Senior Matthew Taylor has been going up north to ski since he was two years old. He has spent almost every weekend and plenty of birthdays up north as well. His family will even go up north to have fun, ski-themed parties.
“I’ve been skiing since I was around two,” Matthew said. “So I’ve been going up [north] every winter; my birthday falls in the winter so we usually have a fun ski party of some sort.”
Matthew was born to ski. His parents both ski, his dad is a ski patrol officer at Boyne Highlands up north. Skiing is not only a hobby he enjoys with his family, but one that he has made friends through, something he can do on his own to shut his mind down—and he loves it.
He has made a lot of friends through skiing up north, and through joining FHC’s ski team. His favorite memories are the New Year’s Days he’s spent up north and the many night skis he has gone on with friends and family.
“My favorite memories are New Year’s,” Matthew said. “Because a lot of the time we’ll go up there on New Year’s and watch the ball drop while skiing and ski late at night. And then no one is out [on] January 1st as they were out and partied too hard the night before. So we enjoy the solitude you have when you’re skiing. And then [I] ski at night with friends. Night skiing is very hard to describe—it’s a lot more fun than just skiing [during the] day. [At night,] there’s no one else on the hill, it’s just lit up, and it’s a lot more fun at night.”
While Matthew favors night skiing, he still enjoys all types of skiing. He plays other sports such as soccer, but skiing has been a part of his life forever, and it’s unlike all other sports he’s participated in. Skiing is more creative and freeing for Mattew than other sports.
Ski is not only a workout for Matthew but a creative outlet and a mental break. Matthew shuts off his brain when skiing whether he is skiing down a normal hill, through the woods, or down a mountain. It’s his time to not think about anything, especially not school.
“Skiing isn’t like kind of other sports my life has been something that’s just like ‘I’m going there and I could do whatever I want,’” Matthew said. “[With] other sports, you’re kind of confined into, ‘you have to play this well, you have to do this to make this team.’ [With skiing,] I just have the opportunity to be creative [in] what I do. I’m able to learn from people like my dad and my brother which grows me closer to them. [And skiing is] just a way for me to get away from the stresses of school and just kind of enjoy by [way of] something that I love.”
Matthew loves skiing, he has gone up north all his life, skis for school, and has gone on a few trips out west. He skis all the time, and he loves it. Matthew would encourage anyone to take up skiing and has advice for new, beginner, or old skiers.
“I’d say when you’re free skiing, just be a creative person; do what you want,” Matthew said. “Don’t feel like you have to perform your best all the time or [in a] conventional way. Do whatever you want or whatever runs you [want, and] challenge yourself [or] don’t challenge yourself—just be yourself [while skiing].”
