Thursday, February 6, 1997
CLUB:
Growing UCLA Ski and Snowboard Association enjoys a No. 1
ranking alongside USCBy Tim Yun
Daily Bruin Contributor
January brought with it a record number of rainy days to
Southern California. While most students decried the foul weather,
the members of the UCLA Ski and Snowboard Association welcomed the
rain and snow.
The torrential rain would ensure that the team enjoyed the best
snow conditions of this season.
"The slopes are great. These are some of the best conditions I
have seen in a while," fifth-year skier James Skrinska said.
The UCLA Ski and Snowboard Association, formerly known as the
UCLA Ski Team, participates in various competitions and activities
throughout the year.
The club boasts approximately 50 members who have varying
degrees of skiing experience, ranging from the occasional weekend
skier to national team members.
As a member of the 17-team Southern California Collegiate Ski
Conference (SCCSC), UCLA competes against teams from schools such
as: USC, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, UC
San Diego and Long Beach State.
The SCCSC holds the distinction of being the only league in the
United States to conduct separate snowboarding events for both men
and women.
The men’s team has high expectations this season. Led by
Skrinska, and juniors James Ryerson, Gerald Ho and Alex Grenwitz,
the Bruin skiers are expected to finish either first or second in
the league, while junior snowboarders Mike Rockwell and Neal
Ishibashi will anchor the snowboarding team in the freestyle
competition throughout the season.
The women’s ski team will be led by two-time national team
member Monica Einsenstecken. Juniors Tracy Teal and Sara Grdan
should round out the team that is expected to be among the elite
teams in the SCCSC.
Currently, the entire UCLA club is in a virtual tie for first
place with USC.
The team participates in approximately six races during the ski
season, which culminates in the regional competition, which then
sets the stage for the national competition.
The competitions, which are held biweekly at Mammoth Mountain,
include events such as the giant slalom, slalom, snowboard slalom
and freestyle snowboarding in both the men’s and women’s
divisions.
Both the men’s and women’s teams fared well in the second
competition of the season, held Feb. 1-2.
Ho and Grenwitz, who finished first and third respectively, led
the way for the men’s ski team to earn seven of the top 15 spots in
the giant slalom.
In other men’s events, UCLA captured two of the top three spots
in the slalom course, and Rockwell and Ishibashi from the men’s
freestyle snowboarding team finished second and third in the
competition.
The women’s team, led by Grdan, fared well by taking two out of
the top four spots in both the slalom and the giant slalom.
According to Ryerson, the Ski and Snowboard Association has seen
an increase in club membership. He credits the addition of a
snowboarding team along with the increasing popularity and national
exposure of the sport as reasons why the club has increased
awareness and student interest.
"Being the only league in the United States to carry a
snowboarding team, this allows those individuals who have an
interest in snowboarding to showcase their skills," Ryerson
said.
The club does not limit membership to those who aspire to
compete; it welcomes skiers of all ability and experience.
"By incorporating the recreational aspect of skiing along with
the competitiveness between the schools, a very distinct atmosphere
is created," Ryerson said, "That differs from any other club or
NCAA sport."
Most students don’t associate Southern California with high
interest in skiing or snowboarding, but for the members of the UCLA
Ski and Snowboarding Association, nothing could be farther from the
truth.