Name: Megan Grassell
Class of: 2014
Discipline with JHSC: Alpine Program
November’s value of the month is FUN. Can you share several fun memories you have from your time as an athlete at JHSC?
One of the best memories I have was when I was a second year J3 (I guess now a U16) at our final spring series race at Snowbird. The weather forecast showed a huge storm coming in, and the first two days of the race would most likely be cancelled. We went anyway knowing we would just be able to have an absolute BLAST ripping around Snowbird. There ended up being over three feet of snow that came in two days, the canyon was closed, and we basically had the entire resort to ourselves. To this day, I have never skied that much endless powder, fresh tracks from open to close, and some of the absolute best few days of skiing with my teammates. After those three days of skiing, the weather cleared, we saw blue skies, and ended the season with two back to back slalom races to end the season. I cannot think of that weekend without smiling and laughing - the best way to end a season.
We talk a lot in the upper levels of our program—and, really, in the snowsports culture in this town!—about Type II Fun: you were in the Club for many years, and I’m wondering how your understanding of FUN developed/evolved as you progressed through JHSC programs?
Learning about the “work” that allows you to have fun is a great concept. Skiing well and fast means being strong and fit. In order to see better results, because winning is fun, you have to make sure you’re physically able to do so. And that takes a lot of work, time and effort. That work ethic is developed as you continue with the sport, and absolutely translates even more so as I got older. It was awesome to see my confidence in my skills grow as I felt really strong and durable. I loved that the preparation and taking care of my body meant I was building an edge against my competitors and also doing everything I could to be a better skier.
How has being an athlete at JHSC influenced your trajectory in life?
Skiing is without a doubt one of the greatest joys in my life. I love that my childhood was dictated by camps, training, races, and always always always trying to get better and faster. I look back and think about everything the sport taught me as a young girl: confidence, commitment, competitiveness, work ethic, etc. Could go on. But those elements absolutely translate to what I do today, and I love that.
When you spend years working to make the most perfect turns, it’s a blas as an adult to not have the pressure of performance but still have the skills and knowledge to ski really well. Skiing is without a doubt one of the greatest joys of my life, and I think will forever be that way!
How did your experience at the Club shape your recent decision to join the JHSC Board of Directors?
The ski club has given me so much, and shaped so much of who I am as a person. It is simply an honor to now be able to work with an organization from a new perspective that continues to offer that same experience for so many kids in our community.
Next month, we’re focusing on COMMITMENT. What did your time as an athlete in JHSC instill in you in terms of how you think about commitment? and/or, What is a challenge you encountered during your career as an athlete, and how did you overcome it?
I think learning that success comes with working hard is something that cannot be overrated. It’s not an easy thing to give up playing other sports, spending more time with friends, going on spring break with your family instead of spring series races, enjoying summer rather than going to camps and dryland training, etc. However, being surrounded by coaches and teammates pushing you is awesome. Trying to be the best you can be at your sport is moving target and a never ending process. However, I think that the understanding of what it entails to become great at something is quite special.
What’s one piece of advice you have for up and coming JHSC athletes?
Remember there’s always someone working just a little bit harder and skiing just a little bit faster... so that means you never stop trying to beat them, because that’s what makes this fun!
