Michelle Roark, US Ski Team
Colorado native Michelle Roark leads an interesting double life. She's been a member of the US Ski Team for more than a dozen years, in the process becoming one of the top performers in her sport, winning a World Cup title and moguls silver medal at the 2003 World Championships, as well as competing in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Michelle is also heading to Vancouver this year to compete in the Olympics for a second time! But when she's off the slopes, she's a Denver business-owner, running the Voila Salon, Spa and Parfumerie (2185 Broadway, www.voilassp.com) as well as creating Phi-nomenal, her own line of perfumes.
Why Colorado Skiing is the Best: Colorado has absolutely, hands-down the best mogul skiing in the world. If I had to ski one slope for the rest of my life it would be Mary Jane/Winter Park, because it has the best the moguls in the world.
How Skiing Became More Than Just a Hobby: When I was five, I knew I wanted compete in the Olympics. I started out wanting to go to the Olympics for figure skating, but unfortunately that didn't pan out for various reasons. But I started competing in skiing because I still wanted to go to the Olympics! I was blessed growing up in Colorado and having a father who was such a ski fanatic -- whether his kids liked it or not they were gonna learn to ski! I was so fortunate to be able to ski so much when I was young.
Her Most Memorable Skiing Moment So Far: Winning the Deer Valley World Cup in 2006. It was a night event, there were like 6,000 people there, and my friend and now coach Toby Dawson both won that night and qualified for the Olympic games in 2006.
On Competing In the 2006 Olympics: You know, in some ways it was challenging -- being in Italy, you didn't get to see any of the U.S. coverage of the games. So it was a little strange -- you grow up seeing the coverage you're used to, and that's what you expect. And it was very, very different! And the security was so much that I couldn't see any of my family beforehand or during, which was surprising, and a little bit disappointing. So it wasn't perfect, but it was still an incredible experience.
The Best Thing About Being On The U.S. Ski Team: I love, love, love to ski moguls, and I push myself to be the best that I can in that sport. The best thing about being on the team is just being able to constantly push myself to the next level of competition.
What She Loves About Denver: I love running my own business, Voila Salon/Spa. I've also got my own line of perfume and body products -- I'm a chemical engineer from the Colorado School of Mines. The line is called Phi-nomenal, and the scents are all natural, authentic essences which evolve on the skin, changing over time in response to each person´s body chemistry. In Denver, it's great because there are a lot of renovated buildings downtown, and Voila is in one of them. It's this beautiful, intricate brick building which I just love.
When She's Off The Slopes: I love riding the Platte River Trail with my husband; we do that a lot during the summer. We also thoroughly enjoy mountain biking, and we are often in the Golden foothills doing that. I also love to run the steps at Red Rocks -- that is a workout like no other. Another thing I'd love to plug is my favorite Denver band, the Black Outs -- they're a hard rock band that I kind of follow around. They're fantastic.