Hometown: Alexandria, MN
Current Residence: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Education: Bachelor’s Degree – Exercise Science – Fort Lewis College
Twitter: @missyerickson
Instagram: @missyerickson
Facebook: Missy Erickson
Age: 22
I’m the daughter of the owner of a tow truck company, and a secretary, and a sister to a brother three years younger than I. I grew up in a small town of Alexandria, MN, and started in pageants when I was about three years old. I was once crowned “Little Miss Minnesota” in 1996, at the age of 6. After that, I joined my dad at a drag strip, and looked at my dad and said, “I want to do that”. At the age of 8, I got my first junior dragster, and raced my way through multiple national championships races, won division titles, track championships, and had the tracks feared when my brother and I came into town.
Through middle school and high school, I was always an athlete. I dabbled in cross country running, basketball, Nordic skiing, softball, and track and field. In about 8th grade, I found Nordic skiing, and my world changed. I was a natural and I loved it. I became a four sport athlete that year, participating in basketball and Nordic skiing as my winter sport. I made a conscious decision to train year round for skiing, and thus, my coach introduced me to cycling.
I found cycling in 2005. I always thought I would go to the Olympics in skiing, but things quickly took a turn. I took the plunge in 2007, when I raced in my first junior national championship and took home a few pedals, and repeating that in 2008. I went to Fort Lewis College on a 4-year full-ride cycling scholarship. It was in my first semester at FLC that I found track cycling.
I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and a minor in coaching. I was part of more than 12 national championship teams in track,, cyclocross, and road, medaled over 35 times at collegiate national championships, and was part of the 2009 FLC Cyclocross Team that won the D1 National Title. All four years I was part of the FLC team, we were ranked #1 for D1 Collegiate Teams (08-12). In my junior year, I earned a spot on the Kowalski’s Markets Collegiate All-Star Team, racing in the Nature Valley Grand Prix. Only 3 female cyclists from each division in collegiate cycling are selected for this honor.
After graduating in 2012, I was able to put the cx, bmx, mountain, and road bikes aside, and pursue track full on. I moved to LA and joined Jamie Staff’s sprint program, trained for 9 months, found my way on the US National team, raced at the Pan American Track Championships, and set a new U.S. National Record.
I currently live in Colorado Springs, where I am an off-campus resident at the Olympic Training Center, and training full time in pursuit of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
The ultimate goal is the Rio Games and beyond. To be an Olympic Champion, World Champion, Pan American Champion, and National Champion. I want to set National records, World records, and Olympic records. I want to do it all.
