BANNER WEEKEND AT WATERVILLE

This weekend the team was back on top. On Saturday the women returned to #1 in the Slalom. The first time in over a year. The men's team pushed hard, finished and took down an 8th. A special thank you to the Mosenthals, Consiglios, and Simmons for their generous food contributions!

SLALOM The women took it back to first place where they belong. We had some serious results with Kia Mosenthal '12 (3rd place), Krista Consiglio '11 (5th), and Elisa Handbury '10 (7th) all scoring for the team. Well done. The men's team also fired it up with Rob Culliton '10 completing the first complete race of his season. The draught has ended for the men's team with incomplete finishes! Jeff Ernsting '11 posted the best Slalom points race of his career. This was certainly a morale builder for the whole team. Frustration has given way to some strong results. This was what we needed as we enter the second half of the 10 race season.

GS We took to the storied knolls of Waterville yet again, running a full length GS from the top of the World Cup Triple. Out of the starting gate almost everyone bit the bullet and glided into the steeps section with a lot of speed. The courses were fairly straightforward, stacking up in the first run right around the slalom start. Those who found the fall line after that were the most successful. Susan Kovar '09 (above left w/ Blaine Martin) had a personal best in the first run improving significantly from last week. Emily Simmons '12 took down a solid 12th! Krista Consiglio '11 was able to score for the team even with an injured back and we hope that week off will help her heal and prepare for next weekend at Loon and Pat's Peak. Blaine Martin '11 posted a solid first run and is looking to push it in the next few weeks as she seeks to push the envelope on her skiing. Captain Anna Bengtson '09 took back to the Waterville GS for the first time since her injury here last year and made a big leap on her road to recovery.

The men also posted strong results. Rob again finished both runs. It is his first year ski racing and we are proud of his hard work in taking on a challenging course. Mike Cohen '11 and Ken Ettinger '10 (right) both continue to work to bring their bodies down the hill towards a faster line. We are hoping that this week of training at Wachusett will be helpful for them! Alex Salter entered the second half of the season strong as he continues work on adapting that ski racer line down the course, something that is difficult for someone more used to ripping the pow at Jackson Hole.

FACEBOOK We are up on Facebook now, so please add "Brown Skiing" as a friend as an esier way to keep up to date on what is happening on the team and see our former (and infamous) alumni.

"What you need is high edge angle coming into the knoll over the slalom start. Set up early and then let 'em run" (left)

Races at Sunapee, Slalom Training

It's been a few days since we've been able to update the blog. Two full days of races at Sunapee and some training at Wildcat have left everyone (including myself) pretty drained. With some fresh snow this weekend and sunny skies, we are looking forward to a spectacular second week of training.

Thursday we were able to simulate race conditions with two runs of GS on a timed course. Everyone stripped for both runs and we went into strong and prepared to race.

On Friday we had our first race of the season. It was the first part of a back-to-back GS series. Our women took huge setbacks with Kia Mosenthal out with an injured shoulder and Krista Consiglio out with the flu. Rob Cuillton '10.5, Alex Salter '12, and Susan Kovar '09 were all racing for the first time at this race and made the most of it. Rob had an heroic second run with two hikes, including a full length hike only two gates in right by our gatekeeping section. It was one of those moments that reminded all of those present why college racing is so much fun - as he passed through the gate after his hike all the athletes and coaches were cheering him on. Jeff Ernsting also posted a solid race with the best points result of his career. A special thanks to Debbie Consiglio who brought some phenomenal pizza and other food for the team! We look forward to meeting all the parents throughout the course of the season.

On Saturday we had our second GS race. Once again we were at Sunapee, and the rolling knolls that we have come to love made for two solid course sets. A timing glitch meant lots of waiting around before the second run, but our women's team was able to hold strong and post a stronger results than the day before. The field for the women is especially tight this year, with only a few seconds difference between the top team and seventh. It will make for a difficult and exciting year for our women as they work towards making regionals. Freshmen screamer Emily Simmons recorded excellent times and a top five finish as she put it down the hill both runs. Well done Emily. 3/5 of the Men's team lost skis. We have turned up the DINs and are looking forward to finishing all five this coming weekend. While the team did not do well, Mike Cohen's times were enough to win against Ken Ettinger in the friendly head-to-head match up known as the Chicken Finger Classic.

Sunday was a rest day that allowed for some local adventuring in the snow, lots of down time, and plenty of time to tune up the slalom skis.

On Monday we moved into slalom and this is where we will spend most of this week. We continued training with Boston College which has allowed for multiple course sets and even longer courses. Those new to racing found slalom skis even easier to feel the carve, now it is just a matter of hoping that they don't get distracted by the lure of hammering gates in the course. Kia Mostenthal and Krista Consiglio are back from their weekend recoveries. We are looking forward to a great week before it gets cold on Thursday. We look forward to seeing many of you at Cranmore on Friday and Saturday.

Pictures to follow!

Ripping the Pow

Another day at Wildcat brought six inches of snow to the hill. We were able to get timing in on second run today and the coaches were able to reset during lunch and get everything ready for the athletes.

A deep hole underneath at hard left footed blue gate in the morning provided plenty of interesting transitions and falls. The ruts were deep all day and visibility poor, but our athletes persevered. The new studded tires on our van made the return drive home especially easy.

Elisa Handbury '10 was out bright and early to help set the course and was in high spirits. Kia Mosenthal '12 was the only Brown athlete to strip down and had some excellent runs despite a sore shoulder. Newcomer Jen Therrien '11 impressed everyone on the hill with her first day in gates. Anna Bengtson '09 was back in the gates as she recovers from last year's knee injury. We are all excited for the race on Friday and the many alumni who have responded to join us at the event on Feb 7th.

Windy Weather at Wildcat

We've returned this year to Wildcat Mountain in the shadows of Mt. Washington. With our condensed season this year we are moving quickly into the gates.

On Sunday we went freeskiing around the Mountain and tried to regain our balance. For many athletes it was their first time skiing this year, and for some their first time skiing with a race team ever. We continued on in our bold tradition of welcoming all to the team and there has been much progress since our first day.

On Monday we braved 60 MPH winds and pelting ice blowing up the hill to make it through a rough day. The quad was shut down, but the triple cranked us up as we trained on Cheetah. There was plenty of time for free runs on the harrowing "Wild Kitten" Trail and Blaine Martin '11 and Kia Mosenthal '12 continued their drill progressions as they push towards the top of the podium this weekend. Miraculously, the wind did not mean cold weather, but it did make effective training difficult. We braved through it, as we only have a few days left until our first race.

Today was another excellent day of training with the Boston College Ski Team. We had a reprieve from the wind, by the ice prevailed on treacherous Bobcat. Edges were tested along with spirits as we stripped down to GS suits for timed runs. Ms. Krista Consiglio '11 took the most enthusiastic award for her four runs in her bright pink GS suit while Mr. Jeffrey Ernsting '11 skiied remarkably well, posting likely the best run of his entire life. Many skiers were taken out by the mid course ice mogul/aerial jump. We fixed the problem and finished up with our best day of training yet! We are finishing up the day with some video analysis.

Three days until our first race at Sunapee, hope to see you there!

Parent and Alumni Event at Wildcat Mountain Feb 6-8th!

Brown Skiing at Wildcat Mountain
February 6-8th, 2009

The Brown Sports Foundation and the Friends of Brown Skiing cordially invite all alumni, parents and friends of the Brown Skiing program to join us for a carnival and race at Wildcat Mountain. A dinner will take place at 7 p.m. on Saturday evening with the Brown Skiing coaching staff and team members.


Wildcat Carnival and Race
Friday & Saturday, February 6 - 7, 2009
Wildcat Mountain
Route 16
Pinkham Notch, NH

Alumni and Parent Dinner
Saturday, February 7, 2009
7:00 p.m.
$25/per person
Cash Bar will be Available
Tuckerman's Restaurant at New England Inn and Lodge
Route 16A, Intervale Resort Loop
Intervale, NH
2 miles north of North Conway Center, NH and 15 miles south of Wildcat Mt.

Please RSVP by February 2, 2009, to Lauren Hylton at (401) 863 - 1900 or by email at Lauren_Hylton@brown.edu.

Tentative
Alumni Ski Race
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Please vist BrownSkiTeam.blogspot.com for details on this event and to read all updates from the Brown University Ski Teams.

Hard Work Pays Off

Just wanted to let everyone know that we surpassed the men's goal of $35,000 and we had a phenomenal 10.5% participation rate. The women's team was shy of the goal, but they did have an 11.5% participation rate. These blow away any old records we once had. This devotion to the team reveals a renewed interest in the Brown Ski Team. As you think about the coming year, know that we will be having a banquet in early February, hopefully in conjunction with a ski race. It would be great to see everyone there. Please check back here for more details!

Thank you to everyone who has put forth support for the team in any way in the past year. We are creating an environment in which lifelong friendships are forged. Go Brown Skiing.