After a week of relentless snow storms in Mammoth, CA, the University of Wyoming Mens and Womens Nordic Ski teams pulled through with third place and runner-up titles at the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) Championships.
After persevering through what meteorologists called an “atmospheric river”, the UW Cowgirls barely missed the championship title, coming in at second place, just two points behind St. Olaf College, who earned the national title with 63 points.
“They had to close the road between where we were staying near the Nordic venue, and the town. And so, we actually couldn’t get back into town” said Rachel Watson, co-coach of the ski team and UW faculty member.
“I am so proud of our athletes. And, I had the opportunity to watch how they responded versus how some of the other teams responded,” she said. “Their morale stayed really high.”
This season, California’s high elevation city of Mammoth, experienced its second-deepest snowfall in the last 10 years. Mammoth has accumulated over 500 inches of snow at its main lodge this season.
“There was more snow in Mammoth than any of us had seen in our lives. The cabins we were staying in were literally buried in snow. Everything was buried in snow,” said Andrew Siegel, a current UW student who is pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing.
“We learned that, due to a brief weather window, we would be racing the next morning. It was extremely psychologically difficult to have that quick of a turnaround, but I am proud of the team for their poise and positivity in the midst of that challenge.”
After intensive, year-long training beginning in the summer months, athletes on the UW Nordic Ski team were happy to have had the opportunity to participate in the national championships.
“My teammates and I trained long hours during the summer and fall in preparation for the competition season, and it has been satisfying to watch that pay off,” said Siegel.
“I knew going into nationals that the competition would be stiff on the men’s side, and that I had my work cut out for me. In the first race of the week, the 7.5km classic race, I fought hard and ended up in third place.”
2023 is the 25th year that Watson and co-coach Christi Boggs have coached the UW Nordic Ski program, and they were able to celebrate at the same mountain in which their coaching started in Mammoth.
“We say that great skiers have to love the process, because a really fast skier will train somewhere between 400 and 600 hours a year,” said Watson.
“You really do have to love the process of becoming. I like to see it that way. Like, the process of becoming is a majority of what we do. And sometimes, you know, you get to reap the benefits of that in racing. But so much of it is the process.”
Anne Miller, a kinesiology major, finished third in the freestyle sprint and Samantha Veauthier, a zoology major, finished third in the 15km freestyle mass start.
“UW Nordic is an incredibly special team in its ability to be a welcoming space for newcomers to learn the art of ski racing, while simultaneously supporting elite athletes chasing the highest levels of competition,” said Siegel.
“It has become a family for me in the short time that I have been in Wyoming, and it makes me so happy to represent the Cowboys.”
