Julie Chu is a three times Olympic medalist and a member of the US Olympic Women’s Hockey team since the 2002 Salt Lake City games.
The team won the silver in 2002 and 2010 and the bronze in 2006. She plans on competing in Sochi next year and hopes to take home the elusive gold medal.
She says her drive and determination comes from the way her parents brought her up.
“One of our family philosophy’s is modeled after Chu, Commitment, honor and unity. That has really stuck with me.” she said.
She watched her younger brother skate at an early age and told her mom she wanted to do the same thing.
Julie is grateful her parents didn’t try to stir her toward a more feminine sport such as figure skating.
“She kept looking at the way her brother was practicing his hockey, mom Miriam Chu said. ‘I really want to try that, mom’
I saw a spark in her eyes every time she put on her hockey skates and we wanted to give her that opportunity.”
Julie’s first competitive experience on the hockey ice was with a boy’s team because there was no girl’s team.
She recalls making the US team, only to hurt her knee a few weeks before she was supposed to join the team.
Julie called the coach and offered to withdrawal. You can hear about what happened next in the clip below.
