For a short period of time, before Lindsey Vonn dedicated her life to skiing, she wanted to be a figure skater.

“I was awful,” Vonn told USA TODAY Sports in an interview Thursday for her foundation’s Strong Girls Camp. “So my parents pulled me out of it.”

Now retired after winning three Olympic medals, including downhill gold, and becoming the only American woman to win four overall World Cup titles, Vonn is back on the ice. But this time, it’s in hockey skates.

The 34-year-old has been helping her boyfriend, NHL star P.K. Subban, train this summer. She said she serves as an “extra set of hands on the ice,” often recording his workouts or holding a bungee cord to provide resistance while he skates.

When asked about her skills with a stick and a puck, Vonn jokes that she isn’t great but knows it’s unreasonable to compare herself to her three-time NHL All-Star boyfriend. She didn’t come in completely blind though — the U.S. ski team used to play hockey and do skating drills for conditioning when she was a teenager.

“I know what it's like to be an athlete, obviously. I want to support him in any way that I can,” Vonn said. “I really love watching him be so dedicated, it makes me feel good.”

Subban was traded to the New Jersey Devils in July after three years with the Nashville Predators and is adjusting to a new city, coaching staff and teammates.

Vonn is embarking on her own transition as she tries to get used to retirement.

When she first hung up her skis, she said it was a weird adjustment to wake up each morning without a singular goal to work towards. Since she was 9 years old, her life revolved around her dream to become the best skier in the world. Now she finds herself in an unfamiliar chapter.

“I need to continue to have goals and, you know, overcome obstacles and challenge myself,” said Vonn, who has 82 World Cup victories, the second-most all time. “I need to find what I'm passionate about now in this next chapter and continue to set goals like I do in ski racing. And I think, in time, I'll get used to it.”

As she ventures to find those new passions, Vonn has kept herself quite busy. She’s currently finishing her memoir set to come out in February, continuing to grow her foundation with camps to mentor young girls and is in the works of launching a beauty line. Back in her skiing days, Vonn was often made fun of by teammates for wearing makeup in competition, so now she is turning that into her own business.

“The beauty (line) is kind of a no-brainer for me. I've always been passionate about beauty, but I think the other part, like business and behind the camera, in front of the camera, you know there are a lot of other opportunities out there,” Vonn said. “I don't know yet what I'll be good at. But I wanted to do some exploring and see where everything takes me.”

And when she’s missing the competitive edge of sports, she knows just where to turn to. It isn’t the slopes, but the ice rink.

“I enjoy being in that athletic environment. Even though I'm not competing anymore, I still like being around people who are so focused and determined, and PK has been working so hard.”