Answers to Matt's Questions

THE BASICS
1. What is the athletic background of your parents and family?
My Dad was a baseball player throughout most of his life. He played high school and college baseball. Later he played on in a 'professional' fast pitch softball team and was inducted in to the World Fast Pitch Softball Hall of Fame. He has been active in the outdoors his whole life but never involved in cross country ski racing until I got started in it.

My mother was active in the outdoors throughout her childhood. She ran track in high school and has completed a number of marathons and ultra-marathon events in the last decade. She was never involved in cross country ski racing.

My brother is a cross country skier and several time junior olympic champion. He skied at the university of utah and as of late, has switched to the sport of biathlon and is a member of the USBA Development Team.


2. When did you begin participating in your sport?
I began ski racing very young, probably around six years old. I recall being in the bathtub and my dad walking in and asking if I wanted to do a ski race. I was up for it. And that was that. I got involved with the local ski team and have competed ever since.

THE EXTRAS (if you have time)
1. What was your early experiences with sport like?
I liked winning early on. That was the initial draw. When it came to training and practicing, I loved being on my skis and going off jumps, playing games. Later I learned to love to train.

2. How instrumental were parents and coaches in the early part of your development as an athlete?
Very. My dad especially was very involved in helping me wax my skis and taught me the basics of skiing early on. He help a lot with finding coaches and instruction that were a huge benefit later down the road. He definitely instilled a work ethic in me that still exists today. Hard work pays off. If you don't work hard, it won't happen. I've known that from the beginning.

3. How were you introduced to your sport and how many other sports did you seriously participate in?
My dad asked if i wanted to race and I did... that was how i started racing. I started skiing earlier than six in my backyard. I was always on my skis, mostly building jumps to go off. I also participated in baseball until high school. My dad being a baseball player, it was always a huge part of my summers. I'm pretty sure that is where i developed the speed that i have now in ski racing.

4. Is your success a product of nature or nurture?
Both. The mindset that it takes to succeed is something that comes from early influences. There is always some level of natural ability that is present (or absent, whatever the case may be). A lot of 'natural' talent comes from the activities that are done early on. The best ski racers that I have been exposed to, in terms of 'natural ability', are people who participated in a wide array of sports and activities when they were young, whether is was swimming or biking or running or soccer. The more the better at a young age, as far as I am concerned.

5. Are you an expert in your field? (by your own definition)
I would say absolutely. Especially in regards to those areas in which I have direct control, tactics, training, etc. The areas in which I am not an expert are the technical sides involving waxing and more ski related areas, though I would consider myself quite proficient, there are plenty of people who know much much more- they are the experts.