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MARQUETTE -- You wouldn't know it by watching Elan Barber ski down the hill, but this freestyle skier is just 11 years old.

"The first time I remember getting air is when I was like five," said Barber.  "I overshot really bad and I hurt my feet; yea, it was really fun."

Six years later he's training for competition after competition including the upcoming Fox UP Bro Down Showdown where he's hoping to hold on to last year's first place title in both the big air and slope-style events.

"I still wanna get first and I don't wanna fall," Barber admitted.  "So, I'm trying to get a good routine down so that I don't try something big that I don't know how to do."

And so Barber practices everyday after school and on the weekends.

"We don't really have any coaches here; we learn from each other," Barber said.

He's daring yet careful--one wrong move and he could be out for the season.

"Last year I want to the ER three times," Barber stated.

But even with the risks, it's a feeling and a sport that runs through his veins.  His goal?  To get invited to the X-Games and one day to the Olympics.

"When you're spinning in the air, I close my eyes because I don't wanna look out, and if you do open your eyes, you get sorta dizzy," Barber explained.  "It gets the adrenaline pumping in your body."

He's dedicated and determined...and above all, he doesn't get discouraged.

"I get kind of jealous when my friends land 1080s and 900s, while I'm just starting to do my 7s and 9s, but then I keep trying.  They'll teach me," Barber said.