TRAVIS MAYER: As a kid, mogul skiing signified adventure, and every little boy loves adventures. I grew up skiing at a little mountain in upstate New York called Holiday Valley. Skiing groomed runs on a 600 vertical foot mountain was boring, so alpine racing was out. We started skiing moguls because they were fun and not as monotonous as the groomers. I had a really good group of ski buddies when I was a kid, and we would ski run after run on the bump hills after school under the lights. As I got older, I got better and started to become more serious about the competitions, but I still love mogul skiing just as much.

Q2: Have you learned anything from the Olympic champ, Jonny Moseley?

TRAVIS MAYER: I have learned a lot from Jonny Moseley. I have extracted some technical knowledge from analyzing his skiing and jumping--the good points, and the bad. But more importantly, I have learned how to deal with the pressure from Jonny. He is a bank of knowledge. He balances training, the media, his friends and family, and still manages to have some fun. He is always under a lot of pressure and is constantly scrutinized by the public eye, but he manages to improve, enjoy himself, and perform at a high level. Watching Jonny's juggling act has helped us all.

Q3: How did you get from the C team to the Olympic team so fast?

TRAVIS MAYER: I don't really know. Everything just started to come together. I have had the technical skills for a couple of years, but I lacked the necessary level of confidence to perform to the best of my ability. Last summer, I came to terms with losing. I spent a lot of time by myself thinking. I began to realize that mogul skiing is just something that I do for fun, and if I have a poor performance, there are no real ramifications. With that in mind, I haven't been petrified of making mistakes this year. I haven't been mentally preoccupied with possible failure, so I have been able to focus on the necessary skills to win. I wake up on the morning of a World Cup exhilarated because there is a possibility that I might be the best skier in the world that day. I realize that it is an honor just to push out of the gate. I go out focus on my skills, do my best, have fun, and don't worry about what bad things could happen.

Q4: What's your favorite moguls move and why?

TRAVIS MAYER: I don't really have a favorite moguls trick. I like doing one rotational maneuver and one straight jump in each run. I like the rotational trick because it is a natural high to be backwards to the fall line twenty feet high looking up at the starting gate. I like the straight off because it is an aggressive jump that requires a lot of power and muscle twitch, and it feels good when you complete a nice quadruple maneuver. I like to do both a spin jump and a straight off in all of my runs because it shows versatility and confidence.

Q5: What's the coolest place you've been to during your moguls career and why?

TRAVIS MAYER: I have been lucky enough to see a lot of cool places while touring for mogul skiing. I really like Obersdorf, Germany, because the mountains are huge and rugged, and there is a beautiful town nestled into a narrow gully in the Alps. It is great to travel, but touring has made me appreciate home even more. We live in a great country, and I am always excited to spend as much time as possible here at my home in Steamboat Springs, Colo. I think that the coolest place I have been while touring is my own town.

Q6: What do you eat when you are in a new country like Czech Republic?

TRAVIS MAYER: When I am in a new country, I try to assimilate myself as much as possible to the location--time, food, culture. I have found that it doesn't help to shut out new things. I try to embrace them, and it makes me much more relaxed. If the food is really bad, I always have a tub of peanut butter and Powerbars at hand.

Q7: Do you have a favorite saying or song that you repeat in your head for positive reinforcement?

TRAVIS MAYER: I don't have a favorite song or saying that I repeat while I train or compete. I try to keep things as basic as possible and have a lot of fun. When I am relaxed and enjoying myself, I ski my best.

Q8: Tell me your favorite fishing story.

TRAVIS MAYER: I just really enjoy being on the river with my flyrod, alone or with a close friend. I really get a chance to relax and forget about skiing for a little while. I have been a flyfisherman since I was a small boy, and it is something that I grew up doing with my father and two older brothers. The fishing is incredible here on the Yampa River, and I can be on the river with a one-minute drive from my house.

Q9: What do you like to do when you're not training or competing?

TRAVIS MAYER: I love to be outside, so when I am not training, I spend my time mountain biking, fly fishing, or bird hunting.

Q10: How cool was it when you won the Gold Cup, earning $10,000 and an Olympic berth?

TRAVIS MAYER: The Gold Cup is an awesome event; obviously I am slightly biased. Minus the Olympics, it is the event with the best prize package in our sport. It is a winner-take-all event where the winner gets an automatic Olympic berth, $10,000, and a really cool gold belt buckle. Everyone knows that they need to win, so there is some excellent skiing and some admirable efforts. I came into the event with a lot of confidence, rolling off of Steamboat WC. So I just tried to relax and have a good time. I ski really well when I can have that mindset, and it was phenomenal to ski well and win in front of that crowd. As I already pointed out, the prize package was also a pretty sweet bonus.

Check out Travis Mayer's bio.