Madbury, NH to Milan, Grace Henderson’s ‘amazing journey’ to Olympics

Grace Henderson was a seventh-grade student at Oyster River Middle School when, for a class project, she wrote, “I have big dreams for my future life … like going to the Olympics.”

Twelve years later, Henderson, now 24, is proof that dreams do come true.

Henderson, who attended Oyster River schools as a Madbury resident through middle school, is one of four women on Team USA competing in freestyle skiing in both the slopestyle and big air events at the upcoming 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

“This means everything to me,” said Henderson Jan. 30 during a four-hour layover in Atlanta en route to Italy. “It’s a dream I’ve been working on for, pretty much, my entire life. It’s kind of unreal that it’s happening. I can’t believe it.”

How did a young girl from a small New Hampshire town grow up to reach the Olympics and compete against the best in the world?

“I don’t know,” she said. “Hard work, dedication, and a lot of trips up north.”

Has the idea of being an Olympian sunk in yet?

“It’s starting to,” she said. “I can’t sleep at night, and I am so jittery. I can’t stop shaking. I am so excited (for) what’s to come.”

Opening ceremonies are scheduled for Friday, Feb. 6, with live coverage on NBC, Peacock and NBCOlympics.com at 2 p.m. from San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy. An encore presentation is scheduled to air at 8 p.m.

When/where to watch Henderson

Qualifications for the slopestyle event are scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 7, at 4:30 a.m., and the finals are scheduled for Monday, Feb. 9, at 6:30 a.m. The top 12 from the qualification round advance to the finals. Both the qualification round and the finals will be televised on USA Network.

Qualifications for big air are scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 14, at 1:30 p.m., and the finals are scheduled for Monday, Feb. 16, at 1:30 a.m. Again, the top 12 from the qualification round advance to the finals. Qualifications will only be aired via livestream, while the finals will be televised on NBC.

“The stressful part of this Olympic experience was getting my name on Team USA, and once I did that, a huge new stress kind of hit,” Henderson said. “The goals have now shifted. I made it here, and now the goal is to win a medal.”

NBC is also streaming all events on Peacock.

Henderson won X Games silver; seeks Olympic medal

Henderson will be competing against three other Americans and 26 others from around the world in both of her events. Could she win a medal?

“I really hope so,” said Henderson, who won the silver medal in the women’s big air event at the 2025 X Games in Aspen.

How Henderson reacted to news she’s an Olympian

Henderson started “doing the math” after the final Team USA Olympic qualifier, and she thought her scores would get her one of the four spots. She officially found out she made the team on Monday, Jan. 26.

“I was so happy, I thought it would be me going, and I was just anxiously awaiting the phone call for five days,” Henderson said. “When I got the call, I called all my friends and family who have been on this journey with me for the past 10 to 12 years. ”

Henderson said it was “awesome to hear all my friends crying over the phone over their excitement for my dream that they knew I was chasing for so long.”

“It was cool to have the community behind me, and excited for me knowing how long and hard I’ve worked for this,” Henderson said.

Henderson overcame numerous obstacles in her way

Henderson, who graduated from the University of Utah in 2024 with a degree in psychology, has dealt with more than her share of injuries on her path to the Olympics.

“I’ve been injured so many times, which makes this dream coming to fruition so beautiful,” she said.

Henderson tore her ACL twice, broke both of her heels, her collarbone, and parts of her spine.

“With each injury comes more fear of having to break through the mental barriers of coming back from something that has hurt me so many times, that is scary,” Henderson said. “I am glad I was able to push through all that fear and keep reaching for that dream of mine. I am here, I am living my dream, and I, honestly, didn’t think it was going to happen for me because of everything I’ve been through.”

Henderson said it would have been very easy to quit and put competitive skiing in the past, but she persevered and continued to chase her dream.

“There were so many times I thought about stopping,” she said. “I thought about stopping while I was sitting in a wheelchair with two broken feet, or when I was in a hospital bed, and I couldn’t sit up because I had broken bones in my back.”

Henderson said she took a moment every one of those times came up, and she kept asking herself the same question.

“I kept asking, ‘Is this really what I should be doing?’ But I always dug deep,” she said. “I knew this was my dream, and I couldn’t give up on myself when I was so close. I am at the top of my game right now, and I am thankful I didn’t give up on myself.”

Missing out on in 2018 and 2022 ‘fueled’ Henderson’s fire

Henderson made the USA ski team in 2017 shortly before the 2018 Olympic Games in South Korea. Her torn ACL in the spring of 2017 put her out of contention for the South Korea games.

“That is when I realized this dream of mine was so close, and why I never could give up on it, because I was so close,” she said. “I told myself if I kept working, one day it would happen, and three Olympic cycles later, here we are.”

After the 2018 Olympic Games, Henderson was a strong candidate for Team USA for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games. She ended up being the first alternate and wasn’t needed.

“That was tough,” she said. “I was right there and was skiing the best I’ve ever had. It was still COVID, and I was the first alternate. Having to isolate at a time when I was so saddened by having my heart broken from missing out on my biggest dream really crushed me.

“The last four years really fueled my fire, knowing I was right there (in 2022),” Henderson continued. “(Not making Olympics then) made me want it more, knowing it was a possibility.”

Sacrifices had to be made

To dedicate oneself to one thing for so long, certain sacrifices are just inevitable. For Henderson, there were many.

“I didn’t have a normal high school experience. I picked one sport and focused on that,” said Henderson, who attended high school at Waterville Valley Academy. “I missed out on high school soccer and lacrosse, two sports I loved to do.”

But skiing was Henderson’s “passion,” and that is what she chased.

“I followed this dream of mine, and had to dedicate my life to that,” Henderson said. “I did college online and missed out on the normal college experience. I missed out on all of that stuff, but, looking back, I realized I got to travel the world and did what I loved the most. It was a lot to sacrifice, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Chasing Olympic dream with her brother

Henderson has been training with her brother, Hunter, full-time in Park City, Utah, at the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team’s Center of Excellence.

Hunter, 23, is the first alternate on Team USA’s freestyle skiing men’s team. The two have lived, competed, traveled the world, and supported each other for the past eight years.

“These eight years have been so special,” Grace said. “We’ve traveled the world, and to have my best friend and brother with me the whole time has been great. I never get homesick, and he’s my biggest supporter. It’s really nice to have him and us pushing each other. I don’t wish any harm on the men’s side, but I am glad my brother is coming to the Olympics, and he will be supporting me.”

It was Hunter, years ago, who suggested Grace switch from alpine skiing to freestyle.

“I had the most fun I ever had on skis, that is when I made the switch,” Grace said. “And thank God I did because look where I am now.”

Brother, parents fly to Milan to continue ‘amazing journey’

Last Saturday, Hunter flew out to Milan with their parents, Mark and Christine, avid skiers themselves who introduced their children to the sport when they were 2. The couple now lives in Durham.

Mark Henderson said when he heard Grace had made the Olympics, and his son was an alternate on the men’s side, and both had the opportunity to represent Team USA at the Olympics, he called that “one of the most satisfying and fulfilling things a parent could ever imagine.

“There was a lot of reflection time on this journey,” Mark said. “There was a lot of time standing on the side of slopes, driving them both to events when they were little, and watching them grow and progress. It’s been such an amazing journey.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald. Reporting by Jay Pinsonnault.