- I would probably like to be a pro rodeo barrel racer.
Skiing, I don't think I'd be kind of a pro skier
cause I'm just not that good.
I guess you do lots of turns cause barrel racing
you do the clover leaf pattern,
and you do lots of turns in skiing so I guess,
cause I just say turn and burn
just as skiing and barrel racing.
- When I got up there the first day,
I know it was like there was a ton of kids.
I remember going down the magic carpet,
and being nervous about that.
I didn't wanna be that one person that like
didn't know how to do it,
compared to other people who been doing it their whole life,
whose parents go up and ski every day, on the weekends.
- [Class] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the...
- I would say most of the kids in this school,
which is a very rural school, don't know how to ski.
(kids chatter)
For us to drive from Keating to Anthony is a good hour.
Spending a whole day up there when they have
other responsibilities is really tough.
So the four day school week
at Baker happened, due to financial things
that were goin' across the state.
Had to make some decisions on how to save
but still provide a quality education.
Even though my profession is in education,
I truly believe that kids learn inside
and outside of the classroom.
(bird screeches)
(wheels turn on wet pavement)
(animals call)
Ranch kids, they're out working in the morning,
they're out working in the evening,
they go to school, there's not a lot of time to
learn how to ski.
The majority of the people here are involved
in some sort of agricultural business,
whether or not it's raising cattle or selling hay.
Agriculture is the main way that people make a living.
- Yeah, if you're outside already, you don't really wanna
go find somethin' else cold to do.
You know, you'd rather find someplace warm.
But, of course skiin's a little different,
you're stayin' warm, you're movin' around
pretty good I guess.
But I wouldn't be interested in it though.
I don't wanna come out of there on the backboard too bad.
(laughs)
- No (laughs), Scott could not ski (laughs).
He's more into motorized things.
Not self-motorized.
- I can't imagine not living on a ranch because
I've been living on it forever.
It would be hard for me because then
I wouldn't be able to ride horses so I'd be like,
oh what do I know now, cause I wouldn't have any chores
to do except for like clean my room and stuff.
- Ella is my spitfire.
She's my red head (laughs).
- Gave Ella a little shot of Mountain Dew there
and get her riled up so she'd talk good for you guys.
- [Interviewer] What happens when Ella
gets Mountain Dew in her?
- A whole Mountain Dew?
- [Interviewer] Yeah. - Yeah, watch out.
She'll talk your ear off.
(Ella chatters overlapping)
- I've been living rodeo.
I've been riding horses since I was like two years old.
(upbeat music)
(horse hooves trot)
- Katie is my mini me.
She's more reserved.
She is fighting her way in life as a high schooler.
- [Katie] Are you ready?
I'm not really sure yet what I'm gonna do but
I'm definitely gonna have my herd of animals
that I have right now and keep growing that.
So I'll live out of town where I can have them,
but I'm also gonna have another job,
kind of like how my mom does it right now.
- The Keating school is one of the last schools
in the state of Oregon to be a two-room schoolhouse.
I am the Keating head teacher and principal.
...keep going on which is always great...
So when it comes to skiing, skiing is probably one of those
foreign things to kids in the families out here.
The only reason you would know how to ski is if
somebody in your family has taught you to ski.
Ski for the Health of It is giving ranch kids,
or rural kids, or just kids in eastern Oregon,
because that program touches a lot of communities,
the opportunities that maybe parents
or past generations haven't had.
It works really well because it gives kids an opportunity
to get out of the house on Friday, be active,
and go learn in the outdoors at Anthony Lakes.
- When I didn't ski, I was like,
oh I hope we have no snow this winter.
And now, it'll be like mid-summer, and I'm gonna be like,
I just can't wait for ski season.
(upbeat music)
- When my girls go skiing,
I have noticed that they're more confident.
So when you are putting your child on a bus
at fourth grade for the first time,
where they then have to go up to the ski hill
and manage equipment and get to their lessons on time,
and make sure they're getting lunch.
And then get back on a bus so they can actually get home.
(upbeat music)
So it builds that independence, builds that confidence,
and then honestly my girls are just,
they're fantastic skiers.
(upbeat music)
(somber music)
- If we did get her to go on the lift,
she'd be holding on to like everything.
I think she finds it pretty unsafe.
(lift clicks)
- The chairlift at Anthony Lakes
is like my nemesis, it's my adversary.
I believe that the chairlift is the most
frightening contraption ever.
First of all, I'm not a fan of heights.
Second of all, I've heard of people
falling off of the chairlift.
And just the process of getting on the chairlift,
and getting off the chairlift,
and how many, and my percentage of wipe out chances is high.
(chairs hit) - Okay mom, it's ready.
- Okay, what are we doing?
- We're on our skis waiting.
- (laughs) We're on our skis, okay.
- And here comes, it's our turn, so we go up,
- Okay. - And then wait
til the next person's lift ride is through,
and then you go up to the line,
and when it comes, it will scoop you up,
and you hold on (giggles)
- K, and hopefully this all works well.
- Yeah, and then you go, and then you turn...
Even though you're nervous, just calm down,
and just do what you do.
That's what I say, you do what you do.
I think she can do it.
She's a brave girl.
(somber music)
- I'm so excited that you talk about your horse
while you braid my hair.
(laughs)
(wind blows)
(somber music)
(girls chatter)
- [Mom] Ah! (laughs)
- Yeah, it'd be pretty fun to watch her ski down Broadway.
Yeah, just to see her skiing.
I feel like I'd probably leave her.
(snow crunches)
(girls squealing delightfully)
- [Mom] Where are you going?
- It'd be kind of funny cause everyone's like
shredding and stuff, and there's mom
just going down the hill one mile per hour.
I would be proud of her because she's scared of heights
and she's getting out of her comfort zone.
- [Mom] When I was going up the chairlift,
I was honestly thinking, what am I doing?
I must love my kids a lot cause
I'm doing this for my children.
And honestly at the end, it was a good thing for me.
It was one of my bucket list items.
I've always wanted to ride the chairlift.
Skiing with my kids at Anthony Lakes has
proven to them and proven to myself that
you're never too old to learn something new.
I'm going to ski again.
I can't say I'm going to ski well,
but I am gonna ski again.
I'm not gonna quit.
(intense piano)
- On YouTube, I see people falling off a lot.
- I am a skier.
- Oh, it's just really fun when you get to like
go over the snow and I just like it.
- It was a little scary the first time I went skiing.
- It's easy to steer and it's fun when you go fast.
It's fun to do tricks like whenever you stop,
it looks cool whenever you turn.
- I can go as fast as I want.
- [Interviewer] How fast do you go?
- Pretty fast.
- I want to be a pro snowboarder when I grow up.
- I think I'm gonna be a skier and a rancher when I grow up.
(intense piano)