"My Time as a World Cup Athlete Has Come to an End": Rosie Brennan Announces Career Update

Article written & provided by Rosie Brennan - 

I struggle with the word retirement because I hope to ski and race as long as I possibly can, but my time as a World Cup athlete has come to an end. I continue to battle my health with few answers, and that has taken a toll both physically and mentally. I dreamed of finishing on a high and on my own terms, and I feel some amount of disappointment that this isn’t that. But something that skiing has given me is a deep appreciation for challenging myself and finding joy in the process of learning, and this year provided plenty of that. 

As I reflect on my World Cup career, I am most proud of showing up every day, having developed perseverance through overcoming many obstacles and difficult periods, and using my desire to learn and grow to become competitive in every event. I am immensely thankful for my teammates, past and present, who aided me along on this journey, gave me so much joy in the process, and have continued to be loving friends. My deepest gratitude is to Erik Flora and APU Nordic Ski Center. There is little doubt in my mind that any of this would have been possible without APU having welcomed me, without Erik’s unwavering commitment to helping me grow not just as a skier, but as a full human, and without the productive training environment he has created. I couldn’t imagine a better life than making my passion a career. It makes for low lows and high highs, and that makes life feel so real and so full. 

I love learning and am excited to pursue other passions and seek mastery in new arenas. I will be enrolling in a Master's of Sports Nutrition at Liverpool John Moores University this fall. I hope to give my body more time to heal and my mind new challenges to take on. I don’t know exactly how skiing will fit into my life moving forward, but I do know it will, and I do believe I will put on a race bib as soon as my body is ready.

Thank you to the Stifel U.S. Ski Team for the opportunity to represent the U.S. 310 times and to all the techs, PTs, MTs, coaches, sponsors, suppliers, and everyone who has cheered along the way.  To have had the opportunity to make skiing a career has been a dream come true – this is not the end, just a new chapter. 

Thank you, 
Rosie Brennan
Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team
Three-time Olympian