My name is Eli Derrick. I heard about the Flyin Ryan Foundation and Ryan Hawks when I was 10.  We were in Vermont on a family ski vacation and hearing about Ryan Hawks and his core values was really inspiring to me. As my ski career has progressed I worked to develop my own core values and to constantly apply them to my life. I fell in love with Skicross racing around the same time that I heard about Ryan. I started racing as an alpine competitor but I just didn’t love it the same way I loved skiing all over the mountain. From my first Ski Cross race I fell in love with the sport. When I turned 16 I decided to move to Maine during the winter to pursue competition on the FIS / NorAm circuit. Although I am from Virginia, But I immediately found a home in Maine.