It's not her fault you can't get - Focus on Women Magazine

She’s anOlympianGrowing up inUtah didn’t hurt,but having parentswho <strong>not</strong>iced<strong>her</strong> talent earlyon as a skier was even better.Olympic medalist, TammyErickson was a prodigy atfive on skis. “I pretty muchhad ski boots in my crib,”she says. “I started skiingwhen I was in Kindergarten.”According to Erickson,compared to today’sstandards, skiing in Kindergartenand <strong>not</strong> earlierwould stamp <strong>her</strong> as a “latebloomer.”Having the talent to makethe U. S Ski Team at 12, andcompeting internationallyand professionally from 1978to 2002, skiing took Ericksonthrough numerous tours ofEurope, spanning from Polandto Italy, sometimes withparents and sometimes withsurrogates.For Erickson, skiing cameeasy. With parents who fullysupported <strong>her</strong>, plus havinga strong taste for the sport,she found it an easy passionto pursue. “It kept me outof the house,” chuckles theBerkley graduate of biologyand mot<strong>her</strong> of two, oneof whom recently earned aMedical Degree from Stanfordand the ot<strong>her</strong> who worksas a photojournalist.Earning the right to ski ona professional level brought amyriad of complexities to <strong>her</strong>life. “In Utah, <strong>you</strong> have toearn a certain GPA in orderto ski... when I was on tour,from high school to college, Ihad tutors who travelled withme,” she says.Skiing, says Erickson, isindeed a high-risk sport.Noting how she blew bothknees twice, dislocated <strong>her</strong>shoulder, broke ribs, incurreda concussion, andripped the ligaments in <strong>her</strong>right hand, she realized following<strong>her</strong> competition inthe 2002 Olympics, it wastime for the sunset—but <strong>not</strong>completely.“When I stopped professionally,I wanted to knowhow to use the knowledge Ihad to meet ot<strong>her</strong> women’sfitness goals. Some may wantto run a marathon, some maywant to meet weight goals,”says the current owner ofCurves, a fitness and weightlossgym solely for women.Now in business for fiveyears, through Curves,Erickson provides a way todeliver cutting edge fitnessand nutrition goals to women.“The industry I was in wasvery male dominated,” shesays. “I am happy to use mybackground knowledge andexperiences to help ot<strong>her</strong>women.”For Women, To Women, About Women