The Ohio State ski and snowboard team will be competing this weekend at the Midwest regional competition of the United States Collegiate Snowsports Association in Marquette, Mich.
The OSU team has had an incredible season so far, dominating in men’s and women’s slalom and giant slalom skiing at every Ohio division race this year.
“In all nine races there’s only been one third-place finish from an outside school,” said ski team president, junior Matt Tyson.
This is the Buckeyes third year as champions of the Ohio region in those events.
In snowboarding, the team shared top finishes with other Ohio schools.
“OSU is a team known for its skiers and not really for its snowboarders, but we are looking to change that,” Tyson said. “Snowboarding is growing in popularity to rival skiing in Ohio with snowboard specific races.”
Division races are held every weekend during the season at Snow Trails in Mansfield and Boston Mills-Brandywine near Akron.
Senior skier, medalist and self-proclaimed “grand poohbah,” Harry Oettinger, said OSU’s success is due to the amount of practice the team puts in. The team practices twice a week at Snow Trails.
“Practice is what made us the division juggernaut we are today. We practice a lot and have fun while doing it. That gives us a huge advantage over the other teams,” Oettinger said.
Oettinger said that social bonding is a key element to the ski team – not only with fellow team members but also with other Ohio teams. Other universities in the Ohio division are Bowling Green State University, University of Toledo, Kent State University, John Carroll University, Case Western Reserve University and the University of Akron.
“We compete against each other all season, and then we go up to regionals and pool our resources to make an Ohio presence known,” Oettinger said.
With over 30 teams, the Midwest Collegiate Ski Conference is one of the largest ski racing conferences in the United States. The Midwest conference is one of eleven that form the national organization.
The top three schools at the Midwest regional competition qualify to send five skiers to the U.S. Collegiate Skiing Association’s national competition which will be held in Sugarloaf, Maine this year.
“Favorites to win regionals this year are St. Olaf College, University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota,” Oettinger said.
The OSU team hopes to take a top ten finish. Its top skier – freshman A.J. Ingram – said he hopes to snag an individual spot at the national competition. A limited number of spots are available for the best finishers who aren’t on one of the qualifying teams.
“We’ve achieved all our goals in Ohio, and our next goal is to expand our recruiting efforts and exploit the talent that’s here at Ohio State to become more competitive at a regional level in upcoming seasons,” Oettinger said.
The team has 53 members this year. Many of its members join not only to race but to take advantage of group rates on lift tickets, travel and equipment, Tyson said.
“The purpose of the team is not to produce racers, but to develop better skiers. We take anyone from beginner to expert and teach him or her to become a better skier, and in many cases, a better racer,” Tyson said.
“Many people are afraid to come ski with us because they think that we are a group of hardcore racers, and they are nervous about their inexperience in racing. This team is really just a great way to meet more people who love to ski and snowboard,” ski team treasurer Kristen Six said. “Racing gives a new challenge to people who are otherwise bored on Ohio slopes, but it’s still at a level where anyone can participate and not be embarrassed.”
