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Show ATHLETICS 9 SM team prepares o? RJCJiy. season despite lack of snorj ANDREW ALDRIDGE STAFF REPORTER Tim Lindgren, sophomore from Stockholm, Sweden, initiates a turn at Salen Ski Resort in his home country, lindgren attends Westminster so he can pursue his athletic passion and earn a degree in global politics at the same time. Winning is a state of mind. They try to be the best prepared that they can and take it from there. We respect our competition but we dont fear anybody, pp -- CHRIS HENDRICKSON. SKI TEAM HEAD COACH Mother natures lack of snow will not keep the Westminster ski team from preparing for the upcoming race season. Tim lindgren, sophomore majoring in global politics from Stockholm, Sweden, said he is upset by how little it has snowed so far this season. Its a little frustrating when the hill and then get reserve you screwed over because the snow doesnt show up, Lindgren said. I guess thats just how it is Sometimes its good and sometimes its bad. A handful of students, like Anna Goodman, junior economics and marketing major from Canada, took training into their own hands and planned a personal trip Colorado where some of the resorts are already open, according to Goodman. The head coach, Chris Hendrickson, said he is also 1 frustrated by the lack of snow. The team is restricted to dry land training for the time being, he said. Right now is kind of a hard time of year, Hendrickson said. We were hoping the weather was going to be a little bit better here. Hendrickson and team members agree they will be ready for their first races in Park City come January, regardless of the current training conditions. Winning is a state of mind, Hendrickson said. They try to be the best prepared that they can and take it from there. We respect our competition but we dont fear anybody. lindgren, sophomore from Stockholm, Sweden, said he feels confident about the success and chemistry of the ski team. Last year was a good season, he said. We had a good team. We had a couple of good podiums. The team is setting up even better this year so hopefully we can do really well. Unlike other Westminster athletic teams, the ski team competes at the NCAA division 1 level. It races against The University of Utah, The University of Denver, The University of Alaska Anchorage and other large universities, Lindgren said. The level of collegiate skiing is higher in America than in most places, according to Lindgren. The ski racing here in the US at the college level is actually really, really high, he said. I competed in Europe back home and a lot of people like me realize that at some point they should get an education. So they come here and get a good scholarship. Therefore you have a lot of really good skiers that come over here. Lindgren isnt the only international student on the team. We are all pretty much international, said Anna Goodman, junior from Canada who competed in the Vancouver and Sochi Winter Olympics. Even though most of the team members are international students, the head coach, Chris Hendrickson, said that they do not discriminate when selecting athletes for the ski team. We just tiy to get people that are the right fit athletically and academically, he said. We try to get the best people here that we can that want to be here for the right reasons. Everyone on the team is important No one is better than the other." David Herzog, junior marketing major from Salzburg, Austria, said he recognizes Westminsters ski culture. I think Westminster can be really proud of their ski team competing at such a high level against bigger schools, Herzog said. We would love to have more students at our races. The first home races of the season will be held at Park City Mountain Resort on Jan. 9, 10 and 11. Although Spring semester does not begin until Monday, Jan. 12, the Westminster community can still head to Park City to watch the ski team compete. Contact David Herzog at dmho317westminstercollege.edu to find out more information about watching the upcoming ski races in Park City. |