2011 Pre-Season Update

The men's and women's teams are looking forward to the 2011 season.  After training diligently all fall, the women are looking to build upon their success last year and win league this time around.  The women's team welcomes 4 new members - freshman Emma LeBlanc (no relation to Mike), freshman Maria Mastanduno, freshman Ellen Richardson, and sophomore Sasha Sassoon.  Sophomore Andrea Radke also rejoins the team after injuries prevented her from racing last season.

The men's team welcomes sophomore Brady Caspar as we look to build upon our success last year and continue to move up the league standings.  Please stay tuned for updates throughout the 2011 season!

Women Take 3rd at Nationals

The women's team continued their stellar performance at Sunday River to capture 3rd place in the USCSA.  They were the highest placed East Coast Team, and after placing 5th at regionals, the women finished the season in top form as ahead of every other team in the McConnell Divison.  They finished behind Westminster College and Sierra Nevada College, both of which are located in the Rocky Mountains with easy access to training and have rosters stacked with skiers from around the world.


After a great finish in the Giant Slalom with three skiers in the top 16, the women continued to exhibit their prowess on the Slalom course taking 4th last Friday.  Kia Mosenthal '12 led the women with a combined time of 1:51.10 to finish in 10th place. Krista Consiglio '11 clocked in half a second behind Kia with a time of 1:51.60 which was good for a 14th place finish.  Elisa Handbury '10 finished off her college career in a tie for 35th place with a time of 2:00.61.  Cat Stewart '13 finished in 39th place with a time of 2:01.31 and Emily Simmons '12 clocked in with a time of 2:01.65 putting her in 41st place.


Kia and Krista were again named to the All-American roster in the Slalom event and were named to the Second Team Women's Alpine Combined All-American.  Individually, Kia finished nationals in 10th place and Krista finished in 11th.  Congratulations to our girls for a job well done this year!


We would like to wrap up the season with a big thanks to all the parents who helped out at each race.  And last, but not least, we would like to thank our outstanding coaching staff, led again this year by Michael LeBlanc.  He was assisted by John Van Slyke as well as first-time coach Eliza Hawkins.  Stay tuned for updates throughout the off season as we prepare for what we hope will be another great year.

Nationals Update: Giant Slalom 3rd Place Finish

The women's team traveled up to Sunday River, ME this week to compete in the USCSA National Tournament.  After two days of training, the women's team entered yesterday's Giant Slalom event in top form.


The women claimed a 3rd place finish with all three scoring finishers in the top 16 in the nation!  They were surpassed by Westminster College and Sierra Nevada College, both of which are schools based in the Rocky Mountains and have rosters stacked with athletes from around the world.  The women beat every other team in our McConnell Division by over 6 seconds.  Congratulations to the women on a tremendous job well done!


Co-captain Krista Consiglio '11 led the Bears with an 11th place finish and a time of 2:25.82.  Kia Mosenthal '12 provided the second scored time for the women with a 14th place finish and a time of 2:26.23.  Emily Simmons '12 rounded out the top three times as she skied to a 16th place finish with a time of 2:26.48.  Senior Elisa Handbury '10 finished in 35th clocking in at 2:34.05 and freshman Cat Stewart '13 skied to a 42nd place finish with a time of 2:35.77.


Once again, congratulations to the women on an outstanding finish.  Look for them again on Friday when they compete in the Slalom event.  You can stream the race live through the USCSA website and on Live-Timing.

Women to Nationals and Dow Finishes in 69th at the Olympics

The Women competed this past weekend at Waterville Valley, NH in the USCSA Eastern Regionals. Junior co-captain Krista Consiglio ’11 led the women on Saturday in the slalom event with a time of 1:34.97 and good for 6th place. Elisa Handbury ’10 also put up two strong times as she skied to a ninth place finish with a total time of 1:38.16. Catherine Stewart ’13 was the third scored skier for the women with a time of 1:40.92, good for a 16th place finish.


Sunday, Emily Simmons ’12 led the women with a time of 2:09.57 and a 7th place finish.  Kia Mosenthal ’12 was close behind with a time of 2:10.45 and a 10th place finish. Again, Cat Stewart rounded out the top three Brown skiers with a 20th place finish and a time of 2:12.27.


With a 5th place finish at the USCSA Regionals, the women advance to the USCSA National Championships. The races will be held next week at Sunday River, ME. Best of luck to the women next week as they go for national glory.


On another note, the men's team is done competing for the season, but our own Dow Travers '12 is racing for The Cayman Islands in Vancouver at the 2010 Winter Olympics.  Dow competed in the Giant Slalom on February 23rd and placed 69th overall, 25.06 seconds out of first place. Starting 101st in the first run, Dow moved up through the rankings as he finished 75th after the first run and had a strong second run to bring him to 69th position. Congratulations on a great Olympic performance. We hope to see him out there again in four years.

2010 Winter Olympic Update: Dow Travers '12

The season may be over but our very own Dow Travers '12 has headed to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.  Despite what you may have heard in the Opening Ceremonies, Dow is pronounced like "dou," not do or bread dough.  Representing The Cayman Islands, Dow is the first and only Winter athlete from Cayman since the beginning of the Games.

Look for him on NBC when he competes in the Giant Slalom Alpine Skiing event which begins on February 21st.  The ski team and the rest of the Brown community is very proud to have one of our own athletes in the national spotlight.  Good luck Dow!

Brown and Boston College Host Wildcat SL/GS

The season came full circle this past weekend as the teams traveled to Wildcat Mountain in Jackson, NH for the Brown University and Boston College carnival.  This carnival marks the end of the carnival season.  The women will travel to Waterville Valley in two weeks for the USCSA Eastern Regionals.  First off, we would like to thank the Wildcat staff and all the parents who helped organize the weekend's festivities including the two races, daily lunches, and the Saturday evening banquet.


Saturday, the men and women raced in the #1 bibs as the carnival hosts for the slalom runs.  The women, already securely in 4th place in the league standings, skied to a 5th place finish led by Elisa Handbury '10 (1:28.51 seconds).  She finished in 21st place and was followed closely by Cat Stewart '13 and Emily Simmons '12 who placed 26th and 27th, respectively. The men again earned 8th place as they were led by Dow Travers '12 who skied to a 27th place finish with a time of 1:29.11 seconds.  Jeff Ernsting '11 finished 33rd with a time of 1:31.07 and Charlie Greene '13 finished with a time of 1:37.40, which was good for 41st place.


The slower going slalom runs also allowed the seniors of the league to show off their style and creativity by dressing up in costumes.  Elisa put on a bikini and Ken Ettinger '10 brought Christmas back when he skied down dressed up as Santa and passed out candy to everyone on the race course.  Congratulations to all of our seniors!  We wish them well in their lives after Brown.


Sunday, the teams wrapped up the regular season as the women won the Wildcat GS and the men finished eighth.  The women were led by Krista Consiglio '11 who finished 2nd overall with a time of 2:06.65.  Emily and Kia Mosenthal '12 provided the other two scored times for the women with 6th and 8th place finishes, respectively.


Dow Travers again led the men with a 26th place finish with a time of 2:08.03 in his last race before heading to Vancouver for the 2010 Olympic Games.  He will be the first athlete to represent The Cayman Islands in the Winter Olympics and we wish him well!  Be sure to look for him in the opening ceremonies on NBC and on its affiliates next week as he competes in the Giant Slalom event.  But back at Wildcat, Jeff Ernsting finished behind Dow in 44th place with a time of 2:16.59.  Charlie Greene, Ken Ettinger, and Michael Cohen provided the men with the other three scored times.


The women finished the season in 4th place and will be traveling to Waterville Valley in two weeks for the USCSA Eastern Regionals.  The men finished in 8th place overall and are already looking forward to next season.


We wish Dow and the women's team the best of luck as they continue with their racing on into February and March.  Please check back for updates from Regionals in a few weeks.

Gunstock GS/Blackwater SL

This week marked the start of classes and a few days of much needed rest. On Thursday night, the teams traveled up to Concord, NH for the weekend's races at Gunstock and Blackwater (Proctor Academy's private hill). Despite the bitter cold and windy conditions, the both the men and women skied well and maintained the standing within the division.

The women returned to top form on Friday as they won the Gunstock GS race as they had four skiers in the top 15. They were led by Kia Mosenthal '12 who finished in second place with a time of 1:25.88 seconds, just .08 seconds behind the race leader. Emily Simmons finished 5th (1:26.39), Krista Consiglio finished 11th (1:27.06), and Cat Stewart '13 finished in 15th place with a time of 1:28.47 seconds. Krista and Kia also helped lead the women's field in each run as Krista won the first run and Kia won the second run. The men also had a good day Friday as Dow Travers '12 finished tied for 24th place with a time of 1:25.54 seconds. Mike Cohen '11 and Alex Salter '12 also helped lead the men to an 8th place finish. Also, congratulations to George George '10, who made his first race start on Friday and skied to a 62nd place finish.

Saturday, the women finished 4th in the Blackwater SL and were led again by Kia Mosenthal '12 and Krista Consiglio '11. Kia again led the women as she tied with another racer for a 4th place finish with a time of 1:30.71 seconds. Krista also tied with another competitor for an 8th place finish with a time of 1:31.86 seconds. Elisa Handbury '10 provided the women with their third scored time as she finished in 17th place. The men struggled a bit on Saturday, but still managed to get the required 5 finishers. Dow Travers '12 again led the team with a 46th place finish. Ken Ettinger '10, Charlie Greene '13, and Alex Salter '12 also helped lead the team as they finished 57th, 58th, and 59th respectively.

This weekend's races helped the women maintain their 4th place position in the overall women's standings. The men are also still going strong and have secured an 8th place in the men's division standings. Next weekend, the teams travel to Wildcat, our home mountain, to wrap up the regular season before regionals. We will be hosting the weekend's races along with Boston College so come out and help support your Brown Bears as the women look to secure a post-season berth and the men look to finish out the season in good form.

Waterville Valley SL/GS

After three weeks, Jan Camp finally came to a close. The teams packed up and shipped down to Waterville Valley for the third carnival of the season.

The women finished 4th in the slalom course on Saturday. Krista Consiglio '11 led the team with a 3rd place finish and a time of 1:28.45 seconds. Elisa Handbury '10 and Emily Simmons '12 finished 11th and 20th, respectively, to provide the two remaining finish times. Cat Stewart '13 skied to a 21st place finish just behind Emily. Saturday proved to be a difficult day for the men, as much of the team fell during the first run. Jeff Ernsting '11, back from a semester in France, led the team as he finished 30th with a time of 1:43.22 seconds. Michael Cohen '11 had the second best time for the men as he finished 48th. The men finished in 8th place for the day.

Sunday, the GS course was cut down due to uncovered rocks in the course and a general lack of snow. So, the men and women moved down to the slalom start gate for a abbreviated race that lasted all of about 30 or 40 seconds. Even with the shortened GS, the women struggled to get their racers to the finish and ended up in 9th place. After 3 skiers fell, Emily Simmons '12 had to ski with an injured shoulder (dislocation) to give the team its 3rd finisher. Kia Mosenthal '12 led the team with a 1st place finish with a time of 1:07.01 seconds and Krista Consiglio '11 finished 4th with a time of 1:07.93 seconds.

The men skied to an 8th place finish again on Sunday as Jeff Ernsting '11, Ken Ettinger '10, Michael Cohen '11, and Alex Salter '12 helped lead the team. Charlie Greene '13 was again plagued by binding problems in the second run when he pre-released mid-turn at the top of the course and lost a ski.

Finally, congratulations to Kia for the race win on Sunday and thank you to the parents for all your help and support!

Cranmore SL Weekend

This weekend brought the men and women to Cranmore in nearby North Conway, NH. The weather was sunny and exceptionally warm with highs reaching into the 40s! Unfortunately, the warmth led to difficult snow conditions with deep ruts plaguing the field in the afternoons.

The women had a tough day Friday finishing 6th as the ruts led to a few falls and subsequent hiking. Elisabeth Handbury ’10 finished two clean runs to lead the women. Emily Simmons missed the weekend’s races due to a shoulder injury. The men finished 8th with Jacob Cohen ’13, Cody Shulman ’13, and Brendan Burke ’13 all starting and completing the first race of their careers! We would like to congratulate the freshman for this accomplishment.

Fortunately Saturday proved to be a new day. Kia Mosenthal ’12 and Krista Consiglio ’11 led the women to a first place finish. They finished 3rd and 4th, respectively. The men once again finished 8th ahead of MIT and were led by Ken Ettinger ’10 and Alex Salter ’12.

Next week the teams travel to Waterville Valley and wrap up the Jan Camp festivities before classes resume on the 27th. We hope to see you all there to help support Brown Skiing!

Sunapee GS Opening Weekend

The men and women traveled down to Mount Sunapee for our first races of the season this weekend. The women started strong on Friday as Kia Mosenthal '12 led the women with a third place finish, Emily Simmons '12 finished in fifth, and Krista Consiglio '11 in tenth. Freshman Catherine Stewart '13 had a great first collegiate finish with a 15th place! Walk on freshman Therice Morris '13 also skied to a 52nd place finish in her first ski race ever. The race was extremely close as the women finished second to Boston College, trailing by only 4 hundredths of a second.

The men also had a strong opening day beating U. Mass and MIT to finish 7th or the first time in years. Dow Travers ’12 returned after a year off to lead the men with a 24th place finish. Charlie Greene ’13 began his college career with a strong 52nd place finish. Ken Ettinger ’10, Michael Cohen ’11, Alex Salter ’12, and Rob Culliton ’10.5 also had strong showings to kick off the season.

Saturday, the women came out determined after Friday's second-place finish. Mosenthal led the Bears again with another great finish in second after completing the first run with only one pole. Consiglio mimicked Mosenthal's one-pole technique in her second run after losing it in the start gate, but still managed to finish fourth. Simmons finished right behind her in fifth and Stewart in 11th. At the end of the day, the Brown women had captured the lead by 7 seconds, a margin rarely seen!

The men’s team finished 8th on Saturday, closely behind U. Mass after two skiers did not finish the second run. Travers again led the team, followed by finishes by Ettinger, Cohen, and Salter.

After a great weekend at Sunapee the men and women look forward to getting into slalom and having great races at Cranmore next weekend. Finally, both teams would like to thank the parents who made it up to this weekend’s races to cheer us on and help feed us.

January Camp Update

The teams arrived in Bartlett this past weekend to 8 inches of fresh snow. Getting settled took some time as it required multiple trips to North Conway to visit the famed Hannaford Supermarket, the classic Stan and Dan's Ski Shop (say hi to Stan for us), and even a trip to The Home Depot.

The skies have since cleared and training for this weekend's races at Mt. Sunapee has begun. Our men and women ran their first gates of the year today alongside the Boston College ski team and will continue training tomorrow. Updates will continue as the season progresses and make sure to look for a post early next week with the results from the Giant Slalom at Mt. Sunapee this weekend.