Over spring break, Elizabeth Scott ’23 became the first member of the women’s alpine ski team to compete at the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) National Championships, marking an important milestone for the growing club team.
Bowdoin's alpine ski team joined the USCSA in 2012 and now competes in Reynolds Division alongside other colleges in Maine. The team and the division are made up of students with a broad range of skiing experience, from high-level skiers to those who began skiing in college.
Scott started ski racing at age nine. Before attending Bowdoin, she attended Sugar Bowl Academy in Norden, California, a college preparatory academy for competitive skiers.
This season, the women’s team qualified for regionals, competing at Sugarloaf Mountain against teams from all over the East Coast. “Everyone skied really well,” Scott said, “but unfortunately we didn’t qualify for nationals as a team.”
Scott explained that qualifying for nationals as an individual is no easy feat, either. “It was hard to qualify as an individual because you have to put together four solid runs, and consistency in skiing is difficult,” she said. “I was so worried about just getting four runs down on the hill, so I was really excited that I ended up qualifying.”
The USCSA National Championships were held at Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid, New York, from March 9–14, the first week of Bowdoin’s spring break. Scott explained that she had leaned on her teammates all year for support, and did so especially after she received the news that she had qualified.
“I am so grateful for my team,” Scott said. “The captains helped me figure out all the logistics. And, luckily, Annina [Breen] ’21 volunteered to take time out of her spring break to drive me to nationals; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to go.”
With Breen supporting her in person, and her family, friends, and teammates watching from home, Scott finished nineteenth among ninety-two competitors. “As soon as I finished my second run, we got in the car and drove back to Bowdoin to pack up our stuff, but we were very thankful to have this last really nice moment to end on,” she said.
Next year, Scott will serve as a junior captain for the team. “I’m really looking forward to doing a lot of stuff as a team next year,” she said. “I want to try to be super welcoming to any first years joining the team and do what our captains did for us, which is just make it a really fun space to ski.”
