Slice of Life

SU women’s club ski team prepares for nationals in Oregon after 1st place win at regionals

Syracuse University’s Women’s Club Ski Race Team qualified for nationals in Oregon after taking first place at regionals last week. The ladies are set to compete in Mount Bachelor in Oregon March 2 through March 7.

Practicing two to three times a week, for at least two hours a practice session, skiing has become a way of life for individuals on the team who have been training for an opportunity such as nationals since a young age.

Kelsey Dignes, a senior health and exercise science major and captain of the team, attended a ski academy and has been racing since she was a young girl.

“This is going to be my last real race ever in the 17 years I’ve been racing,” Dignes said. “I’d say 80 percent of my life has been dedicated to this. It’s going to be bittersweet for me, but I have a great group of girls out there.”

Dignes said the team puts in a huge amount of time and sacrifice to prepare for its competition. Despite the fact that the team is a club team, it is a misconception that they don’t work hard to reach their goals.



“A lot of what people don’t notice, is how much of (our time during) the week we put into this,” Dignes said. “We pay for the trips out of pocket. Even as a club, we put a lot of stock into the sport.”

Jocelyn Werle, a sophomore advertising major, said she was drawn to Syracuse University partially because of her lifelong passion.

“I started skiing at age 6, later going to a ski academy where the day was split between academics and skiing,” Werle said.

Werle also said excitement for the national competition stems from the dedication that she has put toward the sport, the chance to go out west and from the opportunity to race against worthy competitors.

Isabella Lynch, a sophomore television, radio and film major, and a first-season competitor on the team, said it is not just a chance to showcase the team’s dedication, but an opportunity to have fun.

“I am happy with the stacked lineup, and I’m honestly just excited to be here,” Lynch said. “It’ll be fun to ski in a beautiful area, out in the sunshine.”

Besides the chance to replace the smaller hills of central New York with the high slopes of the West Coast, Lynch said she and the girls are excited to reunite with other teams.

No matter the outcome of this week’s nationals, Dignes said that just getting to this point with such a tight-knit group is a win itself.

For Werle, it is not only skill level, but an expressed love of the sport that has brought the team to nationals.

Said Werle: “Skiing is unique. It’s such an individual sport, but at the same time, it’s the team effort that really counts in the end.”





Top Stories