The ski team, which entered this season with high hopes on both the men's and women's sides, looks poised to attain their preseason goals and prove to the rest of New England that it can race with any team in the region.
At Bromley, Vt. for a two−day competition, the men's and the women's teams each finished in second place in Saturday's slalom event and Sunday's giant slalom event.
"Our goal is to make nationals, and no doubt it'll be a tough road to achieve it," senior captain Brian Bresee said. "We have the talent and the depth to do it, though."
Senior captain Lindsay Rutishauser holds the same optimism for the women's team.
"This is the best [women's] team in a long time," she said. "While second [place] may not seem that good, the team that always comes in first, Castleton State, is a varsity team that trains five days a week."
On Saturday, Tufts' women [5:17.98] finished behind Castleton [4:51.20] and ahead of Boston University (BU) [5:44.06]. The female Jumbos [4:22.59] again finished behind Castleton and ahead of BU on Sunday. During Sunday's events, however, no Castleton racer could top the No. 1 Jumbo, freshman Chelsea Stevens, who finished with a combined individual time of 1:20.52 and became the first female Jumbo since 2008 to place first.
Stevens is the No.1 racer for the women's team this season and despite her inexperience at the college level, Rutishauser is confident she can handle the position.
"I know it puts pressure on Chelsea to perform every single event, but she is an immensely talented, strong young woman and she just keeps coming out and giving us results," Rutishauser said.
On the men's side, Bresee, who placed ninth individually Saturday with a 1:29.11 time and fifth Sunday with a 1:14.98 time, led the Jumbos [4:43.14 Saturday; 3:54.01 Sunday] to second place behind Castleton State [4:26.37; 3:45.12].
"The weather was great," Bresee said. "Sunny, chilly and beautiful blue skies. [Bromley] got dumped with snow so the conditions were a little soft. When the snow's so soft, the course gets grooves and makes it harder to stay up and easier to fall."
The heavy snow in the Northeast this January has forced the Jumbos to ski more cautiously.
"The conditions have been different this year from the previous few because of all of the snow," Bresee said. "Powder's sweet for recreation and all, but we like it a little icy."
This past weekend's events marked a turning point for the Jumbos as the men's team put behind its struggles in the year's first event at Sunday River. Not only does this second−place finish give Tufts the confidence to move forward, it also shows its perennial rivals, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and BU, that this year's team has the talent to medal in every competition.
Neither the weather nor the long ride to practice has deterred this group of 52 students from being the largest Tufts ski team in recent memory, according to the captains. The Jumbos need to finish in the top five at regionals to qualify for nationals and they're embracing a positive attitude to help attain that goal.
"Not everyone knows about us, but everyone on this team looks forward to this time of year," sophomore Sammy Ross said. "It is just awesome. I love skiing, its fun, and I get to do it every week. The best part is being excited for practice because it's just another opportunity to ski. Nothing is like spending an afternoon ripping on the slopes."
