Jen Hudak
Here is what I know about Jen Hudak: She is strong; she is intelligent; she is talented; and she is beautiful in so many ways!  I wish that I could have spent more time with this skiing star, but she keeps a wicked busy schedule in her dedication to being a professional skier!  Some time has passed since she sent this profile to me, and in that time she has accomplished a lot such as getting a gold metal at the European Winter X Games!  I hope that you can all take a few minutes to check out her website and blog at www.jenhudak.com/ because she shows so much support and respect for the other women she competes with.  I hope we can all be as supportive of one another as Jen is, because its so important for all of us outdoor-loving females to be there for one another!  Go Jen!  —Hannah Whitney

What is your name, what do you go by, and/or what do you wish to be called?

My name is Jennifer Robyn Hudak. People that have known me since I was a tyke call me Jenny, people that know me through my younger days skiing call me Hudak, but introduce me as Jen. Most people call me Jen.

What is your birthday, where were you born and where have you lived since then?

I am a Virgo, born on the 7th of September 1986 on my grandmothers’ 66th birthday.  I grew up living in Hamden, Connecticut, but spent all my early days on snow in Southern Vermont—mostly at a resort called Okemo.  My sophomore, junior and senior years of high school I moved up to Vermont and lived in our cabin with my mom so that I could attend Okemo Mountain School.  This allowed me to really start pursuing my goals as a skier—I could ski every day and still stay up with my classwork in CT.  When I graduated from high school, I moved out to Park City, UT, then spent 6 months in Aspen, CO.  I then moved back to UT to go to school while I still continued to ski.  My schedule these days still lands me in Aspen quite a lot, because it’s where I do a lot of my pipe training, but my main home base is Salt Lake City.

Do you have a favorite outdoor activity?  What about one you’d like to learn?

Well, besides skiing, I’d have to say mountain biking is my favorite outdoor activity.  Although, I find myself on my road bike more since moving to Salt Lake, but I still get my days in!  I picked up golf last summer and want to get better at that—it’s a completely different challenge than that of mountain biking and skiing—though finesse plays a role in those sports, you can often grunt your way through, but  you can’t grunt your way through golf.

What are your passions apart from outdoor activities?

More outdoor activities! I love being in nature and exploring all of its offerings.  Feeling vulnerable in all of mother nature’s diverse venues.  Climbing, Surfing, Hiking, Skiing—they all offer new and exciting perspectives.  But I also love learning.  I am gradually picking my way through school—studying psychology and business—mostly because I am passionate about people.  The way we think, the way we interact, the way we go through life, it fascinates me.

Do you have any “jumping” experiences from your younger years?

The first time I ever hit a real jump was when I was about 11 years old.  I had joined the freestyle team at Okemo for the first time, and before we had a mogul course to train on, the team built a little jump.  I looked for advise from the best guy on our team who said “go as fast as you can, do a few pole pushes and stay forward as you go off the jump.”  He was assuming that I wouldn’t listen and would end up standing up straight instead of being back… but I listened 110%—I ended up doing a ¾ front flip landing square on my back.  Though I was scared temporarily, about 2 years later, I was throwing real front flips. 

What about recent jumps, or ones you are facing now?

Well, I just landed my first 1080 in the pipe.  Mustering the courage to do it just about depleted my energy store for an entire year! But, it ended up coming around effortlessly.  I have worked with my same coach, Elana Chase, since I was 15.  She has an incredible ability to see what people are capable of, and earlier this year she told me I was ready for 10s.  Normally, when working on a new rotation, you think of the closest rotation to it and just do a little more.  So for a 10, it would be “imagine doing a 9, but spin a little more.”  But in my case Elana had me visualize my 7, but with more energy into everything from my set to my grab. This was because I spin my 9 on a different axis so that I can land forward, but my 7’s I can cork more because I land backward…I trusted her and did what she said. Sure enough she was right.  Finding that trust is imperative to continued success—knowing your body and the movements required to accomplish your task are also key.  I am hoping I can apply this experience to many more new tricks that I plan on doing.

Who or what brought you to SheJumps? What does SheJumps, and the ideals we embody as a group, represent to you?  Are you looking for like minded females, for a mentor, a guide?

Well, I am lucky enough to know the SheJumps crew from Lynsey Dyer, Claire Smallwood, Vanessa Pierce and Hannah Whitney.  All of these women are strong, amazing athletes and inspirational people.  SheJumps serves to inspire the population of women out there who love being active and making a deep connection between the body, mind, and soul.  I was drawn to SheJumps to be a part of that movement.

If you have any other stories to tell, please share them!

Michael Jordan got cut from his high school team—he was put on JV.  Never count yourself out! When one door closes another door opens.  And remember: “only those who risk going too far, can possibly find out how far one can go.”- T.S. Eliot