It felt like we’d been waiting forever, waiting in line to get on the same chairlift to ski the same trail for the 100th time.  My brother and dad got on the chairlift before me, and everything seemed normal. The Vermont breeze was so cold I could barely feel my hands. I skied up to the yellow line that read, “Stop for the Lift”.  I got on the lift, but as we kept rising, I start to slip until the only thing keeping me from plummeting is my mom's ski. The lift immediately stopped so I could be brought down before we got too high above the ground. In that instant, fear paralyzed my body. All I could do was hang on with my arms around my mom’s leg, my feet dangling below.  I could see no way to get back up onto the chair, and my mom couldn’t pull me up without possibly causing me to fall first.  

The ski patrol rushed out and brought out a ladder. Thankfully, I got down with no injuries. 

This experience tarnished skiing for me. For years after, I had no motivation to go skiing again. My dad would say we should go to Vermont and ski, but luckily, I always had a sports game that weekend. The day eventually came when I had no excuse. It was a long weekend from school, and my parents decided we were going to Vermont to ski.  I did not want to go but knew I had to, and there was no avoiding it.

All night I prayed for the weather to turn.

On the contrary, we woke up, and boom! perfect day to ski, I was devastated. We got to the mountain and got in line for the chairlift, the first obstacle I had to overcome.  I got on successfully and sat as far back as I could and secured the lap bar, hanging on tight and sitting as still as possible, I have to admit the thought of falling again was definitely in the back of my mind. Once I conquered the chairlift, it was time for the easier part, skiing. I was not a bad skier, but I had a few accidents while skiing, for example, skiing into trees and having bad falls.  Since it had been so long since I last skied, I was a little nervous, and of course, my brother made me go to a black diamond with him. My brother also has a method of skiing where he goes off the trail and through the woods. We skied down on and off the trail. When we got to the bottom, I realized I had fun and didn’t think about falling or running into a tree at all.  My brother and I must have skied the whole mountain that day, and I loved every minute of it. I couldn’t wait to go again the next day.  

Overcoming this fear was a big moment because since then, I've applied it in other parts of my life.  For example, going to a new school.  In the summer leading up to attending St. Luke’s, I overcame my fear of change to attend a new school. It was a great decision as I have met many friends and had opportunities I would not have had if I stayed at my old school.  Conquering fear is a crucial part of life. Letting fear control your life is the worst thing you can do for yourself. If I had never tried skiing again, I would never realize how fun it is to explore the mountains and go off trails. If I never came to St. Luke's, I would miss out on many amazing aspects of my life right now.