FRISCO, Colo. (KDPR) – Nichole Mason has come full circle. She grew up snowboarding as a teenager with Team Summit at Copper Mountain Resort. Now the 32-year-old is expanding the sport in her old places of work.
“There’s something very special about (Summit) County, the people who live (here) and the support that it offers,” Mason said.
Coaching snowboarders took Mason to new heights as a member of the US Ski and Snowboard Team. She became the first woman to be named International Coach of the Year in 2020, but admitted her experience working with athletes at this level was a bit like Groundhog Day.
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“It’s almost the same. You have kids who are really, really good. And all you have to do is fine-tune them,” Mason recalls.
Mason decided to return to her old roots to start One Team, a training program designed to help aspiring snowboarders succeed in the sport.
“I like going through the fights and seeing the ups and downs where they get that ‘breakthrough moment’ or that ‘aha moment’ where it finally clicks,” Mason said.
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How does one go from coaching top athletes in the national team to working with children at grassroots level? Mason said she wants to give back to the sport and to the local children.
“It really gives me more freedom to do passion projects,” Mason said. “(I have) the ability to give back to children who may not have the same opportunities.”
In just two years, Mason already has two athletes competing at World Cup level. With a bit of luck, your program will take off.
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