Thursday, Feb. 26, 1998

Skiers' bad luck snowballs, fail to qualify for nationals

By DAN GIGLER
Collegian Sports Writer

The salt in the wound. The knife in the back. Call it what you like, but the Penn State ski team calls it lousy.

Two days after a season marred with mild weather, rain and skimpy snowfalls came to a close, Mother Nature eased up on her snow-stinginess and dumped nearly eight inches of the white stuff on the State College area.

The belated snowfall prompted a collective Homer Simpson-style "DOH!!" from the ski team. This, after a frustrating weekend in which both the men's and women's ski squads failed to qualify for the United States Collegiate Ski Association's national championships.

"We just didn't have it this weekend."

- Men's skier Ryan Church

The national qualifiers, which were held this past weekend at Vernon Valley/Great Gorge, N.J., ended with disappointment, as the team expected a better outcome. The team had won its conference, the Allegheny Collegiate Ski Conference, the previous weekend and had a good deal of momentum heading into the regional tournament. However, the persistent nemesis of poor conditions and a lack of focus ended the ski team's quest for national glory.

"The snow was soft and filled with ruts. The conditions would change after each racer, and that plays hell during a competition," said skier Julie Winkler. "And we were so excited for nationals, that we may have been looking a bit ahead."

Men's skier Ryan Church didn't mince words with his analysis of the team's performance.

"We just didn't have it this weekend," he said.

A bit of controversy also figured in.

This year, the governing body of the USCSA added the Empire Collegiate Ski Conference to the Mid-Atlantic region of the USCSA. The Empire Conference is a collection of schools in New York, some of which offer scholarships to their skiers. Penn state coach Bill Hetrick said this upset the competitive balance of the Mid-Atlantic Region.

"It would be like the Big Ten football champion playing a Div. II or Div. III team for the Rose Bowl," Hetrick said. "I don't mean to cry sour grapes here, but it puts us at a disadvantage."

Hetrick said the members of the Mid-Atlantic Region will discuss the issue at their annual off-season conference and may petition the USCSA to remove the Empire Conference from the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Though its season ended prematurely, the ski team did have an accomplished run, nabbing its overall conference championship. Hetrick summed up the season with praise for his skiers.

"I'm very pleased," Hetrick said. "The season was real tough because of the weather, but I'd commend them. They hung in there and really did the school and themselves proud."

Although their season is behind them, members of the ski team will still be visible on area slopes, skiing for pleasure and racing for fun. However, none will be trekking to the slopes of Colorado or Utah for spring break.

"Nope. Florida," Winkler said. "I'm tired of the snow."