January 7, 2007
By Scott N. Miller
When Gaby Hernandez came to the United States about seven years ago, she had no idea people actually strapped their feet to boards and slid down mountains. Now she's an "Outdoor Idol."
When she came with her family from Mexico City, she knew one thing: She wanted to see snow.
"We got here at night," said Hernandez, now 18. "In the morning I could see the snow on the ground and I just ran outside and started making snow angels."
In her first year at Minturn Middle School, one of Hernandez's teachers recommended her for a five-Saturday course provided by the Snowboard Outreach Society. That local nonprofit group provides snowboard lessons and tries to help kids do better in school.
"I like a challenge, so I thought I'd see if I can do it," she said.
Her first day on the mountain, there was just one instructor who spoke Spanish. That helped, but there was much she didn't understand.
"They asked me if I was a 'goofy,'" she said, referring to the snowboarding term for going downhill right foot first. "I didn't know what that meant."
To find out which foot she should lead with, group founder Arn Menconi gave her a quick, misunderstood shove in the back. It's a common practice, but to someone who doesn't speak the language, it was just one more confusing part of a confusing day.
"I just looked at him like 'What's up with that,'" she said.
She soon learned. Hernandez said it took her about a year to learn English well enough to communicate with just about anyone. She picked up snowboarding quickly, too.
She also took to heart the group's "core values" - courage, discipline, integrity, wisdom and compassion. She's also become a darned good snowboarder and a dedicated member of the society's family.
Riding the wave
Hernandez is one of a growing number of snowboarders who want to stay in the society's family. But there's a catch: Kids only participate for five, sometimes six years before "graduating."
That's how the "Junior Sherpa" program was born. Paid guides - "Sherpas" - must be 21 or older. The junior Sherpas are graduates of the student program, and volunteer to help the paid guides.
Hernandez is one of the stars of that group, said supervisor Jodi Link.
Having a helper who's fluent in two languages is also a big plus, especially with an increasing number of Spanish-speakers who take the group's classes.
"It's huge," Link said, especially on the nights new students and their parents come to get fitted for equipment.
"There's a lot of information we need to get to families," Link said. "Gaby did a lot of translating at the last one."
Hernandez is also part of a small, but growing, group of young Hispanic snowboarders, and she's proud to be riding that wave.
"I can relate to them," she said of her Spanish-speaking students.
From time to time, Hernandez said she'll see a raised eyebrow or two when she's riding. But not when she's with her society mates.
"I don't feel any barrier between anglos and Latinos when I'm with them," she said.
'An easy choice'
Besides becoming an accomplished snowboarder and a mentor for young riders, Hernandez is also a good student. Now in her second year at Colorado Mountain College, she's in that school's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, a national group for outstanding community college students.
Her athletic skills, volunteer work and academic record made an easy choice when Snowboard Outreach Society Development Director Seth Ehrlich was asked to recommend an "Outdoor Idol" nominee to the Outdoor Industry Association.
That trade group for the last couple of years has named people to represent their various sports at an annual trade show in Salt Lake City.
"The first year, they wanted people who are successful in their sports," Ehrlich said. "This year, they named people who are making a difference in their sports. They asked me for an Outdoor Idol so I nominated Gaby. It was an easy choice."
Hernandez has no idea what's involved in her trip to Utah later this month. What she's in for, Ehrlich said, is nearly a week of appearances and training, in both their own sports and marketing. It's also a chance to introduce athletes to potential sponsors.
"We're truly blessed to have Gaby and her family with us," Ehrlich said. "She's just invaluable."
Source: Vail Daily News
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