About
Dani was born and raised in Boise, Idaho. She was born missing her left hand and forearm, something her parents never anticipated. The only child of Rob and Kate Aravich, she started playing sports at a young age. From soccer to basketball, softball and ice skating, Dani tried it all. And she excelled, while playing against non-disabled peers.
In high school, Aravich was encouraged to give cross country running a try, and she begrudgingly agreed. She found early success, and chose to give up soccer and softball to compete for the track & field program at her school. Dani caught the attention of several collegiate programs, and landed on the Division 1 Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Dani competed as a Bulldog for Butler the entirety of her freshmen year in cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field. She constantly struggled with knee issues, and chose to focus on her studies and leave the team for the remainder of her undergraduate career.
Aravich always dreamed of having a career in professional sports, and after successful collegiate internships with the Indiana Pacers and the Indianapolis Colts, she landed her dream position with the Utah Jazz and made the move to Salt Lake City after graduation. She was eager to grow in her career initially, but she felt a lack of purpose in her job.
A family friend suggested Dani look into competing for the Paralympics in track & field, based on her success in running earlier on. The idea had crossed her mind in college, but she was too busy with classes and activities to investigate it further. Feeling like she was losing her sense of self at work, she decided it would be an enjoyable way to get active once again and give elite-level running another shot. While working close to 50 hours a week, she added on 15 hours of training, hopping into the weight room and started to build speed to train for the 400M in track & field in the spring of 2019.
After being entered into a few track & field races that spring, and learning more about the adaptive sports community, Dani decided to pursue her new Paralympic dream full-force… which meant leaving her full-time career. She managed to hit the qualification time for the Tokyo Paralympic trials. For the following months, she juggled part-time work to pay the bills while she increased her training load and started working with former collegiate track coaches.
Through word of mouth, the USA Paralympic Developmental coach for the nordic ski team looked into Aravich and was impressed by her background in endurance sports. She invited Aravich to a developmental camp in December of 2019 to have her test out nordic skiing and biathlon.
Dani was hooked, despite having only stepped on nordic skis once before this camp. The newness of the sport, the endurance it took, was right up her ally. Two weeks after the camp, the USA Paralympic Nordic staff convinced her to compete at Nationals. Although the entries were sparse, she won both of her races.
For the rest of winter, Dani balanced her continued learning of skiing and competing and training for track & field in preparation for the Tokyo Paralympic Games.
Then the pandemic hit. All track & field races were cancelled. Then the Olympic and Paralympic Games were postponed. Instead of taking a break, she continued to train and organized time trials with local collegiate runners. In the summer, she joined the local biathlon club team and continued to progress in nordic skiing and biathlon.
The 2021 Tokyo Paralympic Games were still the focus, but the potential of the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games seemed on the horizon as well.
Dani was invited to spend the upcoming winter to train with the Paralympic National Nordic Ski team in Bozeman, Montana. She qualified for a World Cup in Slovenia and placed 4th in all of her races.
Dani qualified and competed for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in the T47 women’s 400 Meter. Six short months later, she competed at the Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing, where she twice placed in the top-ten. Dani and her teammates earned gold at the 2023 World Para Nordic Championships in the mixed relay.
Living and training in Bozeman, MT, Dani additionally works full-time in a variety of fields. She is the marketing coordinator for historic Park City bar, O’Shucks, works as an account executive at Parity, an organization focused on closing the gender pay gap for professional women athletes. Dani also works for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee as a social media coordinator, focused on athlete storytelling. She even had the opportunity to be an on-air host for the 2023 World Para Athletic Championships! She is hoping to be at Paris 2024 as a host or commentator.
She is on the US Paralympic Nordic National team, and has her sights focused on Milan 2026. Trail running has also engulfed Dani- and she hopes to continue to build herself into one of the top female short-distance trail runners in the United States, all while working on inclusivity in the industry.
Passionate about accessibility, Dani has earned a graduate certificate in Disability Inclusion & Accessible Design from the University of Michigan. She is working towards more opportunities to work with companies to make them more inclusive.
In her free time, Dani stays true to her Western roots- playing outside & enjoying the Mountain West! When not training for Nordic skiing, she is in the backcountry, or running trail races.
Paralympics and Beyond
Track & Field
Dani is a former Division 1 cross country and track & field athlete. Her primary events were the 5,000M and 3,000M races. She qualified and competed at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games in the 400M.
Nordic Skiing
After catching the eye of the U.S. Paralympic Nordic Ski coach, Dani was invited to a developmental camp in December of 2019. Within two weeks of getting on skis, she competed at U.S. Paralympic Nationals, placing first in both of her races. She is now a National Team member and competed at the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Games.
Biathlon
In December of 2019, Dani picked up an air rifle for the first time. She did not spend much time with a rifle until the following summer when she joined the club biathlon team at Soldier Hollow. After competing at the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Games, Dani looks forward to continuing to pursue the sport at a high level.
Trail Running
Through the passion of her significant other, Dani took up trail running the summer after Beijing. She raced around the Mountain West, placing top ten in the women’s field each time. Dani is hoping to use her voice to make trail races inclusive for people with disabilities. She is an advisor for the Adaptive Athlete Policy for UTMB.
Backcountry Skiing
A lifetime downhill skier, Dani took her passion for skiing into the backcountry. She and the Inclusive Outdoors Project are hosting a first-of-its-kind backcountry Avalanche 1 course for people with disabilities in April 2024.
Professional
With experience across a multitude of fields, including professional sports business, casting, social media management, and disability education, Dani has been able to diversify her professional background. She currently works for Parity, a women’s sports equity company, Team USA social channels, and freelances as a disability access consultant.