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Being a ski racer was my destiny: I was born in a snowstorm, started skiing when I was two at Diamond Peak Ski Resort in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Lake Tahoe, was racing by age six and was named to the U.S. Ski Team when I was sixteen years old.

While on the U.S. Ski Team, I won two “NorAm” Cup overall Slalom titles and was on the junior or overall podium at every U.S. National Championship in which I raced. I scored my first World Cup points in only my third start after missing an entire season due to an injury that kept me side-lined for 18 months. However, in 2017, I was not re-nominated to the U.S. Ski Team due to their age-based performance algorithm (I was only 22 at the time and one of the top-ranked USA tech racers).

I knew I had more to achieve and to bring to this sport, so with the invaluable support of the World Cup Dreams Foundation and those who believed in me, I took an independent path toward my Olympic and personal World Cup dreams. As an independent racer, I won four U.S. National Championship titles in three different events, continued to score World Cup points, won two more NorAm Slalom overall titles and secured a top-15 ranking in the Europa Cup—all without support from the U.S. Ski Team.

Now it’s time for a new era in my career! This season, I will race with the Slovenian National World Cup Team, since I hold dual citizenship with the USA and Slovenia. While this alliance brings a more secure platform from which to train and race, I am still fully responsible for all of my expenses during this inaugural year with the team.

I am extremely proud to be the Race Ambassador for both the Diamond Peak Ski Team and Diamond Peak Ski Resort in the Far West division of the USA. I now want to inspire young racers—and everyone young at heart—that dreams have no age limit! An athlete’s success is measured not only by the way one can perform under pressure and win; true success is attained through commitment, grace, resilience, enthusiasm and a pure joy of knowing that you always show up to give your very best.

Thank you for supporting my journey!