Harvard Skiing clothing is now available for purchase directly through a partnership with Turfer.  Part of each sale’s proceeds will support the team, but we priced these items as low as Turfer would allow to give you the best possible value.  To purchase items, please click here.

There is a minimum group order size of 10 for each item; once we reach that number, the item will be embroidered with the Harvard Skiing logo and shipped directly to you.   The online store will close on December 5 in order to assure delivery by Christmas (unfortunately we are not able to guarantee delivery for Hanukkah).  Please note that the color on the Harvard shield will be crimson, although it appears quite red on the website.

For the second race event of November, the nordic team didn’t even have to venture outside. On a very rainy Saturday, the team descended upon the ski room to take part in the 2009 SkiErg World Sprints. On a Concept2 SkiErg on loan for the fall, eight members of the team double-poled in place for one kilometer in an attempt to best the times of other skiers around the world also taking part in the virtual race. Some pain was inflicted, and some fast times were posted. Needless to say, the nordic team is ready to find some snow in Quebec next week.

Trevor setting the team record of 3:28

Kevin en route to 3:55

Audrey on the way to the women's team record of 4:17

Alena rocking a 4:33

Anika hammering home in 4:39

Clare pulling a 4:38

Esther cruising to 4:21

Tony crushing a 3:43

Full results should appear here as competitors submit their times from the weekend.

First practice!

There are nine new skiers arriving in Cambridge this week.  They have a range of interests, from political science to engineering to biology, and come from as close as Vermont and as far as Alaska.  We look forward to welcoming them, and hope the ski team will be as important a part of their Harvard experience as it has been for so many others.

Alpine

Meghan Luck (Green Mountain Valley School, Waitsfield, VT) has an extensive FIS racing background and has competed and placed in some of the top Eastern and Canadian events as well as several European FIS races.  Tenley Malmquist (Holderness School, Plymouth, NH) comes to us from the tutleage of former US Ski Team coach Georg Capaul; rock solid fundamentals and strong top-10 results at National Junior FIS races at Waterville Valley last season will be her building blocks to make the leap to the next level.  Catherine Sheils (Burke Mountain Academy, East Burke, VT) comes to Harvard bringing an extremely deep and varied competitive background.  Last season saw her participate in US Ski Team development projects, compete well in regional FIS and Nor-Am races and have 12th, 14th, and 16th place finishes at the Finnish National Championships.   Andrew Spielvogel (Green Mountain Valley School, Waitsfield, VT) spent most of last season battling back from a knee injury.  He finished the season strong with some good results in New England and Quebec in February and March as he looks to regain his dominant form from two years ago.  Look for our Freshmen to be immediately cracking the top-30 in the EISA circuit and putting up a serious challenge for top-seed placings.

Nordic

Esther Kennedy (Anchorage, AK) skied for Robert Service High School, Alaska Winter Stars, and represented Alaska at Junior Nationals in 2008 and 2009.  She also competed at senior Nationals in Anchorage.  Tony Ryerson (Vail, CO) skied for Vail Mountain Academy and Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, represented the Rocky Mountain division at Junior Nationals in 2007, 2008 and 2009, and raced at senior nationals in 2008 and 2009.  Kevin Sprague (Queensbury, NY) skied for Queensbury High School and represented the Mid-Atlantic team at Junior Nationals.  He also runs cross-country, and is the brother of one of our women’s team members, Cara Sprague.  Alena Tofte (Duluth, MN) skied for Duluth East High School, finished 9th in the Minnesota State Championships, and was named to the Midwest team for Junior Nationals in 2007.  Anika Petach (Boulder, CO) skied for the Boulder Valley School District (Nederland Nordic Team) and has been a JO alternate for the Rocky Mountain division.  Anika is the sister of men’s captain, Trevor Petach.  In addition, Addie Byrne, a member of the women’s US Junior Biathlon team, will be joining us in the fall of 2010.

Thank you to assistant coach Sara Cushman ‘97, who recently started a Friends of Harvard Skiing page on Facebook for us.  We hope that this site will be a portal for Friends to keep in touch with each other, share their skiing adventures, and be a “fan” of the team.

[From GoCrimson.com] Eight Harvard skiers were among the 88 student-athletes named to the All-Academic Intercollegiate Ski Team Presented by the United States Collegiate Ski Coaches Association.

Six members of the Nordic team and two members of the Alpine team represented Harvard and were announced at the NCAA Championships Banquet in March.  There are two selection criteria for this award.  Students must have a 3.5 grade point average or higher in the fall semester and must have competed at the regional championships.

Anna Schulz, David McCahill, Trevor Petach, Joe Tofte, Shannon Mulshine and Meri Burruss were named from the Nordic team while Caroline McHugh and Kevin McNamara were named from Alpine.  See http://www.gocrimson.com/sports/skiing/index.