A newcomer to the sport at the age of 9, Shawn Chuang ’24 has worked his way up since to secure a spot on the national Taiwanese Alpine Ski Team. Beyond playing on the team, Chuang alternates between patrolling the National Winter Activity Center and training through racing on its slopes. Chuang is set on strengthening his skills even further back in New Zealand, with plans to return and dedicate his summer to skiing exclusively. Although it hasn’t been an easy road, with learning the basics and navigating the demands of being a student athlete, Chuang remains persistent with his passion for the sport. He is resolute in pursuing his passion during his gap year, aspiring to reach even higher heights and to participate in the Olympics.

How long have you been skiing?

The very first time I skied was in winter 2015, but it used to be just [during] winter break [and] … it was just a family thing … for fun. I started to seriously ski –– and by that I mean I would go more than once a year –– in my freshman year. ... [During] COVID, [when] we were online, I actually stayed at the mountain for the whole year [and] went up the mountain during lunchtime or after school. ... Even now, like every weekend, I go up to the mountain. For half of the day I'll be racing and half of the day I'll be patrolling.

Do you effectively balance both school and skiing?

The thing about patrolling is that we usually [are] just sitting … in a little cabin at the top of the mountain. And we only leave or we only have to leave if we get a call. So, while we're waiting for calls, I usually just do homework. ... Last year, [there were even] a few times ... I would do my readings on the ski lift. Also, [I] just don't really sleep, especially last year –– [it] was really bad. ... [But] I'm definitely able to manage my time better this year.

How do you improve your skills?

I mean it's going to the gym too much, honestly. … I think a lot of it is not just when you're training [and you] do it absent-mindedly; [I think it’s important to be] always be aware of what your goal is. So for me, for every single run I take, I give myself a specific goal.

How did you first get interested in skiing?

I grew up in Taiwan, where it doesn't snow. [I first got interested because of] the “We Ski” Wii game [that] my sister [and I] would play. [When I actually tried it], it was something that came more naturally to me than most other sports. I would not consider myself [as] someone who's very athletically inclined [at all], but skiing was just something that I was able to pick up relatively fast, and I really, really love it, so that's just kind of the direction I took. It just took off.

Do you have any role models that you look up to? If yes, how have they inspired you?

[There is an] American skier called Mikaela Shiffrin, and she's absolutely insane. There's also this girl called Maggie Lee. She represented Taiwan at the Winter Olympics last season, and I trained with her in New Zealand ... [in] the Chinese national team. ... She's kind of who I look up to, [since I usually think], “I want to be you one day.”

What kinds of competitions have you participated in? And how do you mentally prepare for them?

I do racing, where it's just timewise. ... There's four different categories of ski racing: small turns, slightly bigger turns, even bigger turns, and [greater] curves. [For] the [two] smaller events, … it's more technical, and the other two we call speed events, because they're the ones where people go 80 to 90 miles per hour shooting on the slopes.

[Mainly], I just take deep breaths and tell myself it's not that serious. Because for me, [while] I can technically tell people that I'm on the national team, ... I'm still very much a beginner in the sport. So, everything to me right now is a learning experience ... I just do my best.

Are there any achievements you are proud of?

Having a race where I represented Taiwan was really cool, [since] the race had some [of] the best [skiers]. I think the guy who won that race was 20th in the world. So obviously, it's beating a lot of role models. And I think honestly, for me, my biggest achievement would just be getting into the sport [professionally] ... because it was something ... I've wanted to do [ever since I started skiing]. I saw racers, and I wanted to do it, but a lot of it was just, “Why would I go to ski racing? … Most ski racers start when they're like 3 years old, and I started when I was 17.”

There's a bit of a gap there and I put it off for a bit, [since] there were a few teams ... [who told me], “Nah, you're too old. We're not gonna take you.”... And for me, it was having that persistence to finally start doing the sport that I've always really wanted to do.

What kinds of challenges have you run into, and have you overcome them yet?

Ski racing is a sport that's very [much based on] nepotism, [because] there's almost zero resources out there publicly available; I remember just trying to figure out what the different events [and] rules were. ... It's really different because if you're trying to get into a sport like soccer, you can just Google [the] rules of soccer and it's really easy to figure it out ... [I think] the biggest challenge would be [the fact that] I don't have the connections with [close friends] or parents who ski race, or [live] in a place where everybody ski races.

So just getting the knowledge of how the sport works, how you train, and how you prepare your skis ... was the biggest challenge. ... I reached out to a lot of people, [which includes] Maggie, [who has] been really helpful. I have her contact information [and] regularly [I ask her], “How do I do this?” And it's just finding people who are like this has really helped me overcome these challenges.

What is it about skiing that you think others should also follow and get into?

[I’m] not going to lie; it's not a sport where I think most people should try, because it's so deceivingly difficult and, to be very blunt, it's horrendously expensive. ... [Not only is it] physically demanding, but it's also mentally [challenging]. ... [But], if you really love [to] challenge [yourself] and really want to have something where you have to put everything into it …, [then] I think ski racing is a really awesome thing. ... It's a blast and the people are great.

What are your future goals in skiing? And do you see yourself continuing after high school?

[I’m] hoping to go to the Olympics one day. ... It's most people’s dream ... [and] right now I'm planning on taking a gap year after high school to ski. ... [I’ve already talked] to some programs and coaches that I've met in New Zealand about different programs around the world — mostly in Europe –– that I can do for the whole year.