Noelle Pikus-Pace was one of the feel-good stories of the Sochi Olympics. A skeleton slider who retired after missing a medal in the 2010 Olympics by a tenth of a second, she came back for one more shot at the urging of her husband. With two small children in tow, they returned to an itinerant life of skeleton racing, and in medal.
She retired after Sochi — “This time, for good,” she says — and on Saturday she will give the commencement address for graduates of Colorado Technical University. She has an MBA from CTU and some great stories to share with those graduates.
“Anytime we go through a struggle in life, or trial, or anytime we have challenges, it really pushes us to our limits,” Pikus-Pace said. “It can either make us or break us. I’ve learned so much more, and we’ve grown so much more as a family, through every heartache that we’ve suffered. The joys, the success, those moments when we’ve been on top of the world, those are great moments, but those are a result of all that it takes to get there.”
Pikus-Pace came back to skeleton after two years because her husband, Janson, sensed she still had the desire and medal-winning potential, and he wanted her to have the chance to realize it. They did it as a family, making big sacrifices. It was all worth it on Valentine’s Day in Sochi.
“If we hadn’t had to sacrifice so much, if we hadn’t had so much heartache, if we hadn’t had so many trials along our path, that celebration wouldn’t be as joyous,” Pikus-Pace said. “That’s what the world saw, and that’s what we felt that night in Sochi. It was more than I could have ever expected. It was more than I could have ever anticipated or imagined, being able to cross that finish line and win a medal and jump into the stands with my family.”
Now Pikus-Pace is pregnant with twin boys who will join the family next month. Her daughter, Lacee, is 7. Son Traycen is 4.
Pikus-Pace studied for her MBA with CTU online and completed her degree in 2007. She got her undergrad degree in 2005 from Utah Valley University, where she ran track, and lives in Eagle Valley, Utah.
CTU’s commencement will be held at the Colorado Convention Center’s Bellco Theatre. Over the past year, 5,200 students will have completed their doctoral, master’s, bachelor’s or associate degrees, and about 1,000 will attend the ceremony.
“If I could share any piece of wisdom, it would be to continue moving forward, continue setting goals,” Pikus-Pace said. “Even though they’re graduating, this is a steppingstone. It’s not a time to stop and close all those books. There’s always room to grow. There’s always room to gain knowledge and set goals and progress every day.”
John Meyer: jmeyer@denverpost.com or twitter.com/johnmeyer
