Winter Olympian Sean Hollander Talks Luge, Mental Toughness, and Hard Work

Sean Hollander is a two-time Olympian, having competed in Beijing 2022 and Milan 2026 (photo credit: Sean Hollander).

Just a few days after competing in the Olympic Winter Games, held in Italy, American luge athlete Sean Hollander joined Scholastic Kid Reporter Xander Dorsey to talk about his experience, the books that inspired his professional journey, and his advice for younger athletes.

Sean, who is originally from Lake Placid, New York, grew up near one of the premier sliding facilities in the country. He started young and worked hard to become one of the top doubles competitors in America. Now a two-time Olympian, he first competed at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. Then, in 2023, he and partner Zack DiGregorio made history by winning the first doubles World Cup race for the United States in almost twenty years. At this year's Olympics, they finished 8th in doubles.

Sean stressed how important experience is in luge. He keeps detailed corner notes and watches training videos to improve his runs. He also talked about racing at the Olympic level for the first time.

"Well, the first time you go from the top of a luge track, it's usually a very scary and fun experience," he said. Muscle memory and practice help him hit the right lines even when nerves are high. 

Sean and his partner Zack DiGregorio finished eighth in doubles luge at this year's Olympics (photo credit: Sean Hollander). 

In any competition, especially at the Olympic level, there can be a lot of pressure and expectations. Sean said that even for the best athletes, sometimes negative thoughts can creep in, no matter how many times they have competed or how much they prepare.

"Whenever I'm experiencing negative thoughts, I try to shift that to a positive thought and say, ‘I know what to do in this corner,’" he explained. Sean shared that reading sports psychology books like The Champion's Mind has helped his mental game. 

Kid Reporter Xander Dorsey interviewed Sean just days after he competed in the Olympic Winter Games (photo credit: Xander Dorsey).

When he was younger, books inspired Sean to dream big about the places he could travel to, which is a dream he is living today.

"A book series that I read a lot when I was younger is the Magic Tree House. And I think it just kind of inspired me to want to travel to all these unique places, and I always had a passion to do that," he said. "Luge kind of let me live the life that I liked from reading all of those books when I was younger.” 

Sean is grateful that being a luger has given him the opportunity to travel across the world (photo credit: Sean Hollander).

Sean is competing at the highest level and inspiring young athletes across the world. He is also a mentor with Classroom Champions, a non-profit dedicated to connecting students with world-class athlete mentors. He regularly meets with kids to talk about topics such as confidence, perseverance, and handling pressure. 

Sean shared his advice for those inspired by his journey. “You always have to put in the hard work. Hard work always, in the end, beats out talent. You can be a very talented athlete, but if you don't put the hard work in, you'll never reach the highest highs.”