Nikki Stone represents one of the athletic world's most remarkable stories of triumph over adversity. A pioneer in the daredevil sport of aerial freestyle skiing, she won gold at the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, just two years after a devastating accident left her barely able to walk or stand, and in great pain. She tells her story of return to championship form with powerful emotional appeal and heartfelt humor in keynote speeches that inspire audiences to take on the challenges they face in their personal and professional lives, and to go for their own idea of the gold that life offers. Nikki Stone carefully researches and customizes her presentations to the particular interests of her clients, assuring that her inspiring message has the maximum impact on her audiences.
At the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, Nikki Stone became America’s first-ever Olympic Champion in the sport of inverted aerial skiing. What made this performance so unbelievable, was the fact that less than two years earlier, a chronic injury prevented her from standing, much less walking or skiing down a slope at almost 40 miles per hour. Nikki came dangerously close to being sidelined from aerial skiing indefinitely.
Her tenacity and refusal to step down from a challenge brought Nikki Stone back to the top of the freestyle skiing podium. This top spot was far from foreign to Nikki, as throughout her career she earned 35 World Cup medals, eleven World Cup titles, four national titles, two yearlong Aerial World Cup titles, and a World Championship title. She also became the first pure aerialist ever (male or female) to become the yearlong Overall Freestyle World Cup Champion.
Nikki Stone motivates audiences to triumph over obstacles and take life-enhancing risks, like she did, to reach extraordinary goals that may initially seem unattainable. Nikki takes her audiences through a roller coaster of emotions where they are in tears one moment, rolls of laughter the next, and ready to stand up and cheer the very next. Nikki applies universal principals common to all Olympic champions and successful businessmen and women. All speeches are customized to incorporate any personal themes, messages and issues that companies are looking to communicate to their employees. Nikki also includes many options to help diversify conferences: team-building trampoline exercise, ski hosting adventures, Olympic tours, etc.
Due to her vast success and constant referrals as a motivational speaker, the United States Olympic Committee has recently hired Nikki to coach elite athletes and Olympians in speaking and presentation skills. Nikki will run several interactive programs that help prepare athletes for speaking engagements at schools and corporations.
In addition to her skiing and speaking endeavors, Nikki Stone is also a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Union College in Schenectady, NY. Her aerial retirement is less than restful, as she devotes time to charities such as “Right to Play” and “The Make-A-Wish Foundation”, hosts group skiing adventures, and participates in numerous sponsor promotions for major national and international companies.
You may have seen Nikki through her numerous television appearances on such shows as Late Night with David Letterman, Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN Early Addition, MSNBC Morning Line, ESPN Magazine show, FOX News Sports Express, CNN Business As Unusual, FOX Sports News live, and Late Late Show with Tom Snyder. You could have also caught Nikki in one of her nationally televised commercials for companies like Chevrolet and the Salt Lake Olympic Committee.
Nikki Stone has written several articles for the United States Olympic Committee, local newspapers, and various skiing magazines. Nikki is also a contributing author to the empowering book “Awaken the Olympian Within: Stories from America's Greatest Olympic Motivators”. “Awaken the Olympian Within” is a collection of inspirational essays, written by the Olympians themselves, which includes personal anecdotes of struggle and triumph which can encourage the reader to achieve their own dreams in almost any endeavor (1999, Griffin Publishing, 288 pages, soft-cover). Clients have found that this inspirational book has helped them sustain the high-spirited motivation that Nikki projects in her speeches.
Nikki now resides in Park City, Utah and has remained very involved with the Olympic movement by sitting on eight different Olympic and Sports Committees, including:
· Ambassador to the Salt Lake Organizing Committee
· Co-chair & leader of SUMMIT 2002 and 2006 -- A United States Olympic Committee Program where 8 Olympic Medalists help organize and develop a plan that teaches future Olympians skills to become a world success in their field of endeavor
· 2002 U.S. Olympic Apparel Committee
· Athlete Advisory Council to United States Olympic Committee
· Boardmember of US Skiing Foundation
· United States Ski & Snowboard Association Athletes Council
· Boardmember of the Shea Family Foundation
· Boardmember of the Utah Sports Commission
Nikki Stone will add a unique, dynamic flavor to any meeting, conference, or celebration -- explaining in detail how she achieved success and attendees can do the same when they "Spread Their Wings".