“I started ski jumping when I was nine years old. Before that, I had been an alpine skier with NYSEF and had heard about ski jumping but never thought much of it. Then, while on vacation in Lake Placid with my family, I saw a poster for a ‘Grasshopper Camp,’ an intro to ski jumping program. Something about it caught my attention, and I told my parents I wanted to try it. The next year, I attended the camp and took my first jumps. I loved it, and I never stopped.
“Ski jumping has taught me a lot about perseverance. It’s an incredible mental sport, and there are times when it feels impossible to push through a slump. But if you keep putting in the work, things eventually click. One day, you land a perfect jump, and while everyone else sees it as a sudden breakthrough, you know how much effort it took to get there. Ski jumping has reinforced something my mom always used to say: ‘Never quit on a bad day.’
“That mindset carries over into everything I do, whether chopping wood, ski jumping, or tackling challenges in life. There are times when I ask myself if I still love the sport, especially when I’m not jumping well. But I remind myself of how good it feels when everything comes together. One of my coaches once said that ski jumpers are like junkies; always chasing the high of that one perfect jump. That feeling of flying is unlike anything else, and I wouldn’t trade ski jumping for anything else.
“Beyond the jumps themselves, the people I’ve met and the places I’ve traveled to make it all worthwhile. My teammates and coaches create an environment that keeps practice fun, even on the tough days. No matter how many challenges come my way, I know I’ll keep jumping because there’s nothing else like it.”
As told to Li Feng ’25. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.