At the heart of the local ski community is a family whose legacy on the slopes is as legendary as their aspirations for the future. Trace Worthington’s family story covers talent, determination and entrepreneurial spirit, including the dreams of his two teenage daughters, Izzy and Sami, with their own sights set on Olympic gold.
Trace is familiar from his Olympic days competing in freestyle skiing with 37 World Cup victories, 11 national titles, 79 visits to the podium and seven world titles (he retired in 1997 from the sport) and current broadcasting role with NBC.
He’s passed on more than just his passion for skiing to his daughters. Izzy, 17, and Sami, 19, who is part of the U.S. mogul team, are making waves in the ski world in their turn, too.
Despite a recent knee injury, Sami is focused on securing her place at the Deer Valley World Cup in 2025.
Izzy recently debuted in a World Cup event in ski halfpipe at Copper Mountain in Colorado, a step toward her Olympic dreams.
The sisters both aspire to participate in the next Olympic Games in 2026.
Their ambition finds its roots deep in the family’s Olympic history, tracing back to great-grandfather Harry Worthington’s participation in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, where he finished fourth in long jumping for the United States.
“It has been fun to have them follow in some footsteps, whether it is freestyle skiing or Sami doing moguls,” Trace said. “It has been pretty cool for them to grow up in the [ski] community and be a part of it and also be successful at it, which has been fun to watch as a parent.”
Handmade warmth
Izzy’s journey toward the Olympics is intertwined with her entrepreneurial pursuits. Currently competing on Park City Ski and Snowboard’s Park and Pipe Team in an era when athletic endeavors require significant financial investment, Izzy has taken matters into her own hands quite literally.
With over 5,000 hand-sewn fleece hats sold and orders pouring in from ski companies, her small business, IZLO (named by combining her first name with her middle name, Lola). IZLO’s website: izloapparel.com/
“I was honestly just really bored most of the winter so I decided to ask one of my neighbors [to borrow] a sewing machine and taught myself how to sew,” Izzy said. “I tried many different things, but I wanted it to be something I could do on my own and not send to a big manufacturer to make. It took me at least 40 tries to get a pretty good hat. I am still learning and testing.”
Each hat costs $26-$28. The enterprise has grown enough that Izzy now employs help to meet demand. So far, she has earned enough from sales to fund half of her ski season.
“A full-time skier traveling 10+ places a year is expensive,” Izzy said. “I am saving my money to hopefully go on a service trip to Rwanda in 2025 with the Kids Play International program, which is run by Tracy Evans [former Olympian in aerials skiing]. I have wanted to go on this trip for more than three years now and have been saving up ever since.”
Izzy is working on a design for her next endeavor, fleece overalls, that she hopes to release next winter.
“It has been fun to see people all around the world wearing them because it’s definitely overwhelming, and you never know where your business is going to go,” Izzy said. “Starting a business means you just have to keep going, even if none are selling.”
Racing toward future
The path to Olympic glory is fraught with challenges, from the physical toll of rigorous training to the financial burdens associated with professional sport.
Sami grew up skiing on Wasatch and Park City Ski & Snowboard and gives both organizations credit for her development as a skier.
“I attended the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver when I was little. I watched the mogul event, and Hannah Kearney get her metal,” Sami said. “I had already been leaning toward freestyle because I love jumping. Watching Hannah and my dad, who is an aerialist — he has coached me a lot — has inspired me.”
Cutlines-