Baton Rouge native Brenna Huckaby gears up to hit the snow in her third Winter Paralympics this March

Though she’s from the balmy, humid Baton Rouge climate, Brenna Huckaby now spends her time on the slopes prepping for and competing in the Winter Paralympics. This time, she’s headed to Milan in March, hoping to add some new medals to her collection of three golds and one bronze. 

Huckaby says this Paralympics will be a little different. As a mom of two, it’s the first time that she’ll have had a full four years of training without having been pregnant since she began competing in the games. Her family will also be able to watch her compete in person—something that didn’t happen during the 2022 Paralympic Games in Beijing, which had COVID-19 restrictions.

“I feel like I’ve definitely put a lot more focus this summer into my progression and just seeing how I can grow mentally, more than anything,” Huckaby shared with 225 in November. “[I’m] seeing a sports psych weekly. I think when you get to a certain level, a lot comes down to the mental game, and I’ve noticed that for myself, so I put in a lot of work this year. I’m feeling pretty good, feeling strong. … I think just seeing what I can do with a full four years of training is really exciting. But the competition is getting stiffer.” 

To help stand out amongst that competition, Huckaby plans to use her mental and physical training, combined with a few strategies, at the games in March. First, a good playlist. In November, she shared that her current music lineup included ambient sounds, which she says helps her stay focused and calm. She also told 225 that she blared “From Louisiana” by Louisiana Ca$h (an unofficial LSU football game day anthem) during her 2022 slalom run, in which she won a gold. That tune might be in her headphones again for these Paralympics. 

The second must? Lucky socks. 

“I have a really weird ritual that is low-key kind of gross,” she laughs. “If I have a good training day, I’ll re-wear those socks until I have a bad day. Like, these are lucky socks now.”

Though hitting the snow is now the norm for this Paralympian, Huckaby started her sports career here in the Capital Region as a competitive gymnast. After dealing with persistent leg pain, Huckaby received an osteosarcoma diagnosis, leading to the amputation of her leg at age 14. She got on the board during a rehabilitation trip in Utah, and the rest is history. 

Since becoming a para athlete, Huckaby has become a strong advocate for those in the disability community, even fighting for herself in her last Paralympics after the International Paralympic Committee eliminated two events in Huckaby’s SB-LL1 class (for those with above-the-knee amputations), eliminating her ability to compete. Huckaby asked to compete in the men’s SB-LL1 category or the women’s SB-LL2 category (for those with below-the-knee amputation) but was denied, causing the issue to go to a German court, which ultimately ruled in Huckaby’s favor. She competed that year in the women’s SB-LL2 category, winning a gold medal in dual banked slalom and a bronze in snowboard cross. 

“I think, right now, my most meaningful [career accomplishment] is that last gold medal that I won at banked slalom in 2022,” she says. “I had to fight really hard to win it, both politically with a lawsuit, and also against women at a disadvantage that I was at, and I was able to do that. It just represents so much more than myself—all the people that rallied behind me to help me get to the games and get to where I am. It just is such a strong reflection of that. The only thing that would have made it better was having my family there.”

She’s also a co-founder of Culxtured, a media collective that amplifies the stories of other para athletes. Other career accomplishments include medaling in the World Para Snowboard Championships, ESPY awards and being the first Paralympian featured in Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue. This year, she’s one of seven athletes chosen to represent Team Coca-Cola on the road to the Olympic Winter Games. And she’s one of 225‘s People to Watch in 2026.

As the Milano Cortina games inch closer, she says she’s most looking forward to taking part in the games, having her family there while she competes, pin trading with other athletes, and sipping on all the free, unlimited Powerade that competing athletes can get. (Just like her hair, “purple” or grape is her favorite flavor.)

“It’s truly an honor to be able to represent Team USA on a stage like this, because we get to showcase the different aspects of what it means to be an American,” she says. “I think that looks different for everyone. What’s really cool is, in the para space, we’re showing what people with disabilities are capable of with access to equipment and prosthetics and medical care.”