This season, Brown has been struggling compared to the recent history of the Brown ski program. It was ranked sixth in the division after its first four competitions of the season, just one spot outside of the coveted top five. At the end of the season, the top five teams in each division qualify for Regionals. From there, teams can then qualify for the national competition. The Bears finished fifth in the nation last year, and they were not pleased with this season's sixth place regional ranking heading into the weekend.
"Basically, we've been having problems with consistency this year," said captain Kelly O'Hear '07. "We have good individual performances ... but we haven't been coming together at the same time."
Although the Bears did not perform as well as they wanted in the slalom at Pat's Peak on Saturday, they still managed a fourth-place finish. O'Hear led the team, coming in sixth out of 64 finishers. She completed her first run in 59.67 seconds and followed that up with a run of 57.81, a total time of 1:57.48. Elisa Handbury '10 and Sophie Elgort '08 also put together solid runs, finishing 13th in 2:01.28 and 14th in 2:02.43, respectively. Handbury clocked in at 1:02.99 for her first run and improved by more than four seconds in her second run, 58.29. Elgort also improved drastically in her second run. She completed her first run in 1:02.61 and came back with 59.82. O'Hear said Elgort's performance was particularly impressive.
"Sophie Elgort has been skiing consistently the past few weekends," O'Hear said. "She's been stepping it up this year. She's always been a consistent skier, but she's figured out how to ski even faster this year."
On Sunday, the team showed the form it displayed at the end of last season. On Mt. Sunapee, the Bears showed why they consider themselves a "GS team." O'Hear tied for third overall in a field of 70 in the GS with an overall time of 1:50.05. She completed her first run in 55.92 and her second in 54.13. Anna Bengtson '09 continued her comeback from an injury-plagued career by finishing second in 10th overall, timing in at 56.51 and 55.45 for a total time of 1:51.96. Bengtson attributed her improvement this year to maintaining a consistent level of training for the first time in years.
"I've been injured the last couple of years, but I was able to use this entire preseason to condition," Bengtson said. "I've been trying to step it up, and I've just been having a good time. I am just happy not being on the sidelines watching everyone else."
Handbury rounded out the scoring for the Bears in the GS, checking in at 57.71 and 55.51 for a total time of 1:53.22, which was good for 15th overall. The Bears made the podium with their third-place finish in the event, trailing only winner Colby-Sawyer College by five seconds and runner-up Boston College by two.
"We finally all put solid runs together," Bengtson said of Sunday's team performance. "It was really great for our confidence to put it together."
O'Hear said Sunday's performance is a step in the right direction for the Bears.
"We want to be on the podium every weekend," she said. "We want to try to improve our slalom, and we want to be at least top three ... we want to easily qualify for Regionals and show (everyone) who's boss."
The uncharacteristically slow start for the Bears this season can be attributed in part to the unseasonably warm temperatures. The lack of snow in January severely hampered the skiers' ability to train adequately. During training camp in Waterville Valley, N. H., over winter break, Brown had to contend with other teams accomplish any training runs on the limited trails available.
Although the squad did what free skiing they could and completed plyometric and aerobic drills, the benefits were not the same as actually skiing. The team was only able to hit the slopes hard about one week before being thrown into its first competition. However, recent colder conditions have allowed the team to train better. With this weekend's success, Brown is now confidently aiming for a spot at Nationals.
"We definitely should be in the top five at Nationals, and I really think we can be in the top three at Nationals," Bengtson said.
Competing at Nationals is not a given. Brown must climb the rankings during the regular season and fend off challenges from the University of Massachusetts and Smith College, currently ranked fifth and sixth in the division. Even with great training, one mishap can dash all hopes. "In skiing, all it takes is one of the skiers to fall, and the team misses qualifying," Bengtson said.
The Bears will host the Brown Carnival at Wachusett Mountain in Massachusetts on Friday before traveling to Loon Mountain in New Hampshire for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Carnival on Saturday.
