Save the Ski Team!

Ski Team 1936-????

This is part of the presentation that explains what is going on with our team. If you would like the full presentation (with budget figures) please contact me. Thanks again for your support.

Who are we?

In 1936 with the help of Wayne Poulsen the first University of Nevada ski team was formed. Only one year later members of the team were awarded varsity letters for representing the university in competition. Two years after distributing the University’s first letters, the University of Nevada claimed its first and only National Championship. This was before skiing was recognized by the NCAA, and was a compilation and comparison of times and results of the East and West Intercollegiate Championship Ski Meets. By 1947 skiing was a major sport at the university, placing athletes on the US ski team and hosting a citywide winter carnival and parade, for its home race. The ski team had reached such popularity that in 1954 when the NCAA decided to add skiing, Nevada was selected as the host for its championship. In that same year Pat Myers won the Downhill and became the first NCAA downhill skiing champion. At the time athletes were required to compete in four disciplines: jumping, downhill, slalom, and Nordic (then only diagonal) skiing.



By the 50’s, skiing in Reno and the surrounding area had grown so much in popularity that Wayne Poulson, by then the founder of the University of Nevada ski team and co-founder of Squaw Valley resort and ski area, was able to convince the International Olympic Committee to bring the1960 winter Olympics to Squaw Valley. From 1959-1969 the University of Nevada finished in the top ten at the NCAA skiing championships six times.



Skiing continued to grow at the University of Nevada until the late 70’s, when a combination of the economy and the title nine requirements of the time forced the University of Nevada to drop skiing as an official sport. This was during a time when many institutions were forced to cut back on skiing programs, including the University of Wyoming and the University of Denver. Because skiing had become more and more specialized and there was a need to show gender equity, college skiing made a change to how it would score its championships. It would use four events, two alpine and two Nordic, so athletes could focus on one sport rather than three. But what is unique about NCAA ski racing is that it is one of the only sports that combines male and female participation in the championship to determine one NCAA champion institution. The male and female athletes are on the same team working and training together with the same facilities and coaches to achieve one goal! This makes it truly gender equitable.



Through the 80’s and early 90’s the University of Nevada ski team crept along as a club sport, often without coaches and much support from the university, until 1994 when a group of alumni and boosters came together to breathe the ski team back to life. Since 1994, the University of Nevada ski team has finished in the top ten at NCAA skiing championships seven times, had 35 All America’s and has won four individual titles.



Currently the team is made up of about 30 male and female student athletes from Nevada, California, Utah, Colorado, Vermont, Oregon, Minnesota, Montana, and six other countries. The team competes throughout the west, racing in races from the US National championships to the local night series. The goal of the team is to be in the top four at the NCAA skiing championships in Steamboat, Colorado this year. In addition to racing well, it is an expectation for each athlete on the team to have a GPA of at least 3.0 (NCAA requires an individual GPA of 2.0). The team has achieved an average minimum GPA every year since it was brought back in 1994. In fact, most years the average team GPA is above 3.5.

Although it has not been a specific goal of the team, giving back to the community has been a priority, and the team is asked by the coaching staff to complete a minimum of 480 community service hours each year. Broken down it comes out to about 8 hours an athlete per semester.



Last year when I hired our current alpine coach, Evan Weiss, we sat down and create our plan and goals for the ski team. On top of that list was winning a NCAA skiing championship for the university of Nevada by the year 2012. We felt that in order to do that we needed to recruit the best local skiers, based on the thought process that if we could not get the best local skiers to come to our school it would be hard to convince the best skier from somewhere else to come. We established that we needed to fully develop each skier, physically and mentally. We also felt it was a requirement to offer consistent coaching and support. We believed upon writing this plan that if we did these five things we could put the University of Nevada ski team in the positions to win.



What does this mean/ what’s next?

This means that next year the University of Nevada will continue to support skiing on the level of the coaches’ salaries and tuition waivers only. All the operating cost and any scholarships for room/board/books will need to be privately funded. For the 2009/2010 ski team, we will need to raise $34,000 in order to operate. This is at a level below where we were a year ago, and will require some creative ideas in how to change our plan to still meet our team goals, but is at a level where we believe we can still be competitive.

For the 2010/2011 ski team, the University of Nevada has said it will not fund the ski program. In other wards the university of Nevada ski team will be cut, unless it can show that it can be 100% self-funded. It is our hope that the community and boosters can show the fundraising potential to cover operating costs and coaches’ salaries. Given current income levels the ski team would need to solicit $107,180 per year to operate at the new level. It is also the hope that the university would make a compromise and allow the team use of the tuition waivers, for athletic scholarship.

Why help?

There are lots of reasons to support the University of Nevada ski team. Some of them may be more personal than others, but here are a few; if you know of some other reasons that I have not listed but you feel should be, please let me know so they too can be included:

The University of Nevada ski team is the only NCAA program in the Sierra Nevada Region.

It was one of the first NCAA ski programs in the country and provides an opportunity for many of the local young athletes.

There are 22 ski areas within a two-hour drive of the Reno/ Tahoe airport, each of which has a ski team. Each of these teams are trying to have their best skiers make a bigger/better club/team, eventually landing the lucky few on the US ski team and/or in the Olympics. Each of these athletes and their family are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to help them reach their goals. The University of Nevada ski team provides one more opportunity at a very high level for these athletes.

Help our youth get and education, while continuing healthy, active lifestyles.

So our student athletes (skiers) can be in a position to give back one day.

Tax write-offs!!!

To be part of a winning team!

How can you help?

There are two ways we need your help: money, and contacts. The first is the most obvious. We need to raise a lot of money in order to continue to survive. What may not be so obvious is that we have a lot of hard-good and equipment costs, so if you do not have money you may have something that is on our wish list that you would be willing to donate. If you cannot donate we would greatly appreciate three contacts of people who may be able to.


Thank you sincerely for your support

Condtioning Headquarters

Get Fired Up Like Marty! Only 207 more days until the collegiate racing season begins.

You can now follow the link in the side bar to our Conditioning Headquarters. I have set these pages up to share workouts, conditioning theory, and to give you better access to effective conditioning methods. If you have a favorite workout, write it up and please share it with the team.

As always, I am happy to personalize a training plan.

Hope everyone has been enjoying their summer.

-Evan

ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Honors

Two of the five honored with the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District for Nevada are skiers. Greg Berger and Katie Lyons will now be entered into a national ballot with results coming out in June. For more, here is the article:

http://www.nevadawolfpack.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10000&ATCLID=3741605

and here

http://www.rgj.com/section/blogs16?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3acf54a7c3-6850-4148-9710-effa04ad5005Post%3aa2cfd96e-aa9e-45a5-aecb-a7aaa1fff174&sid=sitelife.rgj.com

Coach Gets Inducted

Last weekend Head Coach Evan Weiss was inducted into Dartmouth's Wearers of the Green, Dartmouth's Hall of Fame equivalent. Good times were had with the old crew.

These guys are fast (and looking good)! 5 National champions (NCAA and US), many All Americans between them, and 1 Team NCAA national championship. From top left: Kevin Francis, Patrick O'Brien, Erik Kankanian, Karl Johnson, David Chodounsky, Ben True, Alex Felix, Evan Weiss. Bottom Left: Glen Randall, Mikey Sinnott.

Nevada Alpine Gives Back

Martin Harris...holding Holly's pink hammer

Welcome the Nordies: Charlie and Kristen

Kristina, Martin, Dylan, Charlie, and Amanda sorting the storage bin

Team Captain: Shane Collins

Zach Fretz

Kristina

Miss Erika Horst...ready to take on the day

Our physician Amanda Goyne

Holly O'Brien, Zach Fretz, Martin Harris, and Shane Collins

Bright and early on Friday morning, the Alpine ski team headed to the Habitat for Humanity work site to help build houses.

RMISA Regionals, More Picks

All pictures courtesy Tom Compton. Tom Can be reached at Thomascompton.com. Thanks Tom!

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Katie Lyons, captain. Reno, NV Local

Dylan Bryant looking for the "balance"

Shane Collins--Truckee, CA

Berger, Greg second podium: 3rd GS

Alfy

Marty Harris looking solid

Katie Lyons (Gimpy), Ripping to 3rd.

Tarzone, with another strong SL run

Amy Harris

Kristina Palovicova

Minnesotan Dylan Bryant

Freshman Zach Fretz, Rodeo Style.

A focused Marty Harris, 2nd place.

Framage (Greg Berger), negotiating the flush. 3rd place.

Amy Harris making a good turn before the panel attacked...

Boreal Night Slalom: Results

Results Women: (1st run, 2nd run, overall times)
3rd- Kristina Palovicova: 33.34 38.25 1:11.59
4th- Holly O'Brien: 33.43 38.47 1:11.90
5th- Amy Harris: 33.71 38.62 1:12.33
6th- Erika Horst: 34.70 38.78 1:13.48

Men:
1st- Scott Hume: 30.94 30.01 1:00.95
2nd- Martin Harris: 31.65 30.62 1:02.27
3rd- Shane Collins: 32.25 30.99 1:03.24
5th- Greg Berger: 31.12 33.27 1:04.39
6th- Zach Fretz: 32.49 32.04 1:04.53
10th- Evan Weiss: 37.21 28.48 1:05.69

*All results are from live-timing.com

Boreal Night Slalom

Errol Kerr (Team Jamaica) and Holly O'brien

Martin Harris, Evan Weiss, and Dylan Bryant and Part of Shane Collins

Dylan Bryant

The super senior: Taryn O'flynn

Evan Weiss

Erika Horst and the ladies man David Apap

Now, I'm serious! Greg Berger

I'm getting serious...

The race winner: Super Coach Scotty Hume petting Bo

Senior Amanda Goyne (Getting married and going to UC Davis Medical School)

Breaking it down, Martin Harris and Greg Berger

Zach Fretz

First run Women's Results

Kristina Palovicova (Spelling??)

Erika Horst: The bad@$$

Big Smile! Holly O'Brien and Erika Horst

Gearing up for the race: Greg, Shane, and Marty...and that other guy

The Quotes

Andrew Kastning (picture "borrowed" from nordic blog)

During times of great hardships and adversity, heroes are born. Like a white dove, Andrew pulled the proverbial sword from the stone and showed us the light at the end of the tunnel. Here are some of the wise words of that amazing man. Godspeed, Andrew. Godspeed.

"Pain is temporary, pride is forever."

"Great moments are born from great opportunities, tomorrow, we have that opportunity."

"Courage does not mean you are without fear, just that you are willing to face it."

In honor of Terri Weiss

"TW" Terri Weiss, the UNR ski team is thinking of you.

The UNR ski team shows its support of Terri Weiss (Evan Weiss' Mother) who is currently in the hospital battling septic pneumonia. During the NCAAs, all the alpine athletes wore stickers with the initials "TW" on their helmets.

Sl Results

Women:
19th- Taryn O'Flynn
23rd- Amy Harris
33rd- Katie Lyons

Men:
7th- Greg Berger
30th- Martin Harris
34th- Shane Collins

Congratulations again to Greg for his third All American title!

GS Results

Women:
29th- Amy Harris
30th- Taryn O'Flynn
34th- Katie Lyons

Men:
8th(tie)- Greg Berger
23rd- Shane Collins
31st- Martin Harris

Congratulations to Greg Berger for getting an All American!!!

The Coastal Detour

Scotty Hume (1st time on Atlantic coast)

Meet the NCAA team

Shane Collins, Taryn O'flynn & Amy Harris

Evan Weiss & Michal (Shrek) Rajcan

Reno 911 (Martin Harris & Greg Berger)

Super Coach aka Scott Hume

Taryn it up!