Club Corner

By Alice Kim

Although this winter has already been too frigid for some, it has not snowed enough for the Yale cross-country skiing club. Last week's slushy snowfall only hindered the team's plans to travel to a competition. In search of the perfect snow, the club travels to Vermont every weekend to practice out of a team member's ski house. This weekend, the skiers will head to Prospect Mountain in southern Vermont for their first contest of the season.

Courtesy John Gould

Individual races are generally held on the first day of competition, as they will this weekend. The skiers enter either classic races or freestyle competition. Classic races are seven or 20 kilometers long and are skied in the traditional technique, while freestyle, or skate races are seven or 15 kilometer contests skied in a style similar to ice skating, as the ski poles are used to pull the skier along. Co-ed four x seven kilometer relays consisting of two men and two women are held on the second day of competition. Yale's opponents include Army, Cornell, Clarkson, Alfred, M.I.T., and Syracuse. According to Tyler Johnson, BR '00, Cornell and Army tend to provide the best competition in the league.

Cross-country skiing is a demanding sport with a rigorous training schedule. During the week, skiers condition by running, swimming, playing Ultimate frisbee, and lifting weights. Although the sport is intense and competitive, the club is not extremely selective. While competing members David Brown, SM '01, Ethan McCusker, TD '00, and Alexandra Block, BR '99, skied on their high school teams, some members had never skied until joining the club; nearly 30 people attended the first training trip to Vermont. "Over half of the team are more out there to have fun," co-captain John Gould, BK '99, said. Having fun may be a main objective for the club, but some still focus on wins and losses. Although the '80s saw more successful skiing, with club members racing in national competitions, Gould notes that the organization is undergoing a rebuilding process. "It has been a help that some skiers are also varsity athletes to bring more athleticism, like Ty Johnson [also on the varsity lightweight crew]," Gould said.

Participation in the cross-country ski club is time-consuming, with trips to Vermont departing each Friday afternoon, not returning to New Haven until late Sunday evening. While the skiers may miss the usual socializing and party-hopping every weekend, long car trips are an opportunity for bonding. "We're more close-knit than I expected other clubs to be," Johnson observed. "We spend a lot of time together and we get along spectacularly." Members pay about $30 in race entry fees, equipment rentals, and gas money each weekend, otherwise, there are no team dues. Members regard this as a small price to pay for the opportunity to get away from Yale for some breathtaking exercise and the exhilaration of racing through wooded areas, across bridges, and on challenging trails.

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