Prodigy shreds Sunlight

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. — “Your girl’s a little ripper. That’s awesome.”

Those words, spoken by a passerby as Shawn and Erika Roland sat deckside at Sunlight Mountain’s ski lodge on Thursday, are heard often by the young couple.

Lexi, their 7-year-old snowboarding prodigy of a daughter, leaves many a spectator in awe.

“People are just blown away by her riding ability,” Erika said with a wide grin and nod with her 5-year-old son, Ethan, napping on her lap.

Hitting 40-foot rails, spinning 360s and competing at levels that are unreal for a boarder her age have thrust the young Minnesotan onto a national stage.

Lexi’s snowboarding escapades have gained fame on Youtube.com — where her father filmed and posted videos of his daughter in action — and on broadcast television with an appearance on NBC’s Today Show last week.

So what’s the youngster’s take on her burgeoning fame?

“It’s pretty cool,” said a smiling Roland, whose Youtube video of highlights of her as a 6-year-old has been viewed more than 19,000 times.

And, thus far, Lexi doesn’t much mind the media spotlight.

“It’s pretty fun,” she said. “I really like to talk. I’m not really nervous. When you’re filming, you can’t see the TV, so you don’t see a lot of people. A big crowd in front of you makes me a little nervous.”

Her mother, Erika, is particularly floored by her daughter’s quick ascent to stardom. After all, it has to be at least a little weird to watch your 7-year-old sign autographs.

“I remember last year sitting outside waiting for her at the ski chalet and she comes out and says, ‘I need to sign autographs,’” Erika said. “You should see her signature. It’s so cute. She learned cursive last year.”

The Rolands are in town for this weekend’s Sunlight King & Queen of the Mountain Series rail jam competition, and Lexi is putting in her time on the area’s slopes in the days preceding her Saturday showing. She’ll head to Aspen tomorrow and to Copper Mountain for a race on Sunday.

So far, the first-grader is loving Colorado.

“We don’t have mountains in Minnesota, just hills, so she’s really enjoying this,” Shawn Roland said.

While she’s enjoying Colorado, Lexi didn’t exactly like the 16-hour drive from Minnesota.

“I hate 16 hours!” she said before adding that she did enjoy some of the sights along the way. She particularly enjoyed catching a glimpse of tall buildings and the Rocky Mountain foothills.

The Rolands have proven resourceful in providing a training ground for Lexi, who has already netted a sponsorship from none other than Burton, a big-name snowboard brand. Shawn installed a number of features in the family’s backyard, some of which they hauled down by trailer from Minnesota for use in the weekend’s competition. He also dabbles in snow making.

“Three Christmases ago, we had no snow for Christmas,” Erika recalled. “So (Shawn) made a snow-making machine. That was the start of it.”

And, naturally, three winters ago is when snowboarding became a Roland family affair.

“We all got snowboarding equipment for Christmas that year,” Erika added.

It all blossomed from there, and the entire family got hooked. Lexi’s little brother is even in on the act, on Thursday proudly displaying a gold medal he earned in his first competition last weekend.

Lexi came into her own last winter as a 6-year-old, her second season at the sport. Competitions have yielded win after win for Lexi, some against boarders three times her age.

“I really like to win,” she said.

Lexi credits her success to a blend of natural talent and hard work.

“I mostly come out every single day, and it’s kind of talent that I’m so good.”

Like many young snowboarders, Lexi dreams of a future that includes Olympic and X-Games competition.

She doesn’t foresee any problems getting there. Neither do Lexi’s parents, who say she’s as determined as they come.

Said her mother: “She is Miss Determination.”

About Lexi Roland Birthday: June 13, 1999. Parents: Erika and Shawn Roland. Siblings: Brother Ethan, 5. Favorite movie: Bridge to Terabithia. Hobbies: “I like painting, swimming and snowboarding. I like catching frogs and turtles is one. We have lots of bike trails and raspberry bushes. At the lake and the pond, we go find turtles.” Favorite TV show: “Scooby Doo. I like the characters and I like dogs.” Pets: Two ferrets and a Chihuahua. The ferrets’ names are Rocky and Sarah, and the Chihuahua is named Poco, which, as Lexi added, means small in Spanish. What do you want to be when you grow up? “A snowboarder, a pro.” What’s your favorite place you’ve been to so far? “New York. I like all the lights and all the stars. They have huge signs. I went to stores. I went to Toys R Us. (In Minnesota), there’s not a lot of Transformers, but there, there’s a whole wall of Transformers.” Lexi’s Weekend • Today, 5:30 p.m. — Roland will be at Moe’s Southwest Grill (Glenwood Meadows Shopping Center) signing autographs as part of a two-hour King & Queen of the Mountain party. • Saturday, 11 a.m. — King & Queen of the Mountain rail jam finals at Sunlight Mountain Resort. — To see Lexi’s videos on Youtube, visit www.youtube.com and search for Alexis Roland.