CALDWELL, Idaho — The College of Idaho Ski team competes at Brundage Mountain Resort this weekend. The men's and women's teams are off to a strong start, with a handful of first place outings so far this season.
The team competes in slalom skiing, the event where skiers race down the mountain hitting flags along the way. While the team can only compete in the winter, the preparation takes place all year.
“We worked really hard this fall with dry land and weight lifting," Said Sasha Mueller, a co-captain on the team. "We were in the gym at 6 a.m. for the fall and also at 8 p.m. So, it was a lot of hard work but it’s really exciting getting to see it paying off these first couple of races."
She has been racing her whole life and it was a major part of her decision to attend the college of Idaho.
“To just kind of get to take it back a little bit, but still get to experience the fun of having the comradery of a team," Mueller said. "Still getting to do what I love while getting to be a real adult.”
The coach of the team, Aaron Flynn, competed at the College of Idaho as a skier. He transitioned into coaching right after his playing career and now holds the head spot in Caldwell.
"So if you can be successful at ski racing, you can be successful anywhere," Flynn said.
He is excited about what his team is capable of doing, not only this year but in the future.
"We believe that we can crack back into the top five in the nation this year," Flynn said. "Then we’ll be working on getting back into the podium at nationals moving forward.”
After competing at Brundage this weekend, they will head to Washington next weekend. At the end of the month, they will host the regional tournament at Bogus Basin.
