Red, White & Trending: Oct. 21-27

What are Team USA athletes — Olympians, Paralympians and hopefuls — up to when they're not competing? They're training. They're practicing. They're traveling to competitions and meets and games and tournaments. They're relaxing. They're getting engaged and married. They're taking hard-earned vacations. They're coping with the raw emotions that come from losing and winning. And they're sharing. Through the reach of social media, we're able to follow along on their often extraordinary journeys. We'll catch you up each week on what's "Red, White & Trending."

Bi, Tri, Succeed

What a month this has been for triathlete Erin Jones and pentathlete Logan Storie. To kick off the month, Jones and Storie, who swam 1:53.08 in the 200-meter individual freestyle swim this past July to to break his own modern pentathlon world record, were married, out of which came one of the great wedding images and hashtags (#lovestorie) of the year. This past weekend, the duo had all kinds of fun in Florida with Olympic hopefuls Samantha Achterberg and 2012 Olympic pentathlete Dennis Bowsher.

Great Skates

Congratulations are also in order for Team USA’s athletes who performed so well at Skate America, including the sibling ice dance team of Maia and Alex Shibutaniand ladies skater Ashley Wagner, who finished first in their respective fields.

Prior to the event in suburban Chicago, Wagner, who is coming off a silver-medal finish at worlds, stared down the challenges of packing, some related to a cat, for the Windy City.

Afterward, Maia Shibutani turned her attention straight to gratitude.

Inspired By Hamilton

With the difficult news announced this week that Olympic figure skating champion Scott Hamilton has been diagnosed with a brain tumor, thoughtful posts poured in via social media. Figuring prominently in Hamilton’s powerful video announcement is fellow Olympic skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi, who once performed so valiantly after a fall that it stayed with Hamilton. That fact led Yamaguchi to post her own poignant thought.

Giving Back

As a star point guard in the NBA, two-time Olympic basketball gold medalist Chris Paul knows a thing or two about assisting others. Off the court, he’s no stranger to the assist, either, as his #cp3serves event drew Olympians and stars alike to Beverly Hills, California, to support his foundation. Olympic track champion and “waitress” Allyson Felix, along with Paul himself, posted pics of the crew.

Another Olympic sprinting champion, Carmelita Jeter, appeared to have enjoyed the festivities, too.

Birthday Corner

Like the athletes themselves, Team USA birthdays take all sorts of forms …

Get Well Soon, Amy Purdy

“I pushed myself too hard,“ says Paralympic snowboarding medalist Amy Purdy. Indeed. During a recent workout, Purdy pushed her body into a very serious condition that has landed her in the hospital. Her Instagram post, which led to more than 800 comments, covers not only a quick update on that condition, but also her thoughtful views on social media in general.

Sweet Field Trip

Sometimes, it’s the weather. Sometimes, it’s the fine dining. Sometimes, it’s the hotel. And sometimes, it’s the side attractions that make a trip forever memorable. While some of Team USA’s most recognizable names in gymnastics are on tour, they made a pit stop for the sweetest reason: chocolate.

Finding Their Centers

Back in 2010, Tyler Carter visited Vancouver’s Paralympic Games with a delegation of youth athletes — and, four years later, earned a spot on Team USA in Sochi. Born without a fibula, Carter, after having his leg amputated as an infant, grew up playing a number of sports, but he didn’t ski in a world cup event until 2014. Clearly, he’s progressed quickly. Just as clearly, he’s a comfortable yogi, too.

For Olympic alpine skiing champion Mikaela Shiffrin, keeping still seems to work wonders before hurtling down a mountainside.

Uniformity

Congratulations are in order for members of the U.S. Nordic Ski Team, who had quite a week — first training, then picking up some new threads. Lots of new threads.

Sled Heads

Though many would prefer to sit out winter and will count down the days until the days are growing longer and the rejuvenation season of spring looms, winter is here. Well, in Lake Placid, New York, anyway, giving us a chance to check in with Elana Meyers Taylor and Lolo Jones, who finished first in their portion of the USA Bobsled National Team Trials.

For his part, Sochi skeleton bronze medalist Matt Antoine is back, too, and he won his portion of the USA Skeleton National Team Trials before the next leg, as is the case with bobsled, takes place in Park City, Utah.

Meanwhile, in South Korea …

Two-time Olympic luger Chris Mazdzer is back on track, testing out the PyeongChang course, which comes with rave reviews.

On a side note, Mazdzer pointed out he’s not traveling light, either.

Speed Thrills

Oh, so that’s how they go so fast? It’s rare that camera angles pull back enough to see just how steep the grades are when elite skiers are picking up all that speed on the hill. This video posted by the U.S. Ski Team (beginning at the :10 mark and described by coach Sasha Rearick) does a nice job of showing just how close to vertical the training sessions have been in Chile these past few weeks.

Escape To Alcatraz

Highly decorated Paralympic swimming champion and world-record holder Brad Snyder added to his remarkable resume this past week when he set a course for Alcatraz from San Francisco.

Fall Classics

’Tis the season. Not only for Halloween, but the World Series, featuring the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians. One franchise more long-suffering than the other, though both are vying to end loooooooong World Series droughts, one fanbase is going to to sleep very well after a well-earned end-of-drought party. In some cases, that’s going to leave a house divided.

Hints Of Halloween

And how about this early reveal to catch the eye of Allyson Felix?

And, last but not at all least, the U.S. Amputee Soccer Team’s Josh Sundquist is at it again. Well in advance of Halloween, Sundquist had already taken a crack at winning the internet for his costume. To put this one in context, take a look at the roster over the past few years.

Have a look at the lengths to which Sundquist went to pull this off: