Listening to Yeat’s “Talk” before racing down the slope, and Carti’s “Whole Lotta Red” album during her runs, Sarika Angadi is skiing her way to the bottom of the mountain in her sport.
Despite being from the snowless city of San Ramon, the Cal High sophomore is making a name for herself in a very snowy place, Tahoe.
Angadi joined the Sierra Tahoe Ski Team when she was nine. Four years later, she joined her current team, the Heavenly Tahoe Ski Team.
“It was a huge thing, because I was the only brown girl, and I was one of the only girls who was on the team in general,” Angadi said. “It meant a lot to me because I was able to represent and put my name out there.”
Angadi said it was quite obvious how different she was at competitions since most of the skiers were not Asian.
“Nothing ever happened to me because I was different, but I did feel different than other people,” Angadi said. “As I grew older and felt more confident in my skin and in my skiing skills, I felt the difference less and less.”
Angadi has attended ski competitions in Tahoe every weekend during her season for the past five years. Her season starts mid-November and runs until the end of April.
There are three types of skiing in Angadi’s competitions: racing, freestyle, and big mountain, the latter in which Angadi competes. For big mountain, skiers have to scope out the area of the ski resort to figure out what route they want to take.
Angadi said skiers are given two minutes to scout the route. Once the order of competitors is released, skiers wait their turn before racing down their route, which is scored by judges at the bottom of the mountain.
Judges score skiers based on style, air (if the skiers do jumps), technique, fluidity (whether the skier stops or continues their pace), and the route they pick.
“If you choose a hard line but you don’t ski well, that would get you less points than if you chose an easier line and skied well,” Angadi said “You have to choose whichever one you feel the most comfortable with.”
Angadi’s journey started at age three when she was taught by her dad. About four years later, she discovered she had a true passion for the sport.
“It’s going to stay with her for the rest of her life,” said Angadi’s father, Raghu. “It’s going to be a major part of her recreation and meeting friends in her adult life as well.”
Raghu Angadi said his daughter is not only a good skier but also passionate about the sport. But her mom still worries.
“Skiing can involve some dangers sometimes, it’s just the inherent qualities of the sport itself,” said Angadi’s mother, Sheetal Naidu. “But I know Sarika to be a careful girl. She won’t do rash things.”
For preseason prep, Angadi is in contact with her coach, Jon Peterson, who has been teaching her for four years. He provides Angadi with daily workouts to maintain her fitness.
“At Tahoe, he gives us feedback and teaches us different tricks and techniques that we can use,” Angadi said.
Peterson also exposes her to difficult terrain which helps her become more comfortable and confident by practicing more rigorous skiing.
“Once you reach a specific skill level, you can choose whichever competition team you want to go to depending on the coach and type of skiing that they do,” Angadi said.
Last year, Angadi participated in a competition series called the Tahoe Junior Freeride Series. In the regional segment, she placed 12th out of 50 to 70 girls.
“Most of those girls live in Tahoe and they grew up there, so they have a lot more opportunities to train,” Angadi said.
If skiers score higher than 50% of the competition in the regionals, they earn a spot in nationals.
“And I did that,” Angadi said. “I scored higher, but then I injured my heel bone, so then I couldn’t ski during that time, and that was really sad.”
Angadi hopes to qualify for nationals again this year and stand on the podium. Regionals will start in January and nationals will take place during April.
“Sometimes she underestimates herself,” Angadi’s teammate Charlotte Erickson said. “She kind of psyches herself out, but she’s such a great skier. She can do pretty much anything.”
In addition to who she is as a skier, Angadi is described by her friends as a positive person.
“I would describe Sarika as a little vessel of energy who loves expressing herself but will also vibe with you when you’re feeling a bit down,” sophomore Samanta Alongi said. “She’s very understanding as a person and I’ve known her for so many years.”
Some of Angadi’s positive outlook comes from her coach, who always helps her and her teammates stay optimistic to relieve pressure during competitions.
“If you’re trying to compete with other people then you don’t really enjoy the run, and then if you don’t enjoy the run, you don’t really do well,” Angadi said.
Naidu advises her daughter to stay in the present.
“I tell her not to think about what people might think, or what someone else might say, or what expectations people might have, Naidu said. “ I just tell her to be in the moment and focus on what she is doing.”
Angadi said skiing is a huge part of her life and something she devotes a lot of time.
But all of that hard work is paying off.
“You’re only on the team if you really want to, because there’s so much commitment,” Angadi said.
