Race season begins

Last weekend, the 10 men and 10 women who comprise Yale's alpine ski team strapped on their boots and journeyed to compete with other southern New England schools in the McBrine division of the U.S. Collegiate Snowsports Association. Members of the team competed at Mad River Glen Ski Resort in the slalom and the giant slalom events.

Despite the loss of many strong racers from last season's regional qualifying squad and the addition of first-time skiers, the Elis performed well in their first meet. Though the team finished in the middle of the pack in an eight-team field that included Marist, Rhode Island, Wesleyan, and Brandeis, several strong individual performances highlighted the weekend for the Bulldogs. In the men's division, Eric Shelov, JE '01, finished eighth in the slalom and ninth in the giant slalom. On the women's side, Helkin Von Schwabb, BR '03, finished third in both events, Amy Mecher, SM '01, recorded two top-15 finishes. "For our first meet of the season, I thought we did exceptionally well," Von Schwabb said. "There were a lot of first-time racers who really stepped up. Both the talent and the interest are there, which bodes well for the rest of the season."

Men's captain Will Ralph, BR '02, cited the return of important team members as reason for optimism heading into next weekend's race against Middlebury. "Pete Mazza, [JE '01], can be counted on to finish highly each week, and we missed him at the first meet," Ralph said. —Kenneth Hammond

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