Flying down a mountain

Maggie Schwierking, a sixth grader at Lanier Middle School, loves to ski.

Hi. My name is Margaret Schwierking, but you can call me Maggie. The love of my life and my forever passion is skiing. You may think it’s odd since I live in Bellaire where it is hot and humid, but no matter the weather, I will always love skiing.

Since I learned to ski when I was 6, my parents have taken me to ski lessons, or sometimes I get the pleasure of skiing with them. Over the many years I have spent skiing, I have gone from doing snow-plow down an easy run to flying down the hardest runs, making perfect turns and pole-plants. (Well, maybe not that good, but definitely way better than when I started.)

Over the past five years, I have skied at many different places including Breckenridge, Keystone, Steamboat Springs, Winter Park (where I learned to ski for the first time), and Copper Mountain (all in Colorado).  By going to all these places, I have learned many techniques on how to improve my skiing, not only through ski school, but also through my family and friends and through experience.

This past spring vacation, my family and I went to Steamboat Springs, Colorado. There, we met Billy Kidd, former World Cup alpine skier and Olympic silver medalist in 1964. He gave me helpful tips, like how your stance will improve your skiing, and he told me what the Olympics are like. He inspired me to think about competing in the Winter Olympics when I’m older.

What really made me love skiing was the feeling of freedom. (Also, seeing it snow on the mountain is very beautiful, and is a sight that you wouldn’t want to miss.) When you ski down the mountain, you feel as if you are flying. Though you may be able to obtain this feeling while running, when you ski, it is much easier to obtain this feeling without using as much effort.

Skiing is a great way to have fun and exercise. I hope to keep skiing, whether for fun or competition. I hope, by reading this, it will convince you and others to keep at your passion, and maybe try skiing!  

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