Coach Bill MacConnell does not like to participate in fundraisers, as past experience has proved that they waste valuable practice time and fail to bring exciting returns. As a result, the Massachusetts ski team may be one of the least well-equipped teams in the league.
‘It’s hard,’ co-captain Lauren Brodey said. ‘The school just gave us G.S. suits this year.’
‘Those of us who compete in the USCSA Nationals in Idaho might have to pay our own way,’ men’s downhiller Peter Glawischnig commented. ‘We’ve just been able to get by this entire season.’
Under the shadow of revenue generating sports such as football, basketball and hockey, it is easy for less noticed teams to suffer from a lack of financial and/or fan support. But this past weekend, while students cheered their men’s hoops team through a lackluster performance at the Mullins Center, the unspoiled skiiers delivered some much-needed honor to this campus.
The Smith College Carnival took place at Berkshire East Ski Area in Charlemont, MA. The men’s team turned in an outstanding third place finish in both the slalom and giant slalom. This, the men’s best overall finish so far this year, helped secure an invitation to the NCAA Regional competition to be held in Middlebury, Vermont Feb. 23 and 24.
Ken Thoman finished in eighth place in the slalom (1:25.49). Rick Granger earned a 12th place spot the next day in the giant slalom. Both racers have their sights set on placing high at Middlebury.
While the men held the luxury of confidence coming into the race, the women were faced with the fact that anything less than a fifth place finish would prevent them from joining the men in the Regionals.
‘We were under a lot of pressure and we had some trouble with our top girls,’ co-captain Kristy Centrelli said.
The girls, however, could not stand the thought of letting the postseason slip through their fingers. Rising to the challenge, the trio of Centrelli, Mary Siller and Lauren Brodey salvaged the team’s hopes and brought home enough points to secure a lead over Smith College. Brodey finished in fourth place overall in the giant slalom with a time of 1:42.21.
The Minutewomen will travel to Vermont this weekend. If they are hoping to make an impression they will need to return to the consistency that has benefited them up until this point.
Inconsistency, however, seemed to be a relative theme over the two days of skiing. The official handling of the race drew speculation from participants as to whether Smith College will decide to once again host next year’s event at the mountain. According to Glawischnig, the officials did not provide a back up timing system. Also, one skier fell several times at the top of the course and was not penalized.
‘Something just didn’t seem right about the whole deal,’ Glawischnig observed.
No matter the results of the NCAA Regionals, nobody can deny the fact that the Massachusetts ski team deserves some long overdue respect. Their coaching staff also deserves credit for a memorable regular season performance.
‘Mike LeBlanc, our assistant coach, has just been great this year,’ Kristin Centrelli said. ‘As a former racer, he brings a special perspective to the practices. He really made us focus on the mental aspect of skiing.’
When asked how she felt about MacConnell, Centrelli remarked, ‘He’s the glue that holds together. He makes it all work.’
This past season, the ECSC division title was changed to the honor the coaching legend. What was once the Osborne Division is now officially recognized as the MacConnell Division.