With the unseasonably warm winter continuing in the Boston area, the minds of most Tufts students are probably far from snow sports and more focused on the possibility of June weather in March. But for the dozens of students on the ski team, alpine ski racing is a weekly obsession, consuming every weekend from the end of winter break until late February.
The men's and women's teams, which are tier II club sports, compete in the United States Collegiate Skiing Association's Thompson division, which includes schools such as Boston University, Northeastern and Worchester Polytechnic. The top four teams of each gender from the seven team conference move on to Regionals, and both Tufts squads look poised to do just that, with the men's and women's teams sitting in fourth and first place, respectively.
For the women's team, the standout performers have been sophomores Chelsea Stevens and Sara Hanneman, who have both finished in the top 10 in four out of the eight races this season. Stevens in particular has had an outstanding year, and after coming in first place in six races, she leads the division in the individual standings by 22 points, a margin that is essentially insurmountable.
"Chelsea and Sara have just been so good all year, and in the last race they finished first and second," senior captain Annie Mendes said, referring to Sunday's race at Sunday River in Maine.
"I think Chelsea definitely has a shot to make Nationals this year as an individual. Being consistent in ski racing is very difficult, but the fact that she's stayed at the top against some really competitive guest teams has been amazing," she added.
Mendes also believes that the team's depth is crucial to its success, especially considering that seven different racers have contributed scoring finishes this season.
"We picked up a whole bunch of amazing freshmen last year, and this year the team has just continued to grow," Mendes said. "The ski team will stay strong for years to come. But at regionals, we can only send five people, so we have less depth, which means that making Nationals as a team is kind of a longshot for us."
The men's team, meanwhile, sits in fourth place in the division, trailing third−place BU by just a tiebreaker based on the teams' Individual Finish Place sum. In any event, a deep roster has also been the recipe for success for the men's side, which boasts eight different scorers this season as it has extended its lead over fifth−place Conn. College to 25 points.
"Our depth is the strength of the team, because even though we lost quite a few good skiers from last year, we still have a lot of people capable of finishing in the top 30," junior captain Nathan Goldsberry said. "Even if our better skiers fall because they are trying to get into the top 10, we have a lot of backups."
Given that the Jumbos have already assured themselves a spot at Regionals, they will use the last few weekends of the regular season as more of a tune−up, knowing that their season may be over as soon as Regionals concludes.
"The season is so short, that at this point it's all about getting the practice in to set up for Regionals," Goldsberry said. "It doesn't look like we'll have a shot at Nationals, but Regionals are always a great chance to see what other teams outside our division are doing. We always ski against the same teams during the season, so we know who's good and who's not, but at Regionals it's more unexpected because there are teams from all over New England."
If the teams do not make Nationals, the season will be over in a few weeks, just about two months after it started. But being on a club sport is hardly ever just about the final result — it's about getting to know people who share the same passion that you do.
"Ski team has been an amazing part of Tufts for me, because it's such a great group that's always loud and out of control, but always fun," Mendes said. "At Tufts everyone is involved in something, but ski team is a surprisingly close group considering how big we are and how we span all levels of ability. I'm glad I was the captain and was able to give back to the team."
