I have been a member of the national team for four years. Before that I was skiing independently for a season and with Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont for two years. I made the national team at 24 years old and raced on the World Cup tech team for three seasons.
Things To Do
Check Out My Career Results
Read My Ski Team Bio
As many of you know I sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury in July of 2009. A blog was kept during the entire time I was in the hospital and through my recovery process. I post to the blog often so feel free to stop by and say hi. Go To The Blog
I was in the hospital for seven weeks after sustaining a traumatic brain injury on July 15 2009. I had fallen about thirty feet onto a tile floor below. A subdural hematoma, fractured skull, brain surgery, a coma, seizures, seven fractured ribs, a splenectomy, and blood clots are a list of some of the more serious problems I had while in the hospital. I had to learn how to breathe, talk, walk, and swallow all over again. It was two weeks after I awoke from my coma before I learned that I wasn't in a "hotel in Canada". Since my release I have gone through a lot of rehab for my body and my mind and came through it all stronger than I was before.
When I left the hospital in September 09 it became clear to me how much different things were for me. I could not hold a thought together and although I could reason with things it was happening at a much slower pace. I was determined to make things better for myself, but terrified that I could spend the rest of my life in this state. At the time I was also thinking about how I was going to get myself ready for my first ski race of the year in Finland, which was two months away. It was a very depressing, scary and uncertain time of my life and even though I was unsure of how much I could improve my situation I was committed to trying to get better. I tried to make a plan for how to get back to how I was before my injury which entailed elementary math flash cards and books that would help me with my cognitive thought. I was also going to the gym everyday for therapy and to gain back my strength. It has been fifteen months since my head injury and after a long and sometimes hopeless journey through times that defined and tested my will, I am proud to be who I am today.
After spending a year working at getting back to ski racing I have retired before my comeback could ever be complete. I live in Park City, Utah where I have decided to use my knowledge of the sport to help other skiers with their passion. I am coaching 17-20 year old ski racers that ski for the Park City Ski Team.
You can read my current updates as well as the day by day story from July 2009 on my blog.
