Rose Egge, KOMO Communities Reporter

Sammamish resident and former Skyline High School student Yina Moe-Lange will represent Denmark at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver. At just 16 years old, Yina will compete in the alpine ski events of giant slalom and slalom.

A longtime US resident and Danish citizen, Yina first started skiing when she was just 3 years old in Tokyo. She soon moved to Tahoe, California where she spent most of her young life until 2005 when she and her family moved to the greater Seattle area. Currently skiing for Team Alpental Snoqualmie (TAS), Yina trains at The Summit at Snoqualmie.

Topping the American junior rankings in giant slalom for her age group, she is a very promising ski racer. “At 16 I am not yet a medal contender,” says Yina, “But this is an extremely important step in the furthering of my ski racing career. Ever since my childhood I have dreamt of going to the Olympics and this is an opportunity not to be missed.”

A former Skyline High School student and currently a junior at Chrysalis School, she manages to fit her school work into her busy ski schedule. In the past year, in order to fulfill her Olympic dreams, Yina has worked non-stop in the gym and on the snow. This included ski training in Chile, Germany, Austria, and many other places within the US and Canada. As part of her preparations she also has run cross-country for Skyline High School’s Varsity team for which she will be team captain in the upcoming school year.

Traveling North, South, East, and West to cover the entire North American Continent, Yina has participated in 26 international ski races in December and January. “These past months I have traveled over 15,000 miles in North America, skiing on all types of snow, in every weather condition, against racers of many nationalities,” says Yina Moe-Lange. “Racing against many different people, I have gained valuable experience on the hill to help me prepare for the upcoming Olympics.”

Continue...