This week we Take Five with Heidi Meramo, a senior at West Milford High School who is a member of the ski team, has a soft spot for The Sound of Music and takes her scouting seriously. Be sure to go to our Web site, WestMilfordMessenger.com for our bonus five and come back next week for our next Take Five. 1) How did you get involved with ski racing? I first became involved in ski racing when I was 6 years old, when my dad took me to Mt. Peter to go skiing. I started out on a team with only 10 other skiers. Today my team has over 100 racers. 2) What would most people be surprised to know about ski racing? Ski Racing is a very demanding sport because your coaches can tell you to go to practice but it takes dedication to wake up on Saturdays and Sundays to go freeze on top of a mountain. 3) What do you do with your time when you are not skiing? In my free time I like to volunteer in the community by working at the animal shelter and doing big events like Relay for Life. 4) What is your favorite movie/book/character and why? My favorite movie is “The Sound Of Music” because when I was little my mom and I would watch it every night until I fell asleep. 5) Share something no one knows about you. Many people don’t know that I am a Girl Scout and I recently received my gold award by building an outdoor classroom at Apshawa School. I also attended the National Convention in November and am a girl representative to the Board of Directors. Bonus Five 6) Who is your biggest inspiration? My biggest inspiration would have to be my Coach Phil, who has been my coach since I was 12. He has encouraged me to dream big and always puts a smile on my face when I'm ready to quit. 7) Who is your favorite teacher of all time and why? My favorite teacher would have to be Mrs. Metcalf. She cares about all her students and helps them to achieve their best work. 8) Name three things you would bring with you if you were on a deserted island. Three things I would bring on an island are a sailboat, water, and sushi, my favorite food. 9) Share a favorite moment with your ski team. One of my favorite moments with my team has to be when Olympic Skier Doug Lewis came to help us improve our skiing. 10) What does being a Highlander mean to you? To be a Highlander is to wear our school colors proudly and represent it well in the activity that you participate in. What a well-rounded person you are, Heidi! West Milford is lucky to have young people like you who are willing to donate their time and talents to the community. Do you know someone like Heidi who should be featured here at Take Five? Let us know at njoffice@strausnews.com. Tell us who and why. Include the young person’s name and email address in the correspondence.