I’ve been skiing just about the same amount of my life I’ve been
able to walk and talk. I cannot
remember a time back before skiing was my passion in life. I grew up racing,
and loving the mountains. Whenever I’m on the mountain, I leave everything that
holds me down behind me. Growing
up my best friends were always skiers, and we bonded over the most incredible
feeling in the world. I raced at Waterville Valley, NH, from 8-15. I loved racing, and excelled at it, but
was constantly sneaking into the park.
Every year I would hit what I then thought were the HUGE jumps at
Waterville, and LOVED boosting through the air. I also grew up competing in gymnastics, and at 16
years old decided to go learn back flips on skis.
I went up to Lake Placid, NY and took my first jump on the water
ramps. They told me to press the
front of my boots hard, and I listened, diving out and landing directly on my
stomach. My worst jump to date!
But I was stoked, and by the end of that first day my strong dive out
turned into awesome front flips.
US aerial coach Demetri came and watched me jump, and invited me to stay
for the rest of the summer training to become an aerialist. I couldn’t stay right then, as I had
already committed to a US development race camp in Chile. I came back after the camp and trained
all fall as an aerialist.
That first winter I competed layouts and front flips for
aerials, culminating with a 2 at jr. nationals. A little bit into the winter I decided I wanted to do a
slope comp. My first run was a
spread, double spread, and front flip.
I ended up winning, and was excited, but vowed I would SPIN as well as
flip my next comp. The very next
comp I did 360 to front flip and won again. In fact I won every single slope comp I entered that first
year leading up to jr. nationals where I ended up placing 2. I also at the same time started half pipe. Half pipe was a bit of a different
story for me. While I was winning
every slope comp, I got last in every pipe comp including Nationals. I vowed to get A LOT better at
pipe. That first winter I was also
racing, made it to J2 Nationals, and competing in moguls.
My second winter went even better then the first. I was hooked on freestyle, and let go
of the racing. I continued winning
in slopestyle learning my signature front truck and picking up the Gold at Jr.
Nationals, as well as the first ever Gold at Jr. Worlds in New Zealand. I didn’t learn to actually ride the
pipe much, as we hardly ever trained it, but stubbornly did NOT want to keep
getting last, so I learned both way 5s and left 7s and both way flairs. That bumped me up quite a bit to being
very competitive in pipe getting 3 at Jr nationals and 6 at my first halfpipe
Grand Prix. I continued excelling
in aerials winning Jr. nationals.
I stepped up my game in moguls qualifying to nationals in moguls and
duels as well, becoming the first to qualify for nationals in all racing and
freestyle events over the course of my career. Although I liked aerials and moguls, I was ALWAYS wanting to
hangout in the park. I LOVE the
freedom of learning something new everyday, some days it’s the little tweaks,
and others it’s a new trick you’ve been dreaming about. SO, I specialized once more, into a
park and pipe skier.
The beginning of my third winter I was set on making
x-games. Hardly anyone believed I
could do it. Besides winning Jr.
worlds I was a virtual unknown.
Somehow I proved them all wrong and got invited to x games winter 2011.
I would have been ecstatic upon receiving my invitation, except my personal
worst nightmare became reality, earlier that very day I had received the
results of my MRI confirming my ACL in my right knee was gone.
So began the onset of two years as brutal as the first two were
wonderful. I rehabbed, got strong,
dreamed and dreamed. Took
marketing classes in college to better advocate myself once back, and dreamed
some more. Was finally
cleared. Ramped that summer,
feeling incredibly strong and completely pain free. 1.5 months later: got caught in the trampoline and blew my
knee again. This time got a LARS
surgery, rehabbed at the COE and was remarkably back on snow January 2012,
jumping February 2012.
I spent last winter working on style, and at the end of the year
got to compete in a rev tour stop (2 slope 3 pipe) Mount Snow Open (first) and
USASA Nationals (3 pipe 1 slope) Last summer I got a discretionary spot into
the first ever half pipe world cup in New Zealand, my first big pipe comp back,
and rode away 9 in the world, 2 for the U.S.
As I write this, I just got back from the first stop of the
World Tour: North Face Open Pipe.
There I placed 7 a strong first pipe comp, and a far cry from getting
last at local regional events.
After Triumph to Tragedy, I’m right back on top. I have these opportunities
to compete around the world: in Canada, Russia, Argentina, New Zealand, Norway,
France… representing the side of the U.S. we are proud to represent, flying
through the air and compbining gymnastics and skiing in a why no one has ever
quite done the same before.
I’ve dreamed about the opportunities I now am invited to since I
was a little girl, I still have much to accomplish: many tricks, runs, and Gold
medals await in the future.
I have the tricks lined up, gear is ready, I’m ready, got my
invites, but no way to get there.
I have NO travel budget. My
mom has been taking money out of her savings for the past five years to single-handedly
pay for my freestyle career. Recent personal circumstances have changed the
finances for my mom. My dad for
the first time has contributed, but with their help, I am still at a loss. Personally I HATE how something that
has given me so much joy and success has left my little sisters without bread for
school sandwiches because it’s the end of the month and we don’t have enough to
make it through. I cannot have a consistent
job other then skiing due to traveling and training. I’ve tried to accumulate money through working for sponsors,
but as of right now I haven’t been successful.
I actually got sick
to my stomach and cried last night adding up the expenses for my comps this
year. I added up the travel,
lodging, tickets, coaching, and food for the tour this year. I didn’t add any day-to-day stuff, this
is honest and purely the price of my competition tour, and the number I came up
with: $28,000. It’s staggering, but every round trip ticket to Europe, New
Zealand and so forth is between 1-2 thousand dollars. Add in tickets costing
between 80-120 a day, lodging about $100 a night, food and comp fees, and each
trip racks up. My coaching is
another 8,000 for the year.
I am so blessed for how many people believe in me and support
me. I have a HUGE crew of
supporters. Of course my MOM, sisters, and dad, U.S. Freeskiing for allowing me
access to the C.O.E. and giving me spots to the competitions, Jess Tidswell for
saving my knee and my sanity, my sponsors: Head skis, Electric Visual, Tryumph
Outerwear, Gabel Poles, A-Line foot beds, for giving me the best gear in the
industry and having the patients and confidence to wait for me to rise back to
the top, Jesse Thrasher, as well as ALL my friends, family, and even people I
have never met that wish me the nicest support over Facebook!
I know if you’ve read all the way down to here, you want to be
part of my crew! And I thank you so much for your support! You might be wondering how you can
help, so here’s how:
Of course any and all donations are WONDERFUL and highly
accepted! No amount is too little
(except pay pall says it has to be $10) and none is too high! We have some
awesome swag to thank you for joining my crew!
I am well aware that not everyone can donate as much money as
they would like, or perhaps any at all, but if you want to be a part of my crew,
I’d LOVE you to donate any amount of time and energy. Maybe you can’t donate money, but you know someone off the
top of your head that would LOVE to help support my dream? SHARE it with them personally! Maybe you can’t think of anyone right
away but want to help? POST it on your Facebook, Twitter and Blog! Think you
know some people who might contribute? Email it to all of them!
According to statistics, the
amount of the average contribution is $75. Industry research also suggests that
of the people you tell about your campaign, 10 percent will contribute that amount;
therefore in order to raise 28,000 I will need 373 people to contribute the
average $75, which means I need to approach 3,730 people! That’s a TON of people! That’s why YOU
sharing is SO important!
Your taking the time to reach out to people beyond my circle
means everything, I cannot do this without ALL of your help. Together we are embarking on the
journey of a lifetime, the little girl who dreamed of being a skiing superstar
has the opportunity to make dreams come true. This is America, we ARE Americans, we don’t have funding
from the government which allows us to stand together and create miracles. We are passionate, and have a purpose,
together we can accomplish everything!
So, THANK YOU! From
the little girl who dreamed, to the young women who is opening doors on what is
possible for women in sports, from the family who gives and gives, but would
like bread and to stay in their house, to me, a regular girl with HUGE opportunities
she is able to accomplish THANKS TO YOU!
WELCOME TO
JAMIE’S CREW
