They've got their ski boots on and the rope tow is running. During winter break, kids ventured to Cochran's Ski Area this week to take advantage of their extended vacation schedule.

"They can come on their own and ski or with a parent, or with other kids," Marilyn Cochran explained.

"It's awesome!" said Ryan Znamierowski, a ski student.

Not only are the kids taking advantage of skiing on their winter break, they're also gearing up to cheer for their Olympic hopeful, in Vancouver.

Jimmy Cochran is the latest in a long family line of skiers to compete at the Olympics. He learned on his family's mountain and was a prodigy at an early age. Whenever he's on the hill, he gives the kids someone to look up to.

"Well, he's my favorite skier," student Sam Leo said.

"He's humble, he doesn't like to show that he's top 30 in the world, so, he's a cool guy, really nice, patient with the younger kids," Znamierowski said.

Out on the slopes, Jimmy Cochran taught many of the children at Cochran's, and currently serves as a mentor for several up and coming skiers.

"Just watching him helps you improve because his form is so good," Znamierowski said. "You can pick out little parts of his skiing that you need to work on, so he shows you how to do it, he has his form down, it's amazing."

"It's pretty exciting for him," Marilyn Cochran said. "And it's exciting for the kids that they know him and ski with him they can watch Jim and see how he can do on Saturday."

Jimmy Cochran's upbringing includes several seasoned skiers like his Aunt Barbara Ann, a gold medalist in the 1972 Winter Olympic Games and his Aunt Marilyn, a former member of the U.S. ski team.

"My parents asked us to be honest, hardworking, humble, they didn't like us to think we were better than anybody else, and that's the same kind of thing that we've instilled in our kids," Marilyn Cochran said.

Collectively, the kids at Cochran's have a special message for Jimmy on Saturday.

"Good luck!" Leo said.

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