The Carnegie Mellon Ski Team recently wrapped up their first season, placing eighth overall out of ten teams through five slalom and giant slalom races. As part of the Allegheny Collegiate Ski Conference, they were only 3 points away from sixth place as well. The Ski Team finished with 46 points, just narrowly edged out by West ChesterUniversity with 43 points and BucknellUniversity with 45 points. Points are awarded for placing in each week's race, with higher-placing teams receiving fewer points.

Tepper senior Alex Sussman and CFA senior Hugh Dunn started the team this year, recruiting mostly skiers with no race experience. In the entire 16-member team, only four had ever skied competitively before. Most of the talent came from the Ski Club, which Sussman started during his freshman year and which now hosts weekly ski trips, open to all students, to Seven Springs or other nearby locations.

The Ski Team practiced every Wednesday at Seven Springs, along with the Mon Valley Ski Club. Not only did they get experience on the racecourse, but MonValley's older skiers also offered advice and expertise. After each practice, the Carnegie Mellon team picked its top five racers to be the A team for the weekend's race (the rest raced in the B division).

"It is an extensive time commitment, but it's worth it," said CIT first-year Tony Cartolano. "The skiing alone is worth it, but the whole weekend experience with all the other schools is incredible."

When the weekend rolled around, the team traveled (usually 3-6 hours) to ski locations such as Roundtop, Elk Mountain, and Tussey Mountain, Pennsylvania; Timberline, West Virginia; and Wisp, Maryland. Race days started around 8:15 a.m. for a course inspection, with the first race at 9:15. Because the events started so early, the team usually traveled the night before, spending Friday night near the mountain for the Saturday race. The second race usually happened at around 3:00 p.m.

Each week, racers usually skied one slalom course and one giant slalom course. The giant slalom is a faster race, with fewer gates and wider spacing between them. Courses varied greatly from week to week, due to changes in spacing or in snow conditions. The Tussey and Timberline slalom courses were among the most difficult, although the Timberline race ended up being one of the team's best. Cartolano led the team to a sixth-place finish by placing twelfth in the slalom. Other highlights included Cartolano placing 16^th in the slalom and Sussman placing 15^th in giant slalom to lead the team to a sixth-place finish at Roundtop.

"This has definitely been one of the highlights of my tenure at CMU," said Sussman.

Sussman and Cartolano report that being on the team has been a great experience. Thanks to financial support from Student Senate and Interim Dean of Student Affairs Jennifer Church, as well as organizational support from Student Activities, the team had a great year. They're looking to grow in the future, too; Sussman said that although a few members are graduating, most of the team has improved significantly.

They're looking for new members - if you're interested in joining the Ski Team (no racing experience required!), contact Alex Sussman or Tony Cartolano.

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