About

In my life, I have studied a great deal about athletics and the human body. Ski racing, bodybuilding, kinesiology, Tai Chi and more.

I started ski racing at age 10, and was completely hooked. My high school coach was a PSIA examiner. I learned the PSIA progression well and started teaching skiing at age 15. I raced competitively in both high school and for my university. In college, I trained triathlons and bodybuilding with some of the best in those industries. At my university, I enrolled in Kinesiology, and had to study hard to learn the curriculum; it was a long way from my major in communication. The most important thing I learned in that class was the concept of “The Serape Effect.” This is amazing effect of coordinating the torso with the extremities. The power comes from the torso and extends out. This is how a baseball pitcher can throw a 90 mph fastball.

Right out of college, I moved to Telluride, Colorado and got a job on
the race department. I got to work with many famous skiers, and got to race every day. I moved to the Front Range and skied over 60 days each season. I moved to Utah in 1999 and skied more than 80 days each season.

In 2003, some cosmic force led me to Tai Chi. I was fascinated with
this strange and unorthodox martial art that was practiced slowly. How could one could obtain martial skill without vigorous practice, like all of
the other martial arts ? After several months of searching, I found
Grandmaster Victor Sheng Long Fu, and started learning Tai Chi in October.

In the first lesson, Master Fu explained the virtues and benefits of
“Turning the Waist.” He told me that all Tai Chi movements must
originate at the waist, and that the waist should always be turning.

This made perfect sense to me !
It was like The Serape Effect, but it was more specific to the waist !

I worked hard to learn Tai Chi, and practiced even harder. I began to notice changes in my body. I felt stronger and more balanced. My general accuracy seemed to improve. I had more stamina. And I started skiing like never before.

In March of 2004, six months after I started Tai Chi, I competed in the NASTAR Nationals in Park City, Utah.
I hadn’t raced in ten years, but by my third run, I was able to beat
everyone in my division. I won the silver medal.

When the 03-04 ski season was over, I worked very closely with Master Fu and practiced Tai Chi every day. I began to notice that I was simply
better at everything.
I moved more smoothly and efficiently. I put the dishes away more gracefully. I played volleyball better. I played horseshoes better. I could run faster. I realized that Tai Chi was improving my body far more than training for triathlons or bodybuilding–
I was starting to feel sort of superhuman ! So I began to theorize that the thousands of years the Taoists spent developing these special movements were in fact the highest-level training in the world. I began to think of Tai Chi like the words of the famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright:

“Form follows function”

Tai Chi posture, movements and principles are the superceding elements from which athletic form should be born. In other words, let’s start with Tai Chi and develop athletics from from there.

That summer, I thought about skiing. It just had to work. I knew that when I got back on my skis I would be able to turn them by turning my
waist and allowing everything to follow. It was a strange coincidence that I got a contract to teach the Men’s Alpine Team.
When Brighton opened in October of 2004, I was there on opening day to test my theory. And it worked !

I began working with a few different race coaches, trying to learn the latest and greatest in ski technique so that I could combine those influences with the stable foundations of Tai Chi. I co-founded ModernSkiRacing.com, and began putting on race camps in Utah and Colorado. The results were awesome !

I created an instructional video and sold them ALL OVER THE WORLD !

But I didn’t stop there. Day after day, I went back on the mountain to keep developing the technique. As you can find out for yourself, turning the waist works to turn the skis, but there are nuances that require more in-depth knowledge of Tai Chi. Like a mad scientist, I experimented with all the elements of both Tai Chi and ski racing. Each year, the technique improved.

Now, the technique is systemized, and I will teach it to you.