Pittsford native Morgan Schild spent 22 months away from moguls skiing but it couldn't keep her from qualifying for her first Olympic Games.
Four years ago, Schild left Pittsford Sutherland High School to compete on the World Junior Moguls circuit and she's found success through a bumpy career.
"2014, I won the NORAM Tour and that put me on my first World Cup in Megeve, France and I didn't do too well that year but the next season, I continued on and got my first International World Cup start that year in Japan and ended up capitalizing on that opportunity and got myself an '' team spot," recounted Schild from Mont Tremblant, Quebec. "Until I blew my knee, when I was 17, essentially two weeks after I won my first World Cup,
Schild needed two surgeries and almost two years to recover, but her patience paid off. She won a World Cup event on her home course in Utah less than a month after returning.
"The rest of that season went pretty well for me, I got my first singles win in Deer Valley, Utah and that was really exciting because my mom and dad were there as well and it kind of gave me momentum to just keep this momentum up through the summer, through my training and get really excited for this season," she said.
This season, Schild started slowly, suffering a dislocated shoulder in Finland in December, but took third-place finishes in consecutive events. Two podium finishes guaranteed her a spot on the U-S Olympic team.
"I started sort of shaking and going 'oh my God, oh my God this is happening,' and then when I saw Morgan come through the finish chute, she was in tears," said Morgan's mom Lorraine.
"I walked by my coaches and they were like, 'congrats, like yeah that was it' and then I immediately ran to my mom and dad and just fell into their arms and I could not stop crying at that point, just because, I always thought it was a dream that could come true but like seeing my mom and dad just right there, understand that my dream just came through, was amazing," Schild said.