Most Bobcats finished their travel plans as they transitioned back into another semester at Bates. The Nordic and Alpine Ski teams, however, could not get too comfortable in Maine. Both teams drove six hours to Lake Placid, New York, for their first Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association Carnival race of the year, the St. Lawrence Carnival. The carnival spanned two days, Jan. 12-13, with Bates’s Nordic and Alpine Ski teams combining to score 331 carnival points, finishing 9th out of 17 participating teams. Nordic competed at Mt. Van Hoevenburg, while Alpine raced on Whiteface Mountain.

For the Nordic team, on Jan. 12, Kaelyn Woods ’20 placed 16th out of 98 competitors in the women’s 5K freestyle. She completed the grueling course in a brisk 16:35.1. Maya Seckinger ’21 placed 39th, Olivia Skillings ’22 debuted in 44th, and Zoe McKinney placed 49th. These Bobcats finished with times of 17:32.5, 17:39.8, and 17:58.5 respectively, rounding out the carnival’s top 50 times. On the men’s team, Brad Ravenelle ’21 led the Bobcats in 58th place out of 102 individuals in the 10K freestyle race and completed the course in 30:44.2. Henry Raff ’22, captain Carter Ros ’21, and Tucker Barber ’21 were not too far behind, finishing 60th, 63rd, and 66th respectively.

On the Alpine Ski team’s mountain on opening day, Griffin Mueller ’20, who qualified and competed at the NCAA Championships last year, placed 16th in the women’s slalom. Mueller had runs of 49.19 and 51.00 seconds for a combined time of 1:40.19. Tess Coutu ’22 started her alpine ski career with a combined time of 1:44.47, which put her in 27th place. For the men’s team, Arie Van Vuuren ’22 finished 16th in the slalom while Joe Gillis ’21 placed 27th in 1:39.69. After this first day of competition, the Nordic and Alpine Ski teams stood in ninth place out of 17 teams, with 239 carnival points.

“Last year we had a great season and saw the team have some of its best results for years,” Muller said. “We would love to see a little more consistency this year and want to make sure we are getting faster throughout the season…This year’s squad stands out because we are still such a young team and are grounded by just a few upper-classmen with the bulk of the team members and the energy especially coming from the freshman and sophomores on the team,” she continued. “Also, the team has so much passion and energy driving them it is going to lead to great results.”

“Although ski is a very individual sport, since you’re the only one racing down the mountain, it’s also about the team that supports one another,” West added. “So, a goal for this season is to get as many athletes to NCAAs as we can by cheering each other on and pushing everybody in training.”

The final day of the carnival saw Nordic’s Woods finish 14th out 98 competitors in the women’s 10K classical technique race. She covered the course in 35:52.7. Seckinger ‘21 and Skillings ’22 finished second and third for the Bobcats, completing the course in 30th and 36th with times of 37:20.8 and 38:23.0. On the men’s side, Raff led the Bobcats, finishing the 10K course in 31:22.8, Ros placed 57th in 32:02.2 and Barber rounded off the scorers in 58th.

For Alpine, Gillis completed the men’s giant slalom races with a career best 19th place finish. Max Schneider ’21 tied for 32nd place out of 64 competitors with a time of 2:17.4. Calvin Wilson ’22 placed 42nd in 2:19.01. On the women’s side, Hannah West lead the way in 25th out of 73 competitors. Coutu finished her debut in 33rd place with a time of 2:28.25.

Overall, the carnival was successful for both teams, with Bates scoring 331 points and securing 9th out of 17 teams. The Nordic and Alpine teams hope to continue their success at the UNH Carnival at the Jackson Ski Touring Center in Jackson, New Hampshire this weekend, Jan. 18-19.

“I hope this team can stand in the top five at some of our carnivals,” Mueller said. “The most immediate goal I have for is to improve upon every weekend and be around to push each other.”

“Although ski is a very individual sport, since you’re the only one racing down the mountain, it’s also about the team that supports one another,” West added. “So, a goal for this season is to get as many athletes to NCAAs as we can by cheering each other on and pushing everybody in training.”

The final day of the carnival saw Nordic’s Woods finish 14th out 98 competitors in the women’s 10K classical technique race. She covered the course in 35:52.7. Seckinger ‘21 and Skillings ’22 finished second and third for the Bobcats, completing the course in 30th and 36th with times of 37:20.8 and 38:23.0. On the men’s side, Raff led the Bobcats, finishing the 10K course in 31:22.8, Ros placed 57th in 32:02.2 and Barber rounded off the scorers in 58th.

For Alpine, Gillis completed the men’s giant slalom races with a career best 19th place finish. Max Schneider ’21 tied for 32nd place out of 64 competitors with a time of 2:17.4. Calvin Wilson ’22 placed 42nd in 2:19.01. On the women’s side, Hannah West lead the way in 25th out of 73 competitors. Coutu finished her debut in 33rd place with a time of 2:28.25.

Overall, the carnival was successful for both teams, with Bates scoring 331 points and securing 9th out of 17 teams. The Nordic and Alpine teams hope to continue their success at the UNH Carnival at the Jackson Ski Touring Center in Jackson, New Hampshire this weekend, Jan. 18-19.

“I hope this team can stand in the top five at some of our carnivals,” Mueller said. “The most immediate goal I have for is to improve upon every weekend and be around to push each other.”