CHICAGO, Ill. — As East Troy's Stephanie Roble sets sail to Paris for her second Summer Olympics, she often thinks back to her childhood.
“I just remember having this, like a special draw to the Olympics, and once I learned that sailing is in the Olympics at a young age, I was like, I want to do that," she laughed.
Growing up on Lake Beulah, Roble first started sailing at five years old.
"To see her progress from that were she was such a little girl to now being in the Olympics for the second is just unbelievable," said Brian Brickler, Roble's Former Coach.
While she originally disliked the sport, it's a career that may have been manifested for her. When she was born in March 1989, her father announced her birth by printing "IT'S A GIRL" on their family sailboat.
“At a young age I fell in love with being on the water, and then I started racing and discovered the feeling of winning and competing," she laughed. "I think at a really young age I just became really determined to set big goals.”
Roble made her Olympic debut in 2021 at the Tokyo Summer Games.
Watch: East Troy's Stephanie Roble sets sail to second Olympic Games
She and her teammate Maggie Shea placed 11th in the 49erFX, which is the same class the two will be sailing together in Paris.
“I really believe that Maggie and I have all the tools and the skills on the water to deliver a medal performance at the Olympics, but it's going to come down to mindset work," Roble stated.
Many Olympians, including gymnast star Simone Biles, have been prioritizing mental health since the Tokyo Olympics.
Over the past year, Roble and her teammate have been working closely with sports psychologists.
“Whether it's figuring out how to reset after a bad race or how to manage anxiety in the morning" she explained. "When you're having a really good event or if you're having a really bad event - I think it's a really powerful tool to bring into the sport.”
With the Tokyo Olympics primarily being held behind closed doors, Roble is looking forward to having both family and friends in attendance this summer.
"It's going to be mine and Maggie's last hurrah, so it's going to be really fun to share those moments with everyone," she shared.
Roble's entire hometown is looking forward to it and has been rooting for her every step of the way.
"It's just very fun to be here cheerleader to be able to see her on the world stage," said Kristine McNeil, who grew up sailing with Roble. "Every single day she's competing when I should be working, it's refresh, refresh, refresh."
This year's Olympic sailing events will take place in Marseille, which is located on the southern tip of France.
Roble and her teammate have been training in the Mediterranean Sea off and on since 2022. The two placed fourth at an Olympic test event there last summer but hope to reach the ultimate goal this time around.
"Her tagline has been 'going for the gold," said Katie Murphy, a childhood friend. "She's a tenacious competitor. She always talks about how she tries to work harder than everybody every single day and we've seen that."
Olympic sailing takes place from July 28 to August 8.
A full schedule of events can be found here.
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