Up on the Slopes

In the mountains, Carolyn Mole is skiing her way to greatness. Every winter season at Seven Springs, Carolyn trains non-stop for ski races with the Western Pennsylvania Race Club. Carolyn recently competed at a ski race in Blue Mountain, Pennsylvania where she placed eighth in the state. I caught up with Carolyn to find out what ski racing is all about!

NAEye: How old were you when you started skiing?

Carolyn: “I was two and a half years old.”

NAEye: Were you scared when you first started skiing?

Carolyn: “I wasn’t scared when I first started skiing because I can’t remember a time in my life where I wasn’t skiing.”

NAEye: Where do you primarily go skiing?

Carolyn: “I ski at Seven Springs.”

NAEye: Are you on a ski team?

Carolyn: “Yes, I’m on the WPRC ski team, which stands for Western Pennsylvania Race Club and we train at Seven Springs.”

NAEye: What age did you start skiing on the team?

Carolyn: “I joined WPRC when I was seven.”

NAEye: Have there been any times where you wanted to give up?

Carolyn: “No, because I have such a passion for it. I have never really felt like I’ve needed to give up, but I have definitely been discouraged when I don’t perform the way I wanted to or gotten the time I wanted.”

Gallery • 4 Photos

Carolyn (middle) and her friends on the ski lift.

NAEye: Have you ever gotten an injury because of skiing?

Carolyn: “No, I have gotten bruises and stuff, but I have never been injured.”

NAEye: How does scoring at ski competitions work?

Carolyn: “You have separate runs, usually two runs based on your time. At the end, the times of your separate runs are combined into a final score and that is how they determine your placement. Your goal is to try and get the fastest time, but sometimes it’s like half a second between first and fifth place.”

NAEye: Do you get a prize/title if you win a race?

Carolyn: “Unless it’s states, they give medals to the top eight and the top three get a trophy.”

NAEye: Have you ever considered/had interest in trying for the Olympics?

Carolyn: “I used to think about it when I was little, but realistically to go to the olympics I would have to go to a ski training academy probably in the east and I don’t want to do that.”

NAEye: Where are some of the places you have traveled to ski?

Carolyn: “Normally the mountains I travel to are in Pennsylvania and Maryland, but I have been out west to Colorado, Montana, and Utah.”

NAEye: Do you train in the summer, and if so, how do you train?

Carolyn: “I don’t do any ski training in the summer, but I do try to work on cardio and do lots of squats. I also do a pre-season camp in November.”

NAEye: What has been one of your proudest moments in skiing?

Carolyn: “Some of my prouder moments have been in the past few years because competition gets really hard once you get older. This year at states was probably my proudest moment when I got 8th overall in the state.”