They say that champions are made, not born. And in the case of Aly Willier I’d have to say that they are correct. With an enigmatic smile that lights up a room and an inner sense of determination that is evident in everything from her handshake to her walk, Aly exhibits the true traits of a champion.

This 32-year-old native of Rugby, North Dakota doesn’t have millions from her time as a professional snowboarder. She was good enough for major purses but life threw her into a different event.

Aly grew up in a small town with a population that hovered near 1,800. There were no movie theaters in her town, no theme parks or professional sports teams. Her graduating class boasted 45 students. It was a safe environment. Bad things just didn’t happen when everyone knew everyone’s business. There was no crime; no drugs. People worked together and supported each other … for the most part.

“Successful people work with life coaches to help them to achieve their potential, to look beyond their self- or societal-based limits and really become the best they can be,” said Aly during one of our first conversations. “I was born to my life coach and she’s been helping me every day of my life.”

Aly’s mother and father were born on different sides of the tracks. Her mother’s people weren’t from Rugby. And they were w e a l t h y. Her father Carlan Kraft grew up in her home town and when he married the eccentric Robbi Lynn from Edina, MN people talked.

“Small town people know each other’s business,” said Aly. “Unfortunately for too many people knowing a person’s past made them feel that they had a right to dictate their future. My mother and father didn’t take to that way of thinking.”

Aly’s mother had ideas of her own, something that often challenges small town thinking. But she didn’t let a little gossip stop her from being the best mom she could be. Determined to help her girls to see their potential, she continually provided fun ways to encourage Aly and her sister Ambra to grow. She provided real life experiences and gave them spiritual guidance as well. Her mom was very athletic and a trained ski racer. She wanted her girls to have real confidence and self esteem; the kind that comes from knowing your abilities and understanding that you can figure anything out.

“We came home from school everyday excited at what we’d find,” said Aly. “She made lessons and challenges fun to tackle and provided a safe environment to learn.”

Sometimes that meant homemade jumps built on the roof.

“There were no mountains for us to learn to jump,” said Aly. “So my mom brought the mountains to us. She’d create amazing jumps on the roof and bring the video camera out to tape us and my father would tell us to get off the roof, so we wouldn't get injured. Not wanting to disobey we would do what we were told … by jumping.”

Aly’s love of extreme sports came from entertaining herself in the winter. Gifted with a natural talent for snowboarding, she spent the better part of her youth with a board of some sort beneath her feet.

“My love of athletics, of extreme sports, came from entertaining myself in the winter,” said Aly. “We didn’t
just sit around watching ESPN, we lived it. My mom taught me that all things are possible. She stretched me physically and mentally. While most mothers yelled so their girls would be quiet and behave, my mom taught us by example that a real woman knows her own strength and has the quiet confidence to use it.”

Summers spent on Lake Metigoshe were another opportunity to expand her mind.

“My mom would get my sister and I out of bed at midnight and we’d take the boat out on the lake to look at the northern lights,” said Aly. “We’d pretend to be on a rocket ship or on a treasure hunt. Stuff like that taught us to use our imagination and to see beyond what was right in front of us.”

Folks talked in the small, conservative town. That almost goes without saying. But Aly and her sister went right on learning with their mother giving just what her girls needed to stretch their minds and bodies.

“My dad insisted that college be part of my plan, and he gave me the opportunity to pursue both education and life experiences concurrently.” said Aly.

She complied but she also traveled to South America, Japan, Brazil, Argentina and Canada as a professional snowboarder. Unfortunately it was in Colorado while doing big air – a 75 foot jump for a cash purse of $10,000 that life threw her a curve.

“My first attempt went well,” said Aly. “But during my second attempt I landed on my back hip. I broke both hips, my pelvis, sacrum, cocksick, lower back, left leg, and more. I was knocked unconscious, had 12 broken bones and a severe concussion.”

ESPN covered the event and followed up the story. You can watch the footage here:


“They told me I’d never run, never be athletic again, and would be on pain meds for the rest of my life,” said Aly. “They told me it would take 12 months to recover but I had people counting on me and this amazing support system.”

Two months after her accident she amazed her doctors with her miraculous recovery. Today she’s in better shape than ever and hasn’t been on pain meds for over five years.

“It came down to mind over matter,” she said. I knew it would be hard and that I’d have setbacks but I believed it was possible. My time on Metigoshe Lake taught me that. My family was amazing during my recovery and encouraged me to see beyond the pain and the wheelchair.”

See beyond she did. Aly’s another one of my CrossFit partners and is an amazing inspiration to many.

Watch her do Kipling Pull-Ups after completing an entire CrossFit workout.



“If I’ve learned anything in life it’s not to be limited by your environment, your circumstances or the small thinking of other people,” says Aly. “My mom encouraged my sister and I to see beyond our reality and look at what was possible. She opened our minds and encouraged us by providing a safe environment to overcome our fears. Because of her I’m not afraid to try.”

Aly is a living, breathing example that all things are possible.