The Selfless Path to Victory: Lessons from the U.S. Ski Team
Boulder Nordic & Cycle Sport Staff
By Luke JagerHailing from Anchorage, Alaska, Luke Jager is a 2022 Olympian and was recently named to the U.S. Ski Team's B Team for the 2024/2025 season after showcasing impressive performances at the World Cup and Junior World Championships, contributing to several relay podium finishes. Jager competes for the University of Utah, where he has helped the team secure multiple NCAA titles. Outside of skiing, he has a passion for dirt biking and photography. He is pursuing a degree in environmental and sustainability studies, reflecting his commitment to protecting the natural landscapes that inspire his athletic pursuits.
I was listening to a podcast not too long ago with Wim Hof, the crazy Dutch guy who can control his body temperature with breathing techniques and has climbed some of the world's biggest mountains barefoot, wearing only shorts. He definitely said a lot of memorable things and obviously had some very interesting insights. However, the only thing I seem to really remember from the whole podcast was a short and sweet line he had to describe the motto he uses while teaching his breathing techniques to groups. He repeatedly used the line, "No ego, we go." Something about the simplicity and power of that phrase resonated with me. It made me reflect on my own experiences within groups and teams, and especially within the team I am lucky to spend much of my life with, the U.S. Cross-Country Ski Team.
I think that phrase resonated so much with me because it feels like a perfect summation of the culture that so many people have worked so hard to build on the Ski Team and within the broader U.S. skiing community.
No ego, we go. It sounds great and pairs nicely with one of Head Coach Matt Whitcomb's favorite mottos for our team: "No leaders, all leaders." They sound great. Every team, workplace, classroom, community, country, you name it, has sought to create a culture in which the needs of the group are put above the needs of self. Everyone wants their team to buy into a shared vision and purpose, and everyone who is part of a team wants a shared vision and purpose to buy into, so why is it so damn hard to actually do it? Why can't we all be like the worker ants who turn their bodies into bridges for their kin to crawl across to get food or who will die for their queen without a second's thought? Well, probably because we aren't ants. If you haven't noticed, humans have a tendency to look out for ourselves reflexively in pretty much any situation. You can't blame us too much; it is deeply rooted in our biology, and if we aren't looking out for our genes, then who is? We are deeply wired to look out for self first and foremost. So, how do we get people to buy into a team? Maybe the answer is that the team and self need to become one and the same.
If there is a team, and I am in the team the same way someone is a tenant in an apartment building, the team is pretty much just a means to an end. I expect nothing exceptional from anyone and give nothing exceptional in return. I use my teammates to aid in my own training and take advantage of the resources available while focused on my own goals. Everything is purely transactional and professional. This is surely still better than having no team at all, but it is pretty one-dimensional, and nothing is permeating the relationship between me and my teammates and coaches other than obligation and proximity.
"No ego, we go." Something about the simplicity and power of that phrase resonated with me.
However, if I view a team as an extension of myself and feel the same amount of ownership over the success of others as I do of myself, that changes everything. My teammates own my successes, and I own my teammates' successes. When the success of others makes you feel pride for what you helped to build as well as joy for those standing on top of it, there is more connecting you and your teammates than just matching shirts.
Maybe it's just because I get to spend a lot of time looking up at my teammates on the podium, but I feel like this is what generations of people on the Ski Team have built for us now. To be genuinely happy for the success of others and to know others are genuinely happy for your success is a feeling that I hope all people get to experience in their lives. I feel immensely grateful every day to spend so much time immersed in a culture that is so uplifting.
...culture needs to be codified. You need to have these discussions beforehand.
How did we get here? Step one is for everyone to bring their walls down. Genuine connection and communication is the foundation of building loving and caring relationships. To get people to open up and be their true selves, they have to feel safe. To feel safe, they have to see evidence that they are safe. They need to overhear conversations others are having that are POSITIVE about other members of the team, not negative. No one is going to buy in and open up if you have reason to believe someone is going to disparage you as soon as you aren't around anymore. People need to feel noticed and acknowledged; they need a "hello" and a smile from teammates, especially the ones they don't know well. People need to feel that their teammates want to get to know them because they like them, not just because they are convenient social connections.
This is hard! Gossiping is in our nature, comparing is in our nature, and sometimes you are just plain tired and don't want to go through all of that effort. And you know what? Sometimes if you aren't performing well, it's hard to feel like, "Wow, I'm so glad my teammates who work just as hard as me are performing so much better than me; I am so proud of myself for helping them get there," and even if you do feel that way, it's buried under all sorts of other crap. That's why culture needs to be codified. You need to have these discussions beforehand. If we have already had a conversation that our team values are that you love and support your teammates even when it isn't as easy, then it is easier for that to be your knee-jerk reaction. For this to really work, people can't soft buy-in. You have to set principles you believe in but sometimes stretch your willpower a bit because that is where the most growth happens, and culture doesn't work if it can change at the first sign of trouble.
Explicit and meaningful leadership from everyone in their own way is how we build groups that work cohesively well together, perform well, and create a meaningful and fulfilling experience for everyone involved. Everyone contributes in ways that are proportionately meaningful and impactful. An equally impactful contribution looks vastly different depending on who it comes from. A more introverted person speaking up voluntarily in a team meeting shows that they are willing to leave their comfort zone to contribute to the group, just as a more extroverted person staying quiet and allowing space for others to have their voices heard does. Both parties are aware of the effort being put in by the other to create an inclusive and productive environment, and both feel heightened kinship and loyalty toward the other because of it. Someone who is performing poorly and is frustrated putting that aside to celebrate their teammates' success is then met by those performing well having an increased sense of empathy and connection toward their teammates who are struggling. This leads to the sharing of belief, knowledge, and experience that ultimately helps the underperformer improve. Once this culture gets rolling, then everyone wants in on it, and suddenly, when the group comes together, people become the best version of themselves as they strive to act in ways that align with the group's collective moral compass and reap the benefits internally when they do. When this happens over and over again, culture becomes solid, foundational, and even unshakable.
What are we looking to get out of our teams? Just performance and results? A group of friends? Fulfilling experiences that make us happier? Purpose? All of those are fine, but no matter what the answer is, investing in love and understanding toward one another is the way to get there. E pluribus unum, out of many, one. We all can and should seek to be the catalyst for cultures we can be proud of. No matter who we are or what we do, we can build meaning and purpose into our lives and the lives of those around us by choosing to open up and connect, especially with those with whom it is hardest. When there is no ego, we go.
*photos courtesy of Luke Jager
