BIG Changes Ahead!

The 2018-19 race season is pivotal as I transition into the higher level of International Ski Federation (FIS) racing events.  This is the entry point for progression to World Cup racing and will put me in a whole new pool of athletes.  I will now be ranked against the best skiers in the world, and next year I will be starting at the bottom!  Skiing as a FIS racer changes everything.  Most of my training will happen in the summer and fall, and I will do a lot more racing in the winter than I have in the past.  Both of these things mean lots more travel.  Our head coach at Alyeska estimated that we would be missing at least 2 months of school.  As understanding as my teachers have been at my high school, the thought of trying to make up that many missed assignments is truly frightening.  My parents and I have been trying to find a solution - like me taking most of my classes online, but that wouldn't work with all subjects.  Even if we could figure out the school part, that doesn't even come close to addressing the cost issue.  For every trip I take, we can automatically add about $1000 just for airfare.  With three or four camps and six races on the schedule next year, that adds up quickly.  I've always wanted to go to a ski academy, but they are terribly expensive and we never even considered it a possibility.  Never say "never."  Because of my good results this year, I have been offered a very generous scholarship to attend Sugar Bowl Ski Academy near Truckee, California!  Ski academies build their academic schedule around the training and racing schedule so kids can focus on one at a time.  Sugar Bowl Ski Academy has about 100 students and about 35 of them live on campus.  I visited the campus in June and was very impressed!  Everyone, from students to faculty, seemed so happy and energized to be there.  I'm hopeful and excited for what the next two years may bring and am so looking forward to being part of that community.  I will be joining the team in July for a training camp and race in New Zealand, and then will move into my dorm room on August 14!  I'm sad to leave Alaska, but it was a decision that will help me succeed in the sport I love.  I got these pictures from the academy web page; for a few more pictures check out my picture gallery.

Academic building with dormitory in the background; Sugar Bowl Ski Team and Academy, California.

Dormitory kitchen and common area; Sugar Bowl Ski Team and Academy, California.