When and why did you get into skiing and what inspired you to keep pursuing it?
I got into skiing at nine years old. I went to church with my family and my parents were like ‘oh surprise we’re gonna take ski lessons today’ then we did it and I was like ‘oh my gosh I really love skiing.’So, the next year I took another ski lesson and was like ‘oh my gosh I still really love skiing.’ My best friend Mackenzie skis a lot, and I found out she was doing something called Ski Jammers, so I thought to also do it. That’s how I ended up skiing every weekend and eventually found out that I could race.
Who has been your greatest inspiration in your athletic career?
My greatest inspiration recently is probably Mikaela Shiffrin, she beat everybody by a second and a half which hasn’t been done in decades and that’s insane, her work ethic is really inspiring. I’d say I’m also really inspired by Lindsey Vonn and how she perseveres even through the hard stuff even though she broke her leg doing that, unfortunately.
What was your family’s reaction to you going to state?
My family was very happy for me. I was considered for team Minnesota this year and my dad actually started crying.
What would you say is the most challenging aspect of your sport that you’ve had to work past/face?
Skiing is a really fun sport, but it’s also really cruel because you can work so hard for only one defining moment. I could not stop double-turning for the longest time. This season I worked past that and it’s gone now, and I skied even faster.
What is one moment from this season that you are especially proud of?
I was really proud of my performance at state. I did really well and I normally do terrible at state, like I had last year. I get so nervous and the hill is so difficult, so I was really proud of myself for getting down the hill and doing well.
When you ski what do you think about? Does that make it easier or harder for you?
When I ski I’m normally thinking about the course or getting early. It’s really important that before you start racing you visualize what you’re about to do because there are a lot of tricks in the course and you need to have a good understanding of what’s to come. For me when I get to the top of the hill and I’m about to go I tell myself ‘you’re living on one big rock’ and then everything goes away and I’m just focused on the course and then I just go.
What advice would you give to younger people who compete or are interested in competing in the same sport as you?
Just do it, it’s so fun, it’s scary for the first two seconds then the rest of it will be like the best time of your life. It’s changed my life, it’s made me excited to wake up in the winter and lets me thrive.
