Junior Stephanie Kaszuba reaches the top of the mountain and prepares herself for a run. A rush of excitement comes over her as she prepares to master a new trick.

“No matter the difficulty […] it really is a feeling of flying and just letting go,” Kaszuba said. “When I end a run or land a trick there’s this sense of accomplishment. But soon after I’ll want to do it again, and that’s what keeps me motivated […] There’s always room for improvement.”

Kaszuba’s career started when her mother put her on skis at the age of four. Kaszuba said she was frequently exposed to skiing in her childhood because almost all her family skis, and two of her cousins were very competitive skiers in Poland.

Even though Kaszuba had a lot of influence from her family to ski, it was a sport she took upon herself.

“Since [I started] I really had started to love it,” Kaszuba said. “I started to ski more and more, begging my mom to take me out skiing all the time.”

Kaszuba started skiing for the love of the sport, but she eventually became involved in competitive skiing as well. She started in basic competitions, which led to Kaszuba’s invitations to compete in higher levels.

Kaszuba has skied and competed in Colorado, Europe and Canada, as well as various parts of the Midwest. Even though she prefers skiing on bigger mountains and more complicated terrain, she believes just getting out on the slopes is worth it.

“As long as I can get onto the snow I will be happy,” Kaszuba said.

Kaszuba has been inspired throughout the years by many professional snowboarders and skiers. Travis Rice, a professional snowboarder, has been very influential, according to Kaszuba.

“Experiencing the world through endless second hand information isn’t enough,” Rice said in a recent film entitled Art of Flight. “If you want authenticity, you have to initiate it.”

Kaszuba takes this mind-set in her own skiing career.

“You know, you watch movies like Art of Flight, and you see that these sports really are an art,” Kaszuba said. “There’s just so much to them.”

Kaszuba hopes to keep competing and is eager to see where skiing will take her in the future.

“I feel like putting yourself out there and seeing where you can go with the sport that’s basically my only goal,” Kaszuba said. “I love the freedom when I’m on the slopes doing my own thing. It’s like a different world, it’s a way to relax and I get into my zone[…] I don’t know, I just love that feeling.”