At the age of just 2, when most toddlers were figuring out how to find their footing, Ronen Malani was already miles ahead. He confidently glided down ski slopes and cut tracks through fresh snow as his love for skiing began to take shape.
Now a junior, Ronen competes around the country for the Wilmot Ski Team, and his passion for skiing has become a year-round commitment. Though balancing his sport with school and other activities can be difficult, the sense of freedom and control he feels while racing down a slope is what keeps him coming back.
Ronen’s passion for skiing began on a family trip to Colorado when he was 2 and his parents first enrolled him in lessons.
“They lied and said that I was 3 and they put me in lessons so that they could go ski the hard runs and they left me in the lesson all day, but that’s when I first started skiing,” Ronen said.
Ronen’s mom’s passion for the sport was infectious, leading to his own desire to learn to ski during their trips to Colorado, despite his young age. Years later after skiing became a hobby, a trip to Wilmot, Wisconsin, introduced him to the world of ski racing, where competitors ski as quickly as possible down a course marked by gates.
When he first watched all the ski team kids, he immediately knew he wanted to be a part of it.
“I didn’t know that ski racing was a thing back then,” Ronen said. “I saw that they all had their jackets that said Wilmot Ski Team, and I went to my mom and I was like, ‘I really want to do that.’”
For Ronen, the best part of skiing is how freeing it is, both physically and mentally. In sports like running, he finds that it’s easy to overthink your moves, but with skiing it’s the opposite. Once the race begins, his head empties of all doubt.
“I think there’s a feeling of just kind of feeling free, just going fast and you’re in complete control and it’s surreal,” Ronen said. “It’s not really like walking and running. It’s just a completely different feeling.”
Ronen has been on the ski team since he was in third grade, and he mainly competes in the slalom and giant slalom races. His season runs from early December to spring break, during which he competes in at least eight races. The season’s final race is the Western U.S. High School Championships in Colorado, where he represents Team Illinois.
Every Saturday and Sunday in the winter, he drives an hour northwest of Chicago to attend practice in Wilmot. Occasionally, he has practice on Tuesday or Thursday nights. The time commitment has proven to be difficult with other activities and school, but he remains dedicated and has found ways to manage his other activities around skiing.
“I think in the winter, it does take a good amount of time out of my extracurriculars, schoolwork and my social life,” he said. “But I’ve started to get into a habit of how I can manage my work, like deciding I can’t go to practice one day because I have to do this for a club or I have five tests next week.”
Ronen’s training is not exclusive to the winter. He trains at a camp on Mount Hood in Oregon, where he is able to ski on a glacier in the 80-degree heat, an experience he describes as unique and unforgettable.
While skiing is mainly an individual activity, Ronen has found that being on a team and having encouraging teammates has helped it feel less solitary.
“If you’re having a bad race, your teammates are there for you,” he said, “Or before you start, they’re there and they will tell you to focus on these things, and they will encourage you.”
