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I was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska in a family of six awesome people. In a family of that size, almost everything was a competition: Who could ski the fastest, build the best Playmobil world, or snag the last Moose’s Tooth slice (our favorite pizzeria). My parents got us all into skiing from a very young age on the Hillside and Kincaid ski trails, but my first taste of competitive skiing was actually alpine racing with the Mighty Mights program at Alyeska. We really enjoyed Mighty Mights, but after a while we got tired of making the long drives to the resort every weekend and looked for something closer to home. Ryan, my older brother, was the first to join a cross-country ski program, Junior Nordic, which we all eventually followed him into.
Mom and Dad teach my twin sister Neena and I how to ski at Alyeska
Not long after that, some family friends convinced us to try ski jumping at the Karl Eid Ski Jumps. Ryan was the first to brave the massive hills, but we all followed suit soon after. I loved ski jumping from the start: the adrenaline rush when you push off the bar, to the weightless feeling of flying through the air, I was hooked. Cross-country (XC) skiing on the other hand, I had to learn to love. At first, I hated it. Mom and Dad forcing us to go shuffle along in the dark, cold Alaska winter. After moving up the ranks from Junior Nordic to the Alaska Winter Stars (AWS) racing program, I learned to love XC skiing. It was just a matter of time before my love for XC skiing and Ski Jumping came together with Nordic Combined. (See blog post “What the !@#$! is Nordic Combined??”)
Jan Buron and the rest of the coaching staff at the AWS program, and later Service High School ski team, really brought my skiing to the next level. I learned a lot training with him and racing on the Besh Cup Circuit. A couple years after I started jumping, the ski jumps were renovated to make it possible to train year-round. That was a huge game changer and with the help of coach Zak Hammill I was able to qualify for my first Junior National Championships.
Watching Vids with Coach Zak
Posing with Ryan at my first Springer Tournee in PC, Utah
From there, I kept working my way up the ladder, and continued to enjoy training in the Chugach Mountains around Anchorage. In 2019, I qualified for the Junior National Development Team which gave me the opportunity to travel and train in Europe for the first time. Then in the fall of 2020, I moved to Lillehammer, Norway to attend the Norwegian School of Elite Sport (NTG), where I spent the next three years studying and training. I now compete as a member of the US National Team for Nordic Combined.
In my free time you can find me enjoying the beautiful Alaska wilderness skiing, running, fishing, camping, or maybe strumming a guitar. I am also chipping away at a Mechanical Engineering Degree from Arizona State University. There are so many people who have contributed to where I am today. Coaches, Teammates, Teachers, Friends, but especially my Family. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped me get where I am today. Let’s keep the ball rolling!
From Left: Mom, Maya, Me, Marnie (Grandma), Ryan, Dad, Neena
Easter Day Ski at Hatcher Pass
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