Captains Mike Sinnott '07, Ben True '08 and Glenn Randall '09 have all been selected to represent the U.S. in the under-23 division at the International Ski Federation U23 World Ski Championships in Tarvisio, Italy from Sunday, Jan. 28 to Sunday, Feb. 4.
The USSA bases its choices on results at U.S. National Championships, held in Houghton, Mich. this past week. Sinnott, True and Randall all had impressive performances there, cementing their places on the world championship team.
Each Big Green skier had top-thirty finishes out of all skiers, including professionals in several races. A top-thirty finish is usually the benchmark used by the USSA for choosing the U23 team, but each of Dartmouth's skiers had finishes significantly higher than that requirement.
In the 10k Classic race on Wednesday, Jan. 3, Sinnott was the first U23 finisher, placing 12th overall in a race that Kris Freeman, the eight-time national champion, won. Later in the week, Sinnott secured another top-15 finish, placing 13th in the Classic sprints.
In the 15k freestyle on Jan. 4, Randall placed 16th overall and first for U23 racers. Ben True also cracked the top twenty, finishing 19th in the 10k classic race.
Stellar results are nothing new for these three skiers, who have been steadily working their way up the elite ranks of American nordic skiing. Sinnott made the U23 team last year, and all three have been selected for the World Junior team, a younger age group, in previous seasons.
This astonishing success is also no stranger to the Dartmouth nordic program, which traditionally has produced some of the best skiers in the country. This includes Alison Crocker '06, who made both world junior and U23 championship teams, and was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to study astrophysics at Oxford.
"I'm a physics major, so I'm still living in the shadow of Ali Crocker," Randall said. "The physics profs just assume everybody on the ski team is a genius or something," he continued, referring to the downside of such success.
The trip to Italy, which includes a pit stop in Austria for added training, will cost the skiers two weeks of class time.
"I think all three of us are only in two classes, and I can't imagine taking three classes and doing this," Randall said. "I just tell people that my third class is 'Skiing Appreciation.'"
"It's easier to focus on studies and racing when you know the professor is on your side," Sinnott said about the patience and support he usually receives from professors.
At the World Championships, these skiers will have the opportunity to face off against the world's best in a place where there's actually snow. It's an opportunity that can hardly be passed up.
Hannah Dreissigacker '09, however, is hoping that someone will do just that, as she was named the first alternate for the women's U23 team. Though she has not heard if a spot on the team will be opening up, to be chosen as an alternate reveals Dreissigacker's success thus far in her career.
The entire team's achievements at U.S. Nationals and in the U23 teams certainly raised eyebrows and expectations for the season. According to the USSA, these three men are three of the six best in collegiate racing. Come Carnival season and the NCAA Championships, all eyes will be watching this stellar trio and the team they lead.
