scschroc@mavs.coloradomesa.edu, ksparkhu@mavs.coloradomesa.edu
Everyone has their own ski stories, and now three women from CMU’s alpine ski team can add a national championship experience to those stories.
Sarah Gregory, Mattie Wells and Kathleen Moore qualified for the United States Collegiate Ski Association National Championships after finishing fourth at the USCSA Western Regional Championships last week in Red Lodge, Mont.
The women finished sixth in both the slalom and giant slalom events behind the University of Colorado and Montana State but moved to the fourth spot because USCSA regulations declared CU and MSU ineligible to advance to Nationals due to their higher division standing.
“I am very excited that the team is growing and doing so well despite only having three girls and seven boys, compared to other teams that have twenty-plus team members,” said Gregory, a two-time All-State skier and state champion at Aspen High School. “I can’t wait to see what happens for us in the future.”
The men’s team sat in third place heading into Saturday’s events but struggled throughout the day, dropping to ninth place and out of National Championship qualification.
The CMU ski team is in its third year of existence and is still considered an emerging sport on campus. With high school state champions and state qualifiers, including the women qualifying for the USCSA National Championships, skiing at CMU is on the rise.
“The growth of the team is great. There were three kids skiing last year, and we had eight representing our school at regionals,” Charlie Grant, a state qualifier at Vail Mountain School, said. “I see the team continuing to grow, and people know the name of our school now, so we’re making a name for ourselves.”
Being a member of an emerging sport at CMU can be difficult, in over 25 athletic programs receiving priority with respect to funding. The ski team has been fortunate, however, receiving enough help to have the chance to travel and compete.
“We actually haven’t had any problems with funding,” Grant said. “[Associated Student Government] has helped us out tremendously with funds for regionals, and we really appreciate that.”
The skiers have high expectations for themselves and have worked hard to earn a spot in the regional and national championships.
“My future goal is to become the number one girl skier in the Rocky Mountain division, and I hope our team continues to do well at races and place even higher,” Gregory said. “I started skiing when I was really young, and each level I moved up the harder it got, but I got so much out of it all and I’ve always loved it.”
Despite dedicating much of her time to skiing, Gregory also enjoys traveling with her family, and skiing while traveling is a bonus.
“My family loves to travel. We have been to Africa, Cambodia and Europe,” Gregory said. “I have also skied in Austria, Chile and Canada. I loved skiing in Chile.”
Gregory, Wells and Moore will travel to Sun Valley, Idaho, for the 35th USCSA National Championships starting March 2.
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