Allie Johnson uses ‘ski like a girl’ motto as motivation for first Paralympics

“Ski like a girl.” It’s the four-word motto that serves as both motivation and mantra for Paralympic alpine racer Allie Johnson, who’s making her debut for Team USA at the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing.

“That means that I’m skiing really fast,” said Johnson, who also writes the words on her glove so that she literally has them at her fingertips, “that I’m overcoming so much injury and people thinking that girls can’t be competitive in sport. It’s just really one of my big mantras for whenever I’m doubting myself, I can look at my glove that says, ‘Ski like a girl,’ or look at my glove that says, ‘Actually, I can,’ and remind myself of how tough I really am.”

The words have been especially important to Johnson, who was born without a right forearm and will compete in four events in Beijing. She’s already completed the super-G, where she finished 14th, and the super combined (DNF), with the giant slalom and slalom to come.

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Johnson’s hand-decorated gloves have become a signature trademark for the Chicago native, who began giving them as gifts to friends. She’s made personalized gloves marked with significant song lyrics for teammates and even decorated one for fellow U.S. para alpine athlete and mentor Danelle Umstead in honor of Umstead’s foundation, Sisters in Sports. Currently, Johnson is working on a glove for an Australian Paralympian that will match her speed suit – and she’s trading it for one of the Aussie’s pins.

“It really actually started with my friend – I sent my right glove to him, because I only need the left one,” she told On Her Turf. “So then it just kind of started to be a really cool thing that I get to do.”

As for the pin trading, the 27-year-old