YANQING, China — Ask Asa Miller to differentiate a fast ball from a curveball or sinker and you will get an exact answer.
Miller, now on his second Winter Games appearance, spent some time behind the plate – catcher – for his Lincoln High School, one of the oldest schools in Portland, Oregon.
But while playing the America’s national pastime during spring and summer, he would put on skis comes winter time to join dad Kelly who does community work as a member of the Ski Patroller in Mount Hood for 27 years.
His love for skiing prevails in the end.
“I focused entirely on skiing as it became more serious, it’s what I love and my passion,” said Asa, who played baseball for Lincoln from 2015 to 2016.
The lure of the snow on the hills of Portland was enticing that at 18 months young, Kelly Miller said his son would frolic outside of their home in the cold of winter.
Slowly and surely, Asa Miller became a competitive skier. His dad entered him in ski clubs clubs as the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club and is currently a member of the Snowbird Sports Education Foundation.
He was on the Mount Meadows race team and before he knew it, he had the Philippine flag on his chest as a 16-year-old at the 2017 World Junior Alpine Skiing Championships in Are, Sweden.
He finished 39th in slalom and that opened the world of competitive skiing to the now 21-year-old Filipino-American.
Kelly Miller said his Asa spent two years skiing in high school before deciding to go competitive on the international stage.
“Clubs are more competitive than high school,” Kelly said. “When he turned 16, we started talking of joining the Philippine team in 2016.”
