crash.

USA TODAY Sports’ Samantha Cardona-Norberg breaks down Linsdey Vonn’s crash just after it happened.

Fans went silent as soon as Vonn crash, reacting with shock, grief and later support as the helicopter lifted her into the sky. USA TODAY Sports talked to some fans after the crash .

Is Lindsey Vonn OK?

Vonn was in obvious pain after the crash, but she was moving her arms, head and neck.

About 18 minutes after the crash, the helicopter slowly began flying toward Cortina. ‘Let’s let Lindsey Vonn hear us!’ the American announcer said as the chopper flew away with her, and the crowd cheered and applauded.

Vonn’s sister Karin Kildow was at the course today for the downhill and spoke to NBC reporters during their live broadcast:

‘I mean that definitely was the last thing we wanted to see and it happened quick and when that happens, you’re just immediately hoping she’s okay. And it was scary because when you start to see the stretchers being put out, it’s not a good sign,’ Kildow said. ‘But she really … She just dared greatly and she put it all out there. So it’s really hard to see, but we just really hope she’s okay.

‘She does have all of her surgeons and her PT staff here and her doctors, so I’m sure they’ll give us a report and we’ll meet her at whatever hospital she’s at.’

Lindsey Vonn torn ACL

It was second time in as many weeks Vonn left a mountaintop on a chopper. She fully ruptured her left ACL, sustaining meniscus damage and bone bruising, in a downhill crash on Jan. 30, in the final World Cup event prior to the start of the Olympics.

Vonn is also skiing with a partial replacement of her right knee. She had dominated the sport before the crash, making the podium in all five downhill races this season and winning two of them.

Despite the latest injury, Vonn was determined to race at her fifth and final Olympics. She said her knee felt stable and strong, and she had spent the last week doing intense rehab, pool workouts, weight lifting and plyometrics. She skied both training runs, posting the third-fastest time in the second run before it was canceled because of fog and snow.

Lindsey Vonn torn ACL

Vonn is 41 and was skiing in her fifth Winter Olympics (2002, 2006, 2010, 2018, 2026). She has won three Olympic medals (1 gold, 2 bronze).

After several injury-plagued seasons, Mike Trout is motivated to prove he can still be one of baseball’s best players.
Trout has expressed his desire to return to playing center field, a position he feels most comfortable in.
Despite recent struggles and not being ranked among the game’s elite, Trout’s presence continues to command respect in the Angels’ clubhouse.

TEMPE, Ariz. — Mike Trout isn’t vowing to be the Mike Trout of old, the man who was baseball’s greatest player for nearly a decade.

The 11-time All-Star and three-time MVP winner insists he is not angry or upset that he no longer is considered one of the game’s elite players, or even listed among the top 100 players by MLB Network.

Yet ever so quietly the Los Angeles Angels say that they see Trout’s eyes smoldering, that intensity burning inside him, and the confidence to prove he can return to being one of the game’s finest players.

‘I know what I’m capable of doing,’ Trout said Monday. ‘And I feel great.’

The Angels can see it in his demeanor, hear it in his voice, and watch it in his interactions.

‘I’m excited for him, that’s my boy,’ Angels special assistant Torii Hunter, the nine-time Gold Glove winner, tells USA TODAY Sports. ‘I don’t care what nobody says, I think he’s going to have a good year, man. To hear his enthusiasm this year is way different than any other year.

‘I think he’s got a lot to prove. He’s going to prove everybody wrong, all of the naysayers.’

It’s not as if Trout is necessarily going to produce a 1.000 OPS as he did for three consecutive seasons, or hit 40 homers again, and he certainly won’t be stealing 40 bases.

But to believe he’s finished, to think that he can no longer help a team, then you don’t know Mike Trout, who for nine consecutive seasons finished in the top five in the American League MVP balloting.

‘He doesn’t need any rankings or lists to promote himself,’ Angels GM Perry Minasian says, ‘but this is a motivated person. I know the last three, four, five years haven’t been what any of us have hoped, but I believe he’s in constant competition with himself to be as he possibly can be.

‘It’s not even chasing the old Mike Trout, but it’s being as good as he can possibly be right now. You see how relaxed he is showing up, how confident he is. He can still do things that other people can’t do.’

There’s a reason Trout commands such a presence in the Angels camp, with teammates still in awe, remembering the days when he was the greatest player on the planet, drawing comparisons to Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle, and all of the great center fielders before him.

‘My kids were wanting me to retire this winter,’ 36-year-old Angels reliever Brent Suter said, ‘but one day I told them, ‘What if Mike Trout wants me to be his teammate?’ They went crazy. My (7-year-old) son started chanting Mike Trout to his friends in school. They’re so excited, as am I. I never played with a bona fide first-ballot Hall of Famer.

‘He’s given more to this game than you can imagine. He’s such a huge ambassador for our game. Really, it’s an honor playing with him.’

Trout, 34, revealed Monday that he intends to return to center field, just like old times, a position he he last played on a regular basis four years ago.

He sat down with Minasian and rookie manager Kurt Suzuki when he arrived to camp Sunday, strongly expressed his desire to play center, and they promised they’d give him every opportunity. They don’t have a true center fielder, so why not?

‘I told (Suzuki) I’d play anywhere,’ Trout said, ‘but obviously I’d prefer center. I just feel more comfortable out there. I feel like I’m at my best when I’m in center. … When I’m out there, it’s just a lot better for me than worrying about the corners.’

The Angels are fully on board, believing he can play four, perhaps even five days a week in center field with occasional games in right field and at DH.

‘He’s in a great place,’ Minasian said. ‘He’s still strong, still explosive. We’re not closing the door on anything. Kurt and I are on the same page. He’s got the ability to play all three outfield spots. He’d do whatever we need. If we wanted him to play shortstop, he’d do that too.’

Trout is cool playing anywhere, but wants no part of being a full-time DH again as he did a year ago. He opened the 2025 season as a right fielder, but after 22 games, suffered a bone bruise on his surgically-repaired left knee running the bases. He returned a month later and was the Angels’ full-time the remainder of the season. He wound up producing the worst season of his career, hitting .232 with 26 homers, 64 RBI and a career-low .797 OPS.

Perhaps it was no coincidence that Trout’s last great season was when he was a center fielder back in 2022. He hit 40 homers with 80 RBI and a .999 OPS in 119 games that season. He since has been riddled with back, knee and calf injuries, playing in only 241 games out of 486.

Trout’s injury history prevented him from being able to participate in the WBC where he was captain of the USA Team in 2023. He likely wasn’t going to be in the starting lineup, but he badly wanted to play until discovering that the WBC insurance policy wouldn’t cover him in case of injury, potentially voiding the remaining $177.25 million remaining in the last five years of his contract.

‘It’s disappointing,’ Trout said. ‘I definitely wanted to run it back, you know, with all of the guys.’

Now, staying with the Angels all spring, it gives him a chance to prove he can be an everyday center fielder again. If he didn’t believe he could pull it off, he wouldn’t be so adamant about the move. But he feels completely healthy, lost about six pounds, and for the first time in five years is coming off a normal winter of workouts.

Besides, the Angels actually are a better team with a healthy Trout in center field. The Angels could move Jo Adell back to his natural position in right field and have Josh Lowe in left with Jorge Soler as the primary DH.

‘I felt like when I was in center, it was less (stress) on my body,’ Trout said. ‘To be honest, right field felt like I was running a lot. It’s just a preference thing. Talking to some other outfielders, they feel the same way sometimes, that center is less on your legs. I just feel more confident in center.’

And, yes, there’s also the matter of pride. It’s tough for anyone to be told to give up their natural position despite being reminded constantly that Father Time is undefeated.

‘For Mike, I can only imagine that you’re a center field for so long and then they tell you to go to right or DH, that’s pride,’ said Hunter, who moved to right field in 2011 to make room for Peter Bourjos and Trout. ‘You got to swallow it.

‘But he lost a lot of weight. He was so strong at the top, it’s heavy on the legs. Now, he’s going to be able to move more efficiently. So having him play center field might be a good thing.’

Forget the physical burden of playing center, Hunter says, it’s the mental aspect that could greatly benefit Trout, knowing he can be provide value on the defensive side, too.

‘When you’re an athlete like Trout, playing center field for so long,’ Hunter said, ‘he used that defense to pump him up offensively. Defense never slumps, but it can actually pump you up. But if you’re not playing defense, and you struggle at the plate, then all you do is go and sit down and watch video.

‘That’s when the devil starts playing with your mind. Now, he can go out there and no matter what happens at the plate, he can always go out there and make something happen for the team.’

And if Trout is back, and stays healthy, well maybe the Angels can start dreaming of being a legitimate contender again.

‘At the end of the day,’ Minasian says, ‘a healthy Mike Trout obviously changes this club. I think he’s primed for a big year. We’re lucky to have him.’

Follow Bob Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale