It’s one in the afternoon on a Saturday, and while I just woke up in my dark bedroom with drool all over my face, sixteen-year-old Jack Chase has been racing on his snowboard since 9 am. As a dedicated boardercross competitor, he spends most of his weekends at races or training to prepare for them. Chase carves through bumps, big turns, and icy slopes wearing his POC backcountry helmet, fitted pants, and a loose sweatshirt.

Chase is the only AHS student on the Elite Masters AVSC snowboard racing team. He trains five days a week and can be on the mountain for up to four and a half hours. Even with all of the training, he still has a love for the sport.

“I never get sick of it,” Chase says.

Chase is not just the only AHS student to race in the AVSC snowboard competitions, but is also the youngest on his team. Everyone else is between the ages of 18 and 30. Even though he is younger than everyone else, he is still friends with his teammates and his coaches.

“The snowboard community as a whole is pretty awesome. Everyone is really friendly and nice,” Chase said.

The season will start on January 26th. However, as of last year, Chase is ranked in the twenties nationally. He feels very proud of his accomplishment.

“It just feels like all the work that I put in really has a positive outcome, and that’s awesome,” Chase said.

As a junior in high school, Chase is nearing the end of his time before he is off to college. Even so, he would like to continue snowboarding throughout the years by traveling if he doesn’t live somewhere he can, and by making the sport a priority in his life.

He went on to explain, “It’s definitely my passion and I would like to keep it a part of my life.”