Adopted US moguls skier eyes return to China as Olympian

The baby, then known as “Shiqi,” was adopted from an orphanage in the Anhui Province, a day’s drive from Beijing, and taken to the mountains of Colorado, which is where her passion for skiing sprouted.

She is, in many ways, a typical American teen, complete with a Nike Air Jordan shoe collection and a French bulldog named Mochi. She also embraces her roots, celebrating Chinese traditions and wearing the jade necklace for health and good luck.

Her name, Kai, translates into “victorious,” and no matter what happens over the next few weeks, she feels as though she’s won.

“When they’re handed to you, it’s a blank slate,” said Amy, whose family, which includes 13-year-old son Bode (also adopted from China) lives in Vail. “You have no idea what’s going on, what their proclivities will be. We just hoped that she was going to be a ski enthusiast because we are.”

Reports from the nannies at the orphanage described Kai as tough and obstinate, and as the baby who needed to be hugged first each morning.

Her mom laughs at that now. It makes sense.

To commit to moguls skiing is to commit to a lifetime of bone-jarring bumps, as the skiers attempt to time out two perfect jumps in between a series of tightly spaced moguls that must be perfectly traversed at speeds of up to 20 mph.