High School
After the glory days of middle school, I moved on to the next four years of high school. These were four of the most rewarding and challenging years of training and racing I would face yet. My training included rollerskiing, running, weights, and varsity volleyball for Pinedale High School. Although volleyball probably wasn’t the best training, it was very fun and I am thankful for the skills I learned and the friends I made. My freshman year I was kicked in the face by a fellow player and broke my jaw. This break was horrible and continues to bother me today. I was not allowed to do anything for 8 weeks so, as a result, I gained weight very quickly and lost muscle mass. This took a large toll on me mentally that I still struggle with.
Somehow I was able to pull myself together by ski season and reestablished a base for the next four years! I would say that 90% of my training and racing was on my own. Pinedale had a very small ski team, even when I was actively recruiting people! My freshman year there was grand total of 5 members. I was also, for the most part, the only person on the team that had skiing experience. This resulted in me not being able to train with my teammates because they did not know how to even ski yet. I combated this problem by staying self motivated, attending summer camps, and begging my Uncle Tony to visit and help coach! Looking back now, I am shocked I did half as well as I did without a real team structure and coach.
I compiled a list of my most notable accomplishments because I am proud of them!
Team captain all four years.
My performance placings at the Wyoming High School State Championships were 10th and 11th (2015), 6th and 10th (2016), 5th and 5th (2017), and 2nd and 10th (2018).
Wyoming High School All-State First Team Honors all four years. This is a point ranking of top 10 racers throughout the entire season for the entire state.
Recipient of the Johnny Curtis Memorial Award all four years. This award was for recognizing top performing athletes as well as dedication to the sport, their teammates and the community.
Recipient of Highest Point Ranking Athlete all four years. This award was for recognizing the athlete that earned the most points for the team and as an individual.
Nominated for the Willie Neal Environmental Awareness Foundation award three years (2016-2018) and recipient of the award once (2018). This award was for recognizing a passion for skiing and sharing it with others.
Nominated by Pinedale High School for All-Time Female Athlete 2018. This award recognizes top senior male and female athletes based on athletic achievements throughout all four years of high school.
I used high school races and Junior National Qualifiers as training, as well. In fact, I raced 22 races my senior year in an effort to catch the fastest skiers! Read more on my blog post. Junior National Championships.
I also put together a fun and poorly edited video for our end of season banquet my senior year. You can watch it here.
