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Monday, 28 May 07
NICOLE BIRKHOLD went from competitive waterskier to associate editor at Freeskier magazine reporting on all things snow related. She just took a jump and bought a ski boat – acquired all the responsibilities of ownership as well. If she could, Nicole would show the world how to see all the joy out there, and be happy. Read more ...
SheJumps: How did you come to be where you are?
Nicole Birkhold: It's been a crazy journey actually! I waterskied all through school including a small stint at Sea World where I was part of the show ski team. From there, I moved to 3-event skiing and competed through school and a bit after as well. I lived in New Orleans, Orlando, and Charleston, S.C., coaching and competing. Three-event skiing consists of three disciplines, slalom, jump, and trick. We slalom through a course of six bouys, jump off a five foot ramp for distance and trick on a trick ski to accumulate as many points as possible. So there's a background of the competition circuit but the coaching was probably my favorite aspect of the sport. I still get messages from kids I coached down in South Carolina telling me about how well they did in tournaments!
SJ: Who are you? What do you do?
NB: I am currently the associate editor at Freeskier Magazine. It's great. I'm able to write and work on journalistic aspects of the sport that I'm passionate about and share my experiences with others. I have been fortunate enough to travel to some amazing places and meet tons of cool people along the way. The crew at the magazine is awesome. Being the only girl, I sometimes get put in the "mom" role but it's not too bad.
SJ: I'm sure you had some pressures to pursue a different career or go another way but instead you're where you are. Has it been hard to go a different way, or pretty natural? Are you stoked? What would make your current situation in life or career ideal?
NB: Absolutely, I've had pressure to go elsewhere. Freeskier is not a "big" publication and it's always tempting to try to see if I could make it in the big bad publishing world. But when I really sit down and think about it, Freeskier is the perfect place for me right now. I'm gaining tons of experience in the realm of publishing and writing and it's so much fun! I can confidently say I would not be able to go cat skiing in Canada or spend the X Games in Aspen if I were working for a women's magazine in New York City! And right now, those experiencse are important to me. Further down the line there may be a fork in the road I choose to take that leads me away from the ski industry but right now, I'm pretty stoked.
SJ: What's something you failed at but it turned out to be a good thing in the end?
NB: I stopped waterskiing a while back. I got burned out and didn't feel like I was moving forward enough to stick with it on a competitive level. It definitely bummed me out at the time but from that decision, I was able to move to the mountains, ski for a few years in Winter Park and land a job at Freeskier. All of which I am grateful for now and wouldn't have been possible had I continued to focus my energy and determination on waterskiing. Living in Winter Park was such a blessing. I called myself a "ski bum" being an instructor but it's those experiences with kids on the snow that helped me re-gain appreciation for the raw enjoyment of the sport.
SJ: Have you jumped lately, you know taken a risk of sorts because you felt it was what your insides told you instead of what the outside told you?
NB: The move I made from Winter Park to Boulder was a pretty big one for me. I left all my friends up there and moved down to the front range where I knew NO ONE! Not only that, but I started at Freeskier as an intern and not getting paid. I spent my first few months in Boulder pretty penniless! It was definitely hard and I called my family in tears a few times but they were super encouraging and helped me to believe that the internship would help me gain the necessary experience to land a real job that I was going to be totally happy with. Fortunately, that did happen and Freeskier offered me a full-time job but those first few months after leaving the comfortable world of Winter Park were tough!
More recently however, I did just up my responsibility level by acquiring a ski boat. I've never really owned anything in my life and having this older boat that needs work is a challenge. I've had to tow it behind my truck by myself and learn about what the engine needs and how it operates. I also purchased a place to keep it out on a reservoir and am going to hopefully get back into waterskiing a little bit. I realized how much I missed being on the water and won't be as competitive this time around but I'm nervous about even being back on the water and entering tournaments again! So it's been a big step for me both in growing up and having to be responsible for "things" like a boat and car!
SJ: If you could have any super power what would it be and why?
NB: I would love to be able to read minds. I think if everyone could read minds, it would help keep the world a more honest place and solve a lot of problems!
SJ: If you had no limitations of money or obligation or ... anything, what would you do with your life?
NB: TRAVEL! I would go everywhere possible and try to do more to understand other cultures and lifestyles. I'd also want to do more to help other countries that are struggling. Mostly children. It's always been a dream but it's so hard to have the courage to pick up and leave. I'd also love to spend time in Tibet and gain more knowledge of that society and views of those people.
SJ: If you could be a secret super hero and get no credit, what's one thing you would do for someone else, or something outside of yourself just because you could?
NB: I'd like to be able to show everyone the joy in the world. I feel like it gets lost so often due to unfortunate circumstances in people's lives and they can't get it back. I don't know how this would be possible but wouldn't it be cool if it were!
Profile: Nicole Birkhold
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NICOLE BIRKHOLD went from competitive waterskier to associate editor at Freeskier magazine reporting on all things snow related. She just took a jump and bought a ski boat – acquired all the responsibilities of ownership as well. If she could, Nicole would show the world how to see all the joy out there, and be happy. Read more ...
SheJumps: How did you come to be where you are?
Nicole Birkhold: It's been a crazy journey actually! I waterskied all through school including a small stint at Sea World where I was part of the show ski team. From there, I moved to 3-event skiing and competed through school and a bit after as well. I lived in New Orleans, Orlando, and Charleston, S.C., coaching and competing. Three-event skiing consists of three disciplines, slalom, jump, and trick. We slalom through a course of six bouys, jump off a five foot ramp for distance and trick on a trick ski to accumulate as many points as possible. So there's a background of the competition circuit but the coaching was probably my favorite aspect of the sport. I still get messages from kids I coached down in South Carolina telling me about how well they did in tournaments!
SJ: Who are you? What do you do?
NB: I am currently the associate editor at Freeskier Magazine. It's great. I'm able to write and work on journalistic aspects of the sport that I'm passionate about and share my experiences with others. I have been fortunate enough to travel to some amazing places and meet tons of cool people along the way. The crew at the magazine is awesome. Being the only girl, I sometimes get put in the "mom" role but it's not too bad.
SJ: I'm sure you had some pressures to pursue a different career or go another way but instead you're where you are. Has it been hard to go a different way, or pretty natural? Are you stoked? What would make your current situation in life or career ideal?
NB: Absolutely, I've had pressure to go elsewhere. Freeskier is not a "big" publication and it's always tempting to try to see if I could make it in the big bad publishing world. But when I really sit down and think about it, Freeskier is the perfect place for me right now. I'm gaining tons of experience in the realm of publishing and writing and it's so much fun! I can confidently say I would not be able to go cat skiing in Canada or spend the X Games in Aspen if I were working for a women's magazine in New York City! And right now, those experiencse are important to me. Further down the line there may be a fork in the road I choose to take that leads me away from the ski industry but right now, I'm pretty stoked.
SJ: What's something you failed at but it turned out to be a good thing in the end?
NB: I stopped waterskiing a while back. I got burned out and didn't feel like I was moving forward enough to stick with it on a competitive level. It definitely bummed me out at the time but from that decision, I was able to move to the mountains, ski for a few years in Winter Park and land a job at Freeskier. All of which I am grateful for now and wouldn't have been possible had I continued to focus my energy and determination on waterskiing. Living in Winter Park was such a blessing. I called myself a "ski bum" being an instructor but it's those experiences with kids on the snow that helped me re-gain appreciation for the raw enjoyment of the sport.
SJ: Have you jumped lately, you know taken a risk of sorts because you felt it was what your insides told you instead of what the outside told you?
NB: The move I made from Winter Park to Boulder was a pretty big one for me. I left all my friends up there and moved down to the front range where I knew NO ONE! Not only that, but I started at Freeskier as an intern and not getting paid. I spent my first few months in Boulder pretty penniless! It was definitely hard and I called my family in tears a few times but they were super encouraging and helped me to believe that the internship would help me gain the necessary experience to land a real job that I was going to be totally happy with. Fortunately, that did happen and Freeskier offered me a full-time job but those first few months after leaving the comfortable world of Winter Park were tough!
More recently however, I did just up my responsibility level by acquiring a ski boat. I've never really owned anything in my life and having this older boat that needs work is a challenge. I've had to tow it behind my truck by myself and learn about what the engine needs and how it operates. I also purchased a place to keep it out on a reservoir and am going to hopefully get back into waterskiing a little bit. I realized how much I missed being on the water and won't be as competitive this time around but I'm nervous about even being back on the water and entering tournaments again! So it's been a big step for me both in growing up and having to be responsible for "things" like a boat and car!
SJ: If you could have any super power what would it be and why?
NB: I would love to be able to read minds. I think if everyone could read minds, it would help keep the world a more honest place and solve a lot of problems!
SJ: If you had no limitations of money or obligation or ... anything, what would you do with your life?
NB: TRAVEL! I would go everywhere possible and try to do more to understand other cultures and lifestyles. I'd also want to do more to help other countries that are struggling. Mostly children. It's always been a dream but it's so hard to have the courage to pick up and leave. I'd also love to spend time in Tibet and gain more knowledge of that society and views of those people.
SJ: If you could be a secret super hero and get no credit, what's one thing you would do for someone else, or something outside of yourself just because you could?
NB: I'd like to be able to show everyone the joy in the world. I feel like it gets lost so often due to unfortunate circumstances in people's lives and they can't get it back. I don't know how this would be possible but wouldn't it be cool if it were!
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