Erika Vikander moved to Park City when she was a freshman, having never seen a snowboarding terrain park before. She attended the Winter Sports School through high school and was able to focus on her snowboarding career. Vikander was a member of the Park City Snowboarding team for several years, where she started her athletic career.

After graduating from high school in 2007, Vikander continued to compete in several national and international events. Her next goal is to make it to New Zealand in August for an Olympic-qualifying competition. If she scores well, Vikander will be one step closer to participating in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

“Just this last year I did all of these qualifier events for the Olympics. This past season was a huge breakthrough for all of us because slopestyle was accepted into the Winter Games,” Vikander said, adding that slopestyle is riding through the snowboard park hitting jumps and sliding on rails.

Since 2007, Vikander said she’s been competing as much as possible and trying to find a niche to focus on, which she found is the slopestyle event. Growing up in Park City is one of the things Vikander said helped her succeed in her career so far.

“People have been on my team for a long time,” she said, “My step-dad has been the man for my snowboarding career and he can totally relate to me about the struggle in being a professional athlete because he’s a professional race car driver,” she said. “I really appreciate that and I wouldn’t be here without him.”

Vikander hopes to raise enough money to compete in the New Zealand Open later this summer. She said the trip costs upward of $15,000.

“This is my home and it would be like I’m representing Park City,” she said.

Training every day and eating right is like a full-time job, Vikander said, adding that one challenge she faces is staying focused.

“The most difficult thing is not getting caught up with what people are doing or saying. Everyone is trying to make it and people will do what it takes to make it,” she said. “I’ve had so many people supporting me, but there are definitely a lot of people out there and everyone is striving for the same thing.”

Vikander hopes to raise enough money to compete in the New Zealand Open later this summer. For more information about Vikander, visit www.erikavikander.blogspot.com .