Imagine gliding down a mountain with millions of people watching you. Would you be able to do it? Would the spotlight simply burn through you? This is not a problem for Port Angeles High School’s own Jake Little. Little says, “Competing is definitely stressful at times,” however, nothing else makes Little happier. Little is only seventeen and is already on his way to competing at the 2018 Olympics; if injuries don’t thwart his dream. Little is currently a member the British Columbia (BC) Freestyle team, has two individual sponsors; his team combined has five corporate sponsors.

Little has been skiing since he was three years old. Little says his parents initially taught him to go downhill, but he learned freestyle because he was living at a ski resort and his parents wanted him to make friends. Although Little’s parents never wanted him to start competing he fell in love with the sport so he just went with it. Little started competing, when he was eleven and just three years later he was competing nationally when he was fourteen.

Little has competed in so many competitions that he’s lost track of his numerous honors. Little believes that he has won at least fifteen competitions— “I think that I have won at least 15 comps, I have lost count.” Every year during the winter season Little’s family moves to Canada to a ski resort called Apex Mountain Resort near Penticton, British Columbia. I asked Little what was different about living in Canada and living in Port Angeles. Little said, “The experience isn’t a whole lot different than living in PA, but it is always snowy and I get to ski. Also, I hate online school and I don’t get to see my friends as much.”

Since Little has dedicated so much of his time to skiing he can no longer have the normal high school experience that most teens at Port Angeles High School take for granted every day. Most of Little’s life is all about skiing. In order to pursue his dream of becoming an Olympic hopeful Little has an inflexible and strict scheduled workout/training plan that he adheres to each day.

Little’s training day begins at 7:00 a.m. each morning and ends around 1:00 p.m. to achieve the highest level of skiing possible. Little’s workout routine involves building up his anaerobic metabolism—increasing overall power, power endurance and muscular strength. As a freestyle skier Little must be able to react quickly to changes in terrain and the course outline so he also practices agility, balance and coordination daily.

Since Little is constantly forced into a crouched position placing significant strain on his knees he also does weight training. Little also has to be aware of his nutrition on a regular basis because failure to eat and drink appropriately during workouts and competition results in premature fatigue—compromising his performance and increasing his risk of injury. Much of Little’s training time is spent in the extreme elements where food and fluid supplies are often difficult to access, so Little always plans ahead to ensure that his fuel and hydration needs are met.

During the summer months when snow is not available Little uses dry land training behind a motor boat on water skis or a trampoline to sharpen his skills.

Little sacrifices a lot to achieve his dreams of becoming an Olympian. In high school Little said he stopped participating in any other sport, but skiing. Another sacrifice Little has made is being away from his hometown for about nine months out of the year, so he barely ever sees any of his close friends. Little says that becoming and Olympic bound athlete is all about sacrifice, a concept foreign to most people, “To become an Olympic athlete it involves training year round, making huge sacrifices, and having a motivational drive that’s more intense than your competition. All sports when you get to a high level are extremely stressful. It’s an individual sport that is based entirely on results. If you don’t have the results, you won’t get the spots for the bigger competitions. The stress is what makes it fun for me. I am overly competitive so I love figuring out how I can beat people.”

Little’s dedication and hard work is proof of how far he has gotten. Little’s advice to anyone hoping to enter into the sport is, “Have fun and ski with people you like. That’s how I got into it and it makes it 100% better.” You never know what you can become until you try. Little has dedicated pretty much his whole life to this one sport and it has gotten him very far. If you work hard and are very dedicated—life can take you to places that you never even dreamed you could reach! Live the dream!