Sophomore Jay Min Park is an exceptional skier at PVHS.
At the age of four, Park was introduced to skiing and instantly fell in love.
He’s a part of the Snow Summit Race team at Big Bear and he partakes in lessons every weekend with his coach.
On long breaks he often lives near the area to attend more lessons.
Park’s love for the sport was evident at a very young age. Wanting Park to try out sports, his parents decided to introduce him to skiing.
“I went to the ski resort and I instantly fell in love,” said Park.
Jay’s parents, Hyunah and Jin Park, supported every step of his skiing journey.
From introducing him to the sport to watching him compete, Park’s parents contributed a huge part in his career.
“For Jay, skiing isn’t just a sport—it’s a huge part of his life,” Park’s mom, Hyunah Park, said. “It blends into everything he does.”
His obvious passion and dedication for the sport has definitely paid off.
He has qualified to be a California representative for a regional race and also qualified for a national race, representing Korea.
Because of his dedication and resilience, Park still manages to overcome setbacks during the season.
When a beginner skier accidentally rammed into him, causing him to break his thumb, he had to adopt and use one pole to ski.
Even with his arm in a cast and only one pole, Park still managed to get first place.
“The whole family had tears in our eyes; we couldn’t hold them back,” said Hyunah Park.
“It was such a proud moment, especially after all the setbacks.”
This win meant a lot for Park’s entire family and showed just how much determination he has.
”One of my main goals is to make sure that Jay likes skiing as much as he does now,” Park’s coach, Calcite Laurent, said. “Then we’ll see this season if he does well in regionals, why not dream big.”
Park’s determination will ensure that he will have more success in skiing and keep up his success in the upcoming regionals.