|
Club Corner: Women's alpine skiingBy Sharon Lin Although the Yale Alpine Ski teams have been in existence for several decades, the women's squad ascended to regional competition for the first time in recent memory this season. According to women's captain Jennifer McTiernan, CC '99, "Both the men and women have had strong seasons, with consistent skiing and good talent."Yale competes in the McBrine Division against nine other clubs, including teams from Brandeis, Vassar, Springfield, Maine, and Rhode Island. The Yale women tied for first place with the University of Rhode Island, advancing to Regionals, while the men just missed qualifying for them, placing fifth in the league. Regionals took place on Sun., Feb. 22 and Mon., Feb. 23 at the Waterville Valley resort in New Hampshire. Sixteen teams, both club and varsity, from four divisions skied in the competition. "We didn't do well at Regionals," McTiernan said, but reiterated that it was the "first time in eons" that Yale has been to that level. Yale skiers compete in two types of events. "We ski slalom and giant slalom," she explained. Slalom involves sharp turns, while giant slalom has faster, wider ones. McTiernan added that "Yale does better in giant slalom." According to McTiernan and other team members, Holly Hobart, ES '00, Eleanor Bradley, BK '98, Amy Mechur, SM '01, and Mia Woodward, DC '99, all turned in strong performances throughout the season. Woodward gave credit to "a lot of really good freshmen who have...skied for a long time." She added that the main challenge for most skiers is "changing from being a [recreational] skier to a racer." Clearly, the women's team has skied smoothly through this transition. |
