By Jamie MacDonald | Oct. 28, 2016, 3:50 p.m. (ET)

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.

So proud of @cp3 for always giving back and being a leader #CP3Serves #Mastros #BeverlyHills #Cp3

A photo posted by Carmelita Jeter (@jetg5) on


Birthday Corner

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

Fun birthday yesterday

A video posted by Lindsey Vonn (@lindseyvonn) on

It's my birthday! So blessed to wake up this morning to celebrate another year of life! #thegreat28 ❤️

A photo posted by Francena McCorory (@therealmccorory) on


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.

Hey Friends! I'd like to fill you in on the last few days of my life. I am going on day 4 in the hospital after developing a very serious condition called Rhabdomyolysis. You should google it and read about it, its crazy. It basically can occur when you overwork a muscle group and the muscle begins to breakdown into your blood stream. It can severely damage kidneys pretty quickly and as most of you know I have a kidney transplant which was a big concern. I have been training as I prepare for the snowboard season and 1 day last week I pushed myself too hard. It seemed to happen so innocently, I did a series of Pull-ups and simply pushed too hard to complete the set. My muscles were a bit sore for a day, nothing bad but then I noticed a bit of swelling in my arm and having a friend in the hospital with this condition last year, I rushed to the ER where they confirmed I had it too. It's been a very intense week hooked up to machines supporting my kidney through this process. It's so crazy to be so healthy and to think you are doing good for your body, then to suddenly have a life threatening condition occur. As scary and serious as this has been, I have been very blessed that my Kidney has stayed strong. I'm also lucky I came in when I did, had I of waited a few more hours before going to the ER my situation could have easily been critical. That being said, my numbers are moving in the right direction, it's just going to take some time to recover. I wanted to share this with all of you because for 1, I believe social media should give insight into our lives, and life doesn't always have a pretty filter. Also, I want to inform you about this disorder that can happen to anyone. You have to listen to your body.. when it is telling you to stop.. Stop! My Dr said "we all have a breaking point, and you found yours " . I will share regular updates through my recovery. Thanks for the love and support friends. :)❤️️🙏✨

A photo posted by Amy Purdy (@amypurdygurl) on


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.

#hershey is the place to be!!

A photo posted by Shannon Miller (@shannonmiller96) on

Baking at the @hersheycompany test kitchen....mmmmmmm!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️

A photo posted by Shannon Miller (@shannonmiller96) on


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.

Super fun uniforming day with @usnordicskiteam ! #strongerasateam

A photo posted by Kikkan Randall (@kikkanimal) on


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.

🌊🏊🏻 Link on how the Alcatraz swam went in my bio 😎

A photo posted by Brad Snyder (@bradsnyderusa) on


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:

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