In the past year, Virginia Athletics has seen massive success, securing national championships in men’s basketball and lacrosse. Yet this success isn’t just limited to the varsity level. In March, the Virginia Alpine Ski and Snowboard Team experienced a successful run at the USCSA Collegiate National Championships in Lake Placid, N.Y.
Typically, only the men’s and women’s snowboarding teams have been able to send representatives to the national championships, but this year the men’s and women’s alpine ski teams were able to join the snowboarders at nationals.
“This was unprecedented in VASST’s history because qualifying for nationals in alpine skiing is very competitive,” freshman snowboarder Charlie Hepner said.
It was also rare for the team to send more than a team of more than 10 athletes or any freshmen, but VASST did both this year, sending a team of 19 athletes — including four freshmen — to the competition.
In contrast to many of the other highly competitive varsity teams competing at nationals, Virginia’s team is a student-run organization, lacking paid coaches and trainers. At practices, courses are set up for members to run the gates if they want, but racers usually practice freely. Despite their disadvantages, both of VASST’s snowboarding teams placed in the top 10 while both alpine skiing teams placed in the top 20 out of the 71 teams at the competition.
“We all just go out there to have a good time, yet we are competitive with some of the top schools in the country,” said Phoebe Draper, sophomore and 2021 women’s snowboarding captain.
The team walked away from this year’s nationals with three of their competitors placing in the top five of their respective events. Junior Noelle Prakken placed fifth in women’s snowboard slopestyle, senior Kathryn Wason placed fourth in women’s freestyle ski rail jam and Atkins placed fifth in women’s snowboard slalom.
However, competing at nationals isn’t just about performing well — the team enjoyed many other experiences at the competition this year. To open the event, the teams were able to soak in some of the history of Lake Placid, which hosted the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics. Notably, the town’s Olympic arena was the site of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice,” where the U.S. men’s hockey team defeated the Soviet Union on its way to a gold medal.
“We ate dinner on the old Olympic ice rink in Lake Placid and they put on a big fireworks show over the lake,” Hepner said. “It was a really exciting way to start off the week.”
Beyond the competitive nature of the event, the athletes were also able to connect with other skiers and snowboarders from their conference.
“We also got a lot closer with other teams than we had in previous years, especially those in our southeast conference such as Lees-McRae College and Liberty University, and [we] would spend a lot of time with them on and off the slopes,” said Adrienne Atkins, senior and 2020 women’s snowboarding vice president.
After the festivities, VASST quickly went to work, applying the success and skills they gained during the regular season at a national level.
“This was a really nice progression year, and we saw major improvements in skill sets as well as lots of new talent from our first year class of riders and skiers,” Draper said.
Some of the competitors credit the team’s environment and culture for their unprecedented success this year.
“The mixture of personalities and laid-back, positive attitudes really created an awesome culture, and in the end, it's all about the culture,” Atkins said.
This laid-back and fun-loving attitude was on full display throughout the competition. For example, after sophomore Luke Carlson found a ring, he decided to fake propose to Wason and have the whole interaction broadcasted on live television. The pair was later interviewed about the “proposal,” further encouraging the authenticity of the fabricated relationship.
Despite the success and laughs the team experienced during the competition, they were unable to evade the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The final day of events, including the awards ceremony and banquet, was canceled due to concerns surrounding the outbreak. Nevertheless, the team held their heads high, refusing to let the cancellations overshadow their experience.
“I'm proud of how everyone competed, but more proud of the positivity and fun that everyone had despite bad weather conditions and the impending pandemic,” Atkins said.
The success VASST produced during the regular season and at the national championship makes this year’s team truly stand out amongst past Virginia teams and creates a model for future teams to follow.
“Overall this was a really special year on VASST because of the incredible talent we gained from newcomers and the awesome culture VASST continues to foster,” Draper said. “It is great being part of such an accepting co-ed club of people who share such a passion for snow sports and outdoor lifestyles.”
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