I was first introduced to skiing when I was three years old. My parents, who love to hike and backcountry ski in the Canadian Rockies, decided to get me involved as soon as possible. I started skiing as a jackrabbit with Foothills Nordic when I was about 6 years old and worked my way up through the various programs. Ski racing and traveling to various competitions with my teammates inspired me to become a competitive cross-country ski racer, with the dream of going to the Olympics one day.
I am 23 years old, and for the past several years I've been training on development teams in Canada, competing both nationally and internationally.
I've taken a slightly new direction with skiing for the 2011/2012 season by joining a ski team in the US called Central Cross-Country (CXC). They are based out of Minneapolis/Wisconsin area and have a regional elite development program targeted to post-collegiate athletes with elite aspirations. I became aware of CXC, noticing them at various continental-cup races both in Canada and the US. They appeared to be a great group of people who were very competitive yet seemed to know how to have a lot of fun at the same time. Happily, they took me on as one of there elite athletes and I am very excited to race and compete with them this coming year.
I will continue to live at home in Canmore, Alberta, but travel down to the States for training camps in the summer, fall, and competitions in the winter.
I look forward to seeing where this year will take me. I am eager to continue to improve my skiing, meet new people and learn new things that will all help me to accomplish my goals.
Change is always good, and I feel like this is a fresh start that I need in order to excel in the sport and pursue my dreams.
