Tahoe is the only home I have ever known. From a young age, my parents had me walking around the base of Squaw Valley on a tiny pair of skis that one could argue are not even real skis since they did not even glide in the slightest. They were just planks of plastic on my feet. From my not-so-real skis, I progressed to bigger and better things. I participated in Mighty Mights at Squaw Valley and had fun in Strider Gliders at Tahoe Cross-Country after school.
When Strider Gliders introduced their laser biathlon program, I was eager for the opportunity to get on my cross-country skis one more time a week. Throughout my beginning years in Strider Gliders, I couldn’t wait to get on skate skis. One day, after Strider Gliders, I asked my sister if I could go out on hers. Next thing I know, I’m face down in the snow. Needless to say, skate skis took some getting used to. Nevertheless, I progressed.
In seventh grade, I stopped mogul skiing for the Squaw Valley Freestyle and Freeride team to focus on my cross-country skiing. For a year I was on the Junior Development team for Tahoe Cross-Country, then the next year I moved up to the Competition team. For the last four years, I have skied for the Auburn Ski Club and Far West Nordic at competitions across the country. Now, I am continuing my cross-country skiing journey at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, where I am pursuing a degree in biochemistry.
I am so thankful for the opportunities cross-country skiing has given me. It has allowed me to enter a community that is caring and considerate and I am excited to see all of the other fabulous cross-country skiers who come out of Far West and the Tahoe area.
