Jamie MoCrazy once had it all – a thriving career as a professional skier, an Olympics trajectory, and the world in the palm of her hand. But in just one moment, everything changed. After a traumatic accident at the World Tour Finals in 2015, Jamie was comatose, becoming paralzed, and her prognosis was inconceivably devastating.
However, as a true testament to her strength and perseverance, Jamie prevailed. He relearned gross motor skills, like walking and talking, and came back to her body thanks to the support of incredible doctors, and also the two other pillars of MoCrazy Strong – her sister, Jeanee, and her mom, Fruit. Today, the three Utah-based women lead the global community in their mission to uplift other women to embrace change, stride through challenges with confidence and bravery, and they explore the psychology behind success and human development through Fruit’s very own MoCrzy Method. Needless to say, the trio is unstoppable, and are making a difference in the world through their commitment to providing comfort and community to those who need it most.
Jamie, who beat all odds throughout her recovery journey, is a walking reminder of the limitless potential we all have inside when we set intentions and take charge of our own futures. The world-renowned athlete, who got engaged this past April on the anniversary of her accident, always celebrates life, love, and takes no blessing for granted.
What does fitness mean to you? Fitness is a way to feel happy. To move your body, clear your mind, and keep yourself ready for peak performance.
Has the role of fitness in your life changed ever since your accident? If so, how? Also, how was it getting back into fitness after such a traumatic injury? Before my accident I was working out at places like the Olympic Training Center for my ski career. Right after my accident I couldn’t do anything. I had to relearn every base gross motor skill. After I left the hospital I could walk, however I was very weak. This was challenging as someone who had been athletic my whole life. When I would go on walks I would stop and need a break every 5 minutes. Instead of saying I need a break, Mama MoCrazy advised me to say look at the view! We would stop, look at the view, and I would get my rest! This has turned into an analogy we use every time you get overwhelmed at things not happening fast enough in life. Whatever you are doing, stop and look at the view!
If there was one thing you could tell your supporters about how fitness benefits your overall health, what would it be? For me, fitness goes far beyond having a good body for my wedding dress. I love being active! Fitness changes your mental attitude. Everyone is at different levels in fitness. Focus on setting attainable goals that will reach those growth goals you have in your mind. One little step along the path each day will lead to you climbing to the best peak!
What path did you take for rehabilitation? Fitness was a big part of my rehabilitation. I had a physical therapist in outpatient therapy I went to five days a week. However my fitness went far beyond that! Mama MoCrazy would have me do yoga as soon as I left the hospital. At the time I could only do five minutes of yoga, followed by a shavasana to learn to calm my mind. We also worked with a trainer five days a week to help me recover and relearn to jump.
What advice would you give people who are insecure getting back into fitness after going through a traumatic injury? An important part of my recovery was the mindset surrounding it. We focused on my fitness as we had my entire life, not focusing on how weak I had become. My sister Jeanee did every physical therapy, trainer, hiking activity with me. Jeanee is a professional halfpipe skier, so the exercises I was doing were very easy for her! However she never made me feel inadequate. We had fun and moved our bodies! I performed at the state I was currently at. I think the most important piece of advice is to love your current self and current abilities. Focus on setting attainable goals, and do fitness things that make you happy!
How do you feel about your fittest self today? I feel great! I did a spring fitness challenge led by Hannah Kearney (Olympic ski gold medalist) I am working on having lean muscles in my fitness right now. One exercise I love is putting the timer on for a minute and doing as many fast pushups as I can during that time!
What’s your fitness routine to get into shape for your wedding? My fitness routines change a bit with where I am and what I’m doing. I always do something for toning strength and cardio every day. I am at my dad’s in Westport, CT as I write this. He lives 3 miles from the beach, which we go to every day. I ride my bike to and from the beach every day, and do planks and pushups. In Utah, as well as doing workouts and every day shuffling between wall sits, fast pushups, and planks, I love to hike!
Overall, how has being an athlete attributed to your day to day life? I think one of the most powerful things about growing up as an athlete is you know how to fail and be told no, by people other than your parents. It grounds you tremendously and teaches you how to set goals and push your body. This was crucial in my recovery. People ask was it hard to relearn how to walk again? My response is the mental game after my traumatic injury was much harder! I was used to pushing my body past what it currently could do, and setting attainable goals to reach huge growth goals! Like walking up the stairs every day at the water ramps to practice double backflips, as an attainable goal to reach my growth goal, becoming the first woman in the world to compete a double flip at X-Games. All this I learned from being an athlete during my youth.