The weather will be crisp and the slopes will be frozen this weekend when the Massachusetts ski team travels to New Hampshire to compete in the MIT Carnival.
The first event takes place tomorrow at Pat’s Peak in Henniker, N.H., and features a regular slalom race. Then, on Super Sunday, the Minutemen and Minutewomen wake up early and head to Lincoln, N.H., to race in the giant slalom.
UMass is coming off an up-and-down campaign last week in the Plymouth State Carnival. While each team had some success, such as Jason Small’s first-place finish in the giant slalom and Emily Shiletto’s back-to-back top-10, the weekend was marred by a few disqualifications.
UMass coach Skip Fox expects the team will have a much better showing this weekend.
“We had a good week of training, and the kids are looking really sharp,” said Fox. “All we need is a couple seconds here and there.”
The primary competition at this weekend’s carnival will be Colby-Sawyer College. Fox noted that they have a very deep and talented group of skiers, and a lot of athletes who can score points. Plymouth State University, especially the men’s team, is one of the toughest groups to face in the league. However, he feels his squad can match up with any other team in the conference.
“I really do feel, that if our guys ski up to our potential, we can take first place on any given day,” Fox said.
With only four more events left in the regular season, Fox said there is a sense of urgency among his athletes. They will need to be as sharp as possible for the ESIA Regional Championships in two weeks.
The Minutemen will rely on their most consistent skiers to score points. Small has been a top skier all season long and will be looking for another first-place finish to match last week’s showing. Sophomores Andrew Hawes and Ian Hohmeister posted top-10 finishes in the giant slalom last week, and the Minutemen need them to perform at that same level this weekend.
“If those guys perform like I know they can, I think we can take first in one of these races,” Fox said.
As for the Minutewomen, senior standout Eliza Hawkins has been consistent, so she will be counted on to come through with a strong finish this weekend.
The performance of first-year skier Jaime Taloumis has been a pleasant surprise and key addition to the Minutewomen. Taloumis, whom Fox referred to as the team’s star freshman, has posted back-to-back fourth-place finishes in the giant slalom and added a seventh-place finish in the regular slalom. UMass hopes she can continue her strong start.
Fox also mentioned Emily Shilleto and Ashley Hawes as two skiers he was looking for to give a solid performance. He was quick to note the players he mentioned were not the only ones who must do well; a victory will require a team effort.
When asked whether he thought his team would do better in the giant slalom or the regular slalom, Fox was noncommittal.
“I think we are equal in both events, we have some ladies and some gentlemen who are better in one event than the other, but I don’t think we have a preference, we’ll take either one,” Fox said.
Fox would not offer up a specific prediction, but sounded pretty optimistic.
“I’m looking for a nice weekend, I just got a good feeling about it,” he said.
Scott Feldman can be reached at [email protected].
