Jan 6, 2007 11:43 am US/Central
7-Year-Old Snowboarder Scorches The Slopes
by Bridgette Bornstein
(WCCO)
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Alexis Rolland, 7, is first-grader and a professional snowboarder with a pro contract.
CBS
There has not been enough snow this year to build a decent sized snowman, but that hasn't stopped one of the youngest snowboarders around. For Alexis Rolland, it's not just a hobby, it's her passion.
By the way, Alexis Rolland is just 7 years old, and a professional with a pro contract to match.
Others on the slopes cannot believe Rolland is so accomplished at so early an age.
"They just tell me I'm really good. I
am pretty good," said Rolland with a good measure of confidence.
"She started three years ago when she was five and we just went out there and started snowboarding, said Shawn Rolland, her father, who uses a snow-making machine in his backyard during those fickle winters (like this one) when Mother Nature doesn't cooperate.
"She just had a natural ability with it. She just has an ability to conquer a lot of her fears and just has fun out there," he said.
In a word, Alexis Rolland is fearless. "You have to like work through your fears. You have to not be afraid," she said.
Next month, Rolland will be featured in
Sports Illustrated as one of its young rising stars.
"She is so far ahead of kids her age," said Shawn Rolland. "She is beating 18-year-old girls in competitions. The snowboarding is just going to open a lot of opportunities for her, even if she decides not to do that," said Shawn Rolland.
On the horizon, Alexis Rolland will travel to competitions and do some photo shoots. She still goes to school like any other child her age. She just happens to have a career along with elementary school.
And her goal? "To be the best snowboarder in the world," she said.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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