By Emily Bowman
MORGANTOWN — As spring takes over, most people in Morgantown rejoice as they put away their heavy jackets and break out their shorts and flip flops. But for the West Virginia Ski Team Club, the end of winter signifies the end of best time of the year.
The WVU Ski Team, which competes in the Alleghany collegiate conference, which also includes nine other schools including the Naval Academy, Penn State, and Carnegie Mellon, placed at both the regional and mid-Atlantic region finals this 2009 season.
The men’s team placed second at this year’s conference championship and eighth at the mid-Atlantic finals. Last year, the men’s team won the conference championship and went to the NCAA National Championship in Sunday River, Maine, where they placed 15th overall.
The team is comprised of both a men’s and women’s team, each consisting of five individuals, who, over the course of a weekend, compete in four timed runs down the mountain. Two runs are slalom, where racers speed alternately around tightly spaced poles. The other two runs are on the giant slalom course.
“Although it is based on the race events, the best part is being able to travel with the team and go free skiing,” Derek Stumpf, the team vice president, said.
The club travels for six consecutive from mid-January to March, then further weekends depending on standings. Every weekend takes the team to a different location, allowing team members to travel to ski resorts they might not be able to have otherwise visited on a college budget. The competitions last all day, but ski team members still have ample time to free ski and explore the mountain.
The Allegheny conference was founded in 1978 by Bill Hetrick, with West Virginia University joining in 1985. According to Stumpf, there exists fierce competition between the schools in the conference. However, most people on the teams are there to enjoy the mountain and have a good time, Stumpf said.
Ashley Herdman, a fourth-year member of the team, said the club is one of the best experiences of her college career.
“Everything is great about being on the team, like meeting new people, having fun, skiing, and even the memorable 6-hour-long road trips. Or maybe the best part is just finding a group that loves the same things you do,” Herdman said.
The team is a university sponsored club, meaning anyone can join.
The entire team is comprised of an “A” team and a “B” team, which, according to Stumpf, is like a varsity and junior varsity team. The “A” team competes for team placement, while the “B” team competes for personal best times. This means that skiers of all levels are able to participate in the competition.
“When I first joined, I didn’t know how to race and since then I have worked hard for the past three years to earn a top spot on our Girls team,” Herdman said.
The team practices at Wisp Resort in Deep Creek Lake, Md. Members go at least once a week to practice running race courses.
With so much time spent together at practice and competitions, the team becomes a close knit group, according to Stumpf and Herdmen.
“The other members on the team are really what make the team so fun. Also, you get to know a lot of different types of people from so many places,” Herdman said.
According to Herdman, WVU has formed ties with Davis and Elkins College. Because of the close proximity to each other, the two teams often travel and practice together.
“We just call each other team West Virginia,” Herdman said.
Anyone who is interested in joining the West Virginia Ski Team Club for the 2010 season should e-mail the team at HYPERLINK “mailto:wvuskiteam@yahoo.com” wvuskiteam@yahoo.com.
