Snowy mountains, waking eyes with waking suns, laughs held onto by the crisp, cool air: a captivating scene now forever ingrained in the memory of senior Karina Rodriguez.
There are some moments in time that just seem surreal; they are the moments where everything just seems to fall into place—a picture-perfect moment. For Karina, those moments are found when she is out in the hills doing the thing she loves: skiing.
“I remember my ski team was always waking up super early in the morning and then we had to get our stuff on really early,” Karina said. “The snow was all groomed; it was really pretty and nice to ski on for the first two runs. No one was out there, and I could see the sunrise, which was so pretty. I just like the views and the feeling of it. It just makes you feel really free and makes you feel like you could do anything you want to.”
From the very beginning of her childhood up until now, skiing has always played a prevalent role in Karina’s life. Her passion for skiing has followed her from Montana all the way to her move here.
However, it isn’t a passion she stands alone in, rather it is one Karina’s family also indulges in—her mom being the catalyst for her love of the sport.
“My mom made me [start learning when I was] about three, and I was just learning to ski doing ‘pizza’ and all that,” Karina said. “When I moved to Michigan, I started doing this ski academy—it was kind of like a ski team…[My mom and uncle] were on a serious [ski] team and I think they probably practiced more than I ever did. They were pretty good. I think my mom just wanted me to ski race like she does.”
Over time, as Karina became more and more adept, she went from skiing solely for leisure and her academy to taking a leap of faith and joining the FHC Ski team—a leap that quickly paid itself off.
Karina found herself in an environment where, no matter how skilled you are or whatever differences there may be, she always felt encouraged and supported.
“I liked the ski team a lot because there’s a bunch of encouragement,” Karina said. “Every time someone goes down a hill, you always get a, ‘you’ve got this, really good job.’ Even if you’re not popular, you still get cheered on.”
The ski team not only brought her support and encouragement during her races but also outside of them as well.
Through it, she met new, remarkable people. People she now calls her friends, people who enabled her to branch out, and people who have helped transform her into who she is today.
“Junior year, I met a bunch of girls, and then I met [senior] Olivia Oorbeck, and she was one of my best friends on the team,” Karina said. “She’s so sweet and extroverted. And so, she kind of put that on me, and so I was getting out of there and just getting out of my comfort zone, in a good way. I started talking to people and trying to relate with them—I met some friends, I met a foreign exchange student; I met a bunch of people.”
From friends to memories, skiing has brought Karina endless joys in life. Looking to the future, she can’t wait to see what else skiing has in store for her.
“I definitely want to keep skiing when I’m older or when I’m going back up to Michigan,” Karina said. “I’m probably just going to continue skiing and teach my kids how to ski, too, obviously.”
