HOF Speech

 

 

I LOVE Maine and I LOVE skiing, so thank you for this honor. I have lived in Breckenridge, Colorado for the past 25 years…so I was surprised when someone from the Maine Ski Hall of Fame called me. To be recognized with these other amazing nominees is somewhat surreal….and I am excited to hear their stories tonight.

I competed in skiing for 25 years of my life. I started skiing at the age of three at Sugarloaf. My three older brothers were all competing so, at the age of 5, I did too. Ballet, moguls and aerials.

From 1988 to 1995 I competed on the World Cup in moguls.  We competed in the Arctic Circle of Finland, in the Caucasus mountains of Georgia…in Sweden, Norway, the Ukraine…and all over Switzerland, France and Italy. In the Ukraine we competed on a military training base …with no lifts …just military trucks for us to jump on to and ride up in beside the course. We had amazing adventures…flying on Aeroflot planes with ski bags in the aisle and no regulations…getting up before dawn and riding lifts with the sun rising and the Matterhorn in the background…Taking in the beauty of the small European ski villages…the old cathedrals, cool hotels…and enjoying amazing food and strong coffee!  

I was so fortunate to experience skiing and competing at an elite level… and made great friends from around the world. I spent 6 years on the US Team travelling to crazy and beautiful places. But by the age of 25 I was tired of living out of my duffle bag.  I thought I was OLD…and that the real world was passing me by. I competed in World Championships in La Clusaz, France…and then moved to Breckenridge, Colorado …where my brother had offered me a job.  He ran the freestyle program at Breck then (he now runs Vail’s program).  I worked for him as a coach for several years.

I did the Pro Mogul Tour and won it three years in a row…until it didn’t exist anymore. We even had a Pro mogul event here at Sunday River…in the pouring rain…and we all skied in trash bags. 😊

I am proud of my Maine roots. While I totally love the Colorado blue sky and playful, forgiving Rocky Mountain powder…I am thankful for the sound technical background I garnered during my time skiing and training at Sugarloaf with great coaches when I was young. Like Joan McWilliams…my brother Chris, John Diller, Ken Twadell & Glenn Eddy… And my mom who always told me to GO train my pole-flips!!

A HUGE Thank You to My mom and dad raised us as skiers, supported us and were very involved with the sport.

I’m super proud of my dad, who was on the FIS committee for 12 years…and went to the Calgary and Albertville Olympics as the Team Doctor. I used to train with my brother John in Breckenridge in the fall, before the start of the World Cup season. He was very technical in his approach...and I always felt prepared after training with him. John was just named Domestic Freestyle Coach of the Year by USSA…he has coached numerous athletes who have gone on to make the US Team and the Olympics. These people made my competitive career possible.

 Also…a BIG shout out to my husband and son who love to ski too…they keep me out there…still getting after it! 

Nothing feels quite like a great day on the mountain. 😊 Thank you again for this wonderful honor.