Brenna Huckaby Showcased Inner Strength on the SI Swimsuit Set in Aruba

Before she became the most-decorated U.S. Paralympic snowboarder to date, Brenna Huckaby made her SI Swimsuit debut on the shores of Aruba. At the time of her 2018 photo shoot, the Baton Rouge native became the first Paralympic athlete to pose for the annual magazine.

That same year, Huckaby made her Paralympic debut at the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, where she earned gold in the women’s snowboard cross and banked slalom events. During the 2022 Paralympics in Beijing, Huckaby added to her medal count with another gold (for the banked slalom) and a bronze (in snowboard cross). This year, the now 30-year-old athlete earned a bronze medal in the banked slalom, but missed out on the snowboard cross podium, placing sixth in the competition.

We recently had the opportunity to catch up with Huckaby, and in addition to chatting about her experience during this year’s Paralympics, the athlete and proud mom of two reflected fondly upon her time on the SI Swimsuit set in Aruba. And all these years later, two photos in particular stick out to Culxtured cofounder.

Brenna Huckaby was photographed by James Macari in Aruba. | James Macari/Sports Illustrated

“I have two favorite photos. [First] I’m on a rock, and I’ve got that silver bikini on and I’m in a power pose and that strength that comes through, I don’t know how they captured it, but still, like if I need a little pick-me-up, I go look at that photo, and I’m like, ‘O.K., I’m that girl,’” Huckaby says of one of two photos that still stand out in her mind. “I don’t even see the leg, which is, like, the coolest part to me. It’s just so much inner strength that’s shining through.”

Another photo that comes to mind for Huckaby is one in which she sat perched on a rock formation in a zip-up black and white one-piece while photographer James Macari snapped her photo.

Brenna Huckaby is dreaming of gold at her first Winter #Paralympics. 🥇 https://t.co/XO3JShIclQ pic.twitter.com/eM3bH1u2Gy
— Sports Illustrated Swimsuit (@SI_Swimsuit) March 9, 2018

“And then, ironically, the second photo that I love is the one [where] I’m sitting on a rock and I’m in my purple snowboard leg,” she says. “And I love that one for the other reason, because I love seeing the purple leg and how just iconic and cool you can make having one leg. So it’s like, on one hand, I see the strength outside of the leg, and on the other hand, I see the leg and how cool and badass it is.”

Be sure to check out Huckaby’s full SI Swimsuit gallery from Aruba, and view her 2024 legends gallery from Hollywood, Fla., here.

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