World Cup skier will race for Mexico in mariachi ski suit
A retired American World Cup Skier has announced she is returning to the sport to ski for Mexico, and she is making her first run in style, wearing a mariachi-inspired speed suit, according to The New York Times.
Sarah Schleper retired from competitive skiing in 2011 at the age of 32, making her final competitive run in a dress while holding her son, but she has since gained Mexican citizenship through her husband, and is returning to the sport.
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She told the Timesthat she is realistic about her ability to win at the age of 35, soon to be 36, but she said her true goal is to show women can have long skiing careers.
“I’m doing this for the passion of the sport and to inspire others,” Schleper said. “I know I’m not going to win, but I want to prove that people my age and girls in general can push the limit. It’s about longevity. The guys do it.”
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Schleper also hopes to help build a pipeline of skiers from Mexico to the Vail, Colorado, area where she resides, in order to build up the Mexican national team.
If skiing in a mariachi suit sounds familiar to you, that is because Schleper is not the first to do it, as Mexico's sole 2014 Winter Olympics participant, Hubertus von Hohenlohe, wore a similar getup for his slalom run in Sochi.
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