Sasha Kandrach, a contributor to LetsGoDU, did an excellent article on the prospects for DU's ski team this season. They look to be formidable and the coaches are confident. Follow the link below to Sasha's article in the Clarion.
Here
This could be the year they get #31 if everything goes right. As always, a very strong CU will be their main competitor for the national crown. The ongoing excellence of our ski team has led to 22 national championships for DU. The 22 ski titles are the fourth most NCAA Division 1 titles among any team in any single sport. Oklahoma State wrestling holds the most national titles with 34, followed by Southern Cal men's outdoor track and field (26), and Iowa State wrestling (23).
Skiing has an extremely short season. They begin in early January and the National Championship in Steamboat Springs concludes by mid-March. So, training and conditioning which is going on now and training for peak performances in March is the priority. Best of luck to Head Coach Andy LeRoy and David Stewart (Nordic) and the DU team.
4 comments:
It's amazing that a school that has won 22 National titles has probably only seen perhaps 1% of its own sports fans actually witness a live ski meet in the entire history of the ski program.
Since the NCAA championships are in Colorado this year, DU should arrange for a fan bus on the last day of the NCAA championships, so that our athletes can be cheered on by more than just fellow teammates and family members...
Agreed! We need to push for fan support this year on our home turf - Steamboat.
Unfortunately, skiing is not a spectator-friendly sport (unless it is a major event, i.e. Olympics, World Championships, World Cup, etc). For the major events there are temporary bleachers constructed at the finish with large video screens that show the entire hill/course. The NCAA doesn't go to these lengths for their championships. That being said, let's get people up there! It is free to attend (might have to hike/walk to venues), the atmosphere is electric, and it is a fun time. One of my favorite DU memories was going to the 2010 skiing championships up in Steamboat on the final day and celebrating our win with the athletes! I would love to help get people up there, cause you know I wouldn't miss our skiers bring home number 23!!
I would love to support the team more. I'm always keeping up with them during the NCAA championships. Since I've been following them, they have probably won like 5 national championships. Shame about last year, I think that the XC team really flamed out or perhaps didn't have the right wax or whatever. The alpine team performed amazingly well. XC needs to redeem itself this year. Go Pioneers
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