A Conversation Across Generations: Brady Ellison & Casey Kaufhold Carry the Dream Forward

The first time Casey Kaufhold saw archery on the Olympic stage, she was 12 years old.

Sitting in front of a television during the Olympic Games Rio 2016, she watches Team USA compete. Among the athletes on screen is Brady Ellison, already one of the most accomplished archers in the world.

For Kaufhold, that moment changed everything.

“I was like, 'Holy crap, they're shooting bows on TV. That's awesome. I want to do that,’” she recalls. “I had never really seen archery at that big of a scope. Then I was like, well, if they can do that, then I can sure do that too.”

Today, Kaufhold is no longer the young fan watching from home. At just 22 years old, Kaufhold is already a two-time Olympian and bronze medalist, having competed alongside the very athlete who first inspired her. At the Olympic Games Paris 2024, she helped Team USA earn bronze in the mixed recurve team event — the country's first Olympic archery medal since 2016.

While Kaufhold and Ellison competed on the world’s biggest stage, their journey was made possible by countless people behind the scenes. Olympic & Paralympic Day, celebrated each year on June 23, unites the world in a global celebration of sport, honoring the power of shared dreams and collective support. Their stories reflect a truth seen across Team USA: no athlete reaches the Olympic or Paralympic stage alone. Families, coaches, teammates, fans and donors all play a vital role in helping athletes pursue excellence.

Through the United States Olympic & Paralympic Foundation (USOPF), supporters help provide the resources athletes need to train, travel, recover and compete at the highest level. That support not only fuels today’s champions but also helps ensure the next generation of Team USA athletes has the opportunity to chase their Olympic and Paralympic dreams.

That perspective has shaped how athletes like Ellison think about the impact they leave behind. For Ellison, success once centered on personal achievement.

“When I was younger, it was all about my legacy, what I was going to do, wanting to be the best that's ever lived,” he says.

Now, after more than two decades at the highest level of the sport, his perspective has shifted.

The medals still matter. The Olympic teams still matter. But increasingly, he thinks about what he leaves behind.

“I would say the legacy I want to leave is that if you work hard enough and you're committed and you approach this sport the right way, you can make a living,” he says. “And also, that you can do this forever.”

At 37, Ellison remains among the world's elite archers. His longevity serves as a reminder that success is not limited by age.

“What do I hope the next generation sees?” the five-time medalist says. “That you can do this.”

Kaufhold sees exactly that.

“The first thought that comes to my mind when I think about Brady is he's like a big brother,” she says. “If I need advice, if it's archery-wise, if it's life-wise, whatever it is, I always go to him.”

The relationship captures how knowledge and experience move through Team USA. Lessons are passed from one athlete to the next through conversations, examples and everyday support.

That same spirit now influences how Kaufhold approaches her own role.

Though still early in her career, she has become a mentor to the next generation of athletes entering the sport.

“I don't feel necessarily that I have to,” she says. “It's genuinely that I want to. I like helping people. I like to be a leader.”

She makes a point to start conversations with young archers who might be nervous to approach elite athletes.

“I always like to start the conversation,” she says, “because then I feel like they're more comfortable asking those questions.”

The desire to give back stems from the support system that helped launch her own career.

Archery runs deep in Kaufhold's family. Tournaments became family road trips. Practices happened at her parents' business. Her mother used vacation time not for beach trips, but to accompany her daughter to competitions.

“My parents were very invested in wanting to help me reach my dreams,” Kaufhold says. “They made sure I had great coaches and a nice facility to practice. They sacrificed a lot of time and money and investment.”

One conversation with her mother remains especially powerful.

“I believe in you so much,” her mother told her. “But nobody can believe in you enough to make you believe in yourself.”

That collective support is often invisible to fans watching from afar, yet it exists behind every training session, competition, and Olympic or Paralympic moment.

“It takes a village. It takes a city. It takes a country,” Ellison says.

Despite archery's reputation as an individual sport, he knows success depends on far more than the person holding the bow.

“You have to have everyone — your sponsors, your family, your friends.”

Their support helps transform aspirations into opportunities and keeps Olympic and Paralympic dreams moving forward.

For Kaufhold, those shared dreams extend beyond personal accomplishments.

Her immediate focus is helping Team USA pursue gold on home soil at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028.

“My goal is for us to be as prepared as possible to win gold in LA,” she says. “I know that we can do that.”

But her vision stretches further into the future.

“I want archery to be as big as gymnastics, as big as swimming, as big as soccer,” she says. “How big can we make archery? How many people can we get involved?”

Ellison's dreams for the future are equally ambitious. He hopes more athletes can pursue Olympic excellence and build sustainable careers in sport.

Yet beneath every goal, both athletes return to the same message:

Dreams require work.

Dreams require belief.

Dreams require people willing to invest in one another.

Together, their stories form a conversation across generations. One athlete once watched the other compete on television and imagined what might be possible.

Now they stand side by side, representing Team USA, sharing the same dream and helping inspire the athletes who will follow them.

That is how legacy works.

One generation dreams.

The next generation believes.

And together, they build the future.