You may not run into him in the halls of Chardon High, but there’s no missing Brian Kiss on the slopes.  Growing up in Chardon with his ski oriented family, it was no surprise when Brian stepped on a pair of skis at the early age of two.  For the past ten years, he has balanced his education, family, and skiing while traveling all over the world.  It is obvious that Brian has an inspiring drive.

            Until his senior year Brian attended CHS full time.  Now, after graduating by gaining his credits at Lakeland, he is free to follow his dream in a more appropriate environment.  I took honors physical science with Brian freshman year and he was just as committed to his grades as he is to his skiing.  I caught up with his favorite teacher, Mr. Ciferno, who had nothing but good things to say about this “fine young man.”  Kiss had no problem finding a college and he thanks his mother for that.  “My mom was constantly nagging me about homework growing up.  Who knows how lazy I would have been if she weren’t there to steer me in the right direction.”

            While his mom made sure Brian was sticking to his studies, it was his father who encouraged him to follow his dream of skiing.  It was his dad who had introduced him to skiing at such a young age.  In his younger days, Mr. Kiss was an impressive slalom skier and found great joy in seeing his son share the same passion.  “I have to admit I was relieved when Brian took to skiing so quickly. It played a huge part in bringing us closer together and now it seems like the sky is the limit for him.” said Mr. Kiss.  The father son duo is known to go out and hit the slopes together.

            Brian currently commits to his main sponsor Scott Sports. With their support, and the ever strong support of his parents, sister, and friends, he has competed in competitions from Colorado to New Zealand.  “I’ve been really good friends with Brian since first grade and I grew up skiing with him yet he still amazes me. I’ve never seen someone with as much drive as B Kiss,” said long-time friend and CHS senior Chris Emmons.  Brian’s ultimate goal in life is to be able to live off of skiing, but he knows the importance of having an education to fall back on.  It’s refreshing to see a different kind of student athlete with well set priorities.

            Next year Brian will be based in Colorado where he will attend classes at ColoradoMountainCollege.  In the mean time, he is working on his first video part with a few media companies and following the AFP World Tour with the goal of receiving some “Olympic points.”  In the words of the man himself, “I’m really just trying to do something different and get noticed on a big level.  It’s all about being crazy and progressing every chance I get.”