Snowboarding Champion Sets Sights on Ivy League Education

 

Chloe Kim was one of America’s top Olympians during last year’s Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The snowboarding champion, who grew up in California, competed there at 17 years of age. She became the youngest woman ever to win an Olympic gold medal in the halfpipe competition.

Kim clearly feels at home on the mountain and inside the halfpipe. She recently won a halfpipe competition during the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado. And she is a big favorite in an upcoming world championship competition in Utah.

But the 18-year-old snowboarder has decided¹ to trade some trips down the halfpipe for an Ivy² League education. Beginning next fall, Kim will be joining Princeton University’s Class of 2023.

Instead of centering on the physics of her winning snowboard moves, she could now be learning the subject in school. And in addition to making her own history, she will now be studying it.

In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Kim said her aim is to make her higher education experience as normal as possible.

“I’d love to be Chloe, the girl who sits next to me in English class,” Kim said. “My life has always been so different. I’d love to live a normal life for once.”

But she admits that could be a tricky³ goal. Her snowboarding career has made her highly recognizable.

Kim received widespread attention during the Pyeongchang Games. The publicity⁴ was fueled by her friendly, energetic nature as well as her interesting family story. Her parents are from South Korea.

One of her most memorable⁵ Olympic runs began with Kim giving a quick shout-out to her South Korean grandmother. “This one’s for you grams,” she said.

It was her grandmother’s first time watching Kim perform in person.

On that day, Kim dropped into the halfpipe and landed back-to-back 1080-degree turns on her second and third jumps. That combination had never been successfully completed by any other woman in competition.

Along her path to Olympic gold, Kim also became a social media star. She often tweeted about the things she loves to do and eat. In one message, she told her followers⁶ two of her favorite foods, churros and ice cream. Since then, many fans – and some companies - have sent churros and ice cream right to her door.

Since attending the Pyeongchang Games, Kim has had the chance to do some other cool things off the mountain. She helped design a snowboarding Barbie doll in her likeness⁷. She rapped⁹ with hip-hop artist G-Eazy and joined other sports stars to be honored with ESPY¹⁰ Awards.

While all of this was fun, Kim says she now looks forward to a new challenge -- earning a degree from one of America’s top universities. She says she considers her acceptance to Princeton just as much of an honor as earning an Olympic gold medal.

“It’s really crazy because Princeton was my dream school before snowboarding took off,” Kim told the AP. “I just liked the name when I was really young and didn’t know about college or anything. My parents were like, ‘OK, whatever.’ When it really happened, it’s like, ‘Oh... OK.’ It’s just really exciting.”

She is still deciding what her exact field of study will be at Princeton. But she said it will involve something science-related, possibly chemistry or biology.

And she does not plan to put her snowboard away anytime soon. She is attempting to work out a plan that will permit her to keep training while going to classes.

Kim says her sports and educational goals go hand-in-hand.

“It’s all about progressing the sport and also pushing myself,” she said. “To see what I can do, and how far I can go.”

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

churros – n. a thin deep fried dough¹¹, usually topped with sugar and cinnamon

doll – n. a plastic baby toy played with by children

trip - n. an experience or activity that is like a journey?

interview - n. an experience or activity that is like a journey?

rap⁸ - v. to perform rap music or a rap song? (rap: a type of music that has words that are spoken with the rhythm instead of being sung?)

challenge – n. something difficult that tests someone's ability or determination

hand in hand – phrase. things that work well together

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 ivy   

n.常青藤，常春藤

参考例句：

• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。
• The wall is covered all over with ivy.墙上爬满了常春藤。

3 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

4 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

5 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

6 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

7 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。

8 rap   

n.轻敲，拍击，责骂，厉声说出，说唱音乐，谈话，最少量；vi.轻敲，敲门，表演说唱音乐，畅谈；vt.抓，抢，拍击

参考例句：

• I heard a rap on the door.我听到有轻轻的敲门声。
• Today we are going to rap about relationships.今天我们要聊聊关系的问题。

9 rapped   

v.突然说出( rap的过去式和过去分词 )；（公开地）严厉批评；突然大声说出；连续敲叩

参考例句：

• He rapped sharply on the door. 他猛烈地敲门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The king rapped on the table with his heavy metal ring, and the company fell silent. 国王用他重重的金属戒指敲打桌子，使客人安静下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 espy   

v.（从远处等）突然看到

参考例句：

• Where love fails,we espy all faults.一旦失恋，缺点易见。
• Here,from a window,did Guinevere espy a knight standing in a woodman's cart.吉尼维尔是从这里透过窗户看到了站在樵夫车上的骑士。

11 dough   

n.生面团；钱，现款

参考例句：

• She formed the dough into squares.她把生面团捏成四方块。
• The baker is kneading dough.那位面包师在揉面。