What happens when you take a down to earth Southern California girl and mix her with the fresh mountain air soft white pow pow and the love for adrenaline"¦ you get me, Leita (your best Lange candidate! ;) )

What happens when you take a down-to-earth Southern California girl and mix her with the soft, freshy pow-pow and adrenaline of the mountains"¦ you get me, Leita (your best Lange candidate! 😉 )

Originally a California native I was born in Newport Beach. But at a young age, my family and I moved up to Lake Tahoe, NV. There are a lot of things I remember about Tahoe, but without fail, my best memories all stem from my undying love for the mountains and being on snow. It didn"™t matter what I was doing during the week; whether it was dance team or school, the one thing that kept me going knowing I"™d be able to rip it up the slopes that weekend. With that being said, skiing has been a passion of mine ever since my days on the Heavenly junior team, and it is a feeling I know I will never grow tired of.

While I only lived in Tahoe for six years, even after I moved back to Southern California, my constant desire to be around the snow never faded. If anything, it was strengthened more. Throughout high school I would always plan trips, as I would beg to my family and friends, "Come on guys lets have a ski weekend!” As each autumn began, I would constantly check the webcams and updates of the mountains, and when I saw an inch of snow my bags were instantly packed.

When I began university in Los Angeles, I not only fell in love with the added freedom, but also being that much closer to the mountains, an hour to be exact! At school I found my golden ticket, the ski team. Once again I had that same feeling from when I was a kid, where I could not wait grab my skis and charge the slopes.

I always made sure to avoid scheduling Friday class. So once that clock hit signifying the end of my Thursday classes, my bags were already packed and I was on the road. At times that meant driving through the night, but it was all worth it to make sure I got the most out of my three-day ski weekend. Yes, it is a scenic drive, but it also takes 5 hours. Even still, the drive could be 9 hours and I still would do it all the same. My anticipation always builds as I see the increasing piles of snow the closer I get to the slopes, it"™s like the foreplay of skiing.

While on the team I was able to ski every weekend. I participated in our collegiate league, the SCCSC. Last year was my first competing since I was just a little kid, and I surprised myself scoring some podium finishes. I got 2nd place overall in the 2008-2009 SCCSC Women"™s Freestyle Skiing Events and 3rd place at the 2009 USCSA Far West Regionals at Diamond Peak in Girl"™s Skier Slopestyle.

The magical feeling of being in that crisp, mountain air while charging the steeps and lapping the park always brings me back to my carefree days as a kid. And now that I"™m 22, I can enjoy the perks of the lodge bar as well! I love charging it so much that I even got a concussion from popping a jump too hard. I didn"™t let it get to me; as once I was cleared, I was back on the mountain the next weekend giving it my all.

Having now just graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree from the Annenberg School of Communication, I am ready for my next challenge. I"™ve done the beach, the mountains, the schooling, but skiing will always be the constant in my life.

I"™m an outgoing girl with street smarts and skiing skills. I"™m just as comfortable in a sleek cocktail dress and heels sipping cosmos, as I am in my oversized jacket, ski pants and boots ripping the slopes with the guys. I"™d make an awesome Lange girl because I can "˜walk the walk, and talk the talk."™ If you got it, I can sell it and I’ll have fun with it. If I"™m chosen as the next Lange girl I"™ll do my absolute best to rep you guys.

Thank you for your support and I look forward to seeing you all out on the mountain!

Pray for snow!