When I started ski racing I was six-years-old I didn’t know if I liked it or not. But after a year, I came to love it. Waking up around 6am each weekend in the winter to drive to a race and stand at the top of the hill in a tight spandex speed suit became normal for me. When other people think it would be crazy to do all that to race down a steep icy hill for 30 seconds, I love it.

Winning and losing. Ski racing is a competitive sport, even when you think you had the best run, someone can beat you by a tenth of a second. Hard work. Dedication. Determination. All got me to the Junior Olympics and the varsity team in high school. When you set goals you might not succeed at first but if you don’t give up you will achieve them. The first time I tried out for the Junior Olympics I was one spot away from making it, but that made me determined to try even harder the next year.

When I went to the Junior Olympics I was twelve years old. There were people who came from all around the U.S for 11 to 13 year olds to compete. Racing against people who could go to the Olympics was a challenging experience. Even though I didn’t win I felt I accomplished more than other people my age.

The high school races aren’t as stressful as the Junior Olympics but I still have the same feelings at the start gate. Nervous. Excitement. Scared. While I’m staring down the hill in the start gate, going over the course in my mind, it’s that moment I realize all I worked hard for is right in front of me. Once the starter counts down to one, I forcefully push off from the top and race down the hill. Every turn has to be perfect or I will lose more time that you might expect. At the last gate I fight my way to the finish line and finally I made it. I rush over to the board with the times of all the racers and see my name. First place. It’s at those moments I realized that all of my hard work pays off.