Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Set To Host Ski Invitational
January 26, 2006 | Skiing
BOULDER - The University of Colorado will host the 13th Annual University of Colorado/Laura Sharpe Flood Memorial Ski Invitational over the next two weekends (Jan. 27-28, Feb. 3-4) at Steamboat Springs, site of the 53rd NCAA Championships this March.
Host Colorado, ranked second by the coaches in the latest Ski Racing Magazine poll, has been edged in the first two meets by defending NCAA champion and top-ranked Denver. The Pioneers bested the Buffaloes by 10 at the Utah Invitational and then by just three at the Montana State meet. Alaska-Anchorage, Utah and New Mexico are lurking behind the pair and are all capable of busting into the stranglehold DU and CU have had on the top two spots this winter.
"It's a preview of the championships, there will be many of the same competitors, in the same environment that we will ski in March, so it could be a confidence builder for the team that can win it," CU head coach Richard Rokos said. "As far as (CU) is concerned, I'm happy compared to where we were at this point last year, and am confident about what we can achieve. We haven't really skied with our full team at full strength, so it will be interesting to see how the results in this meet reflect our actual strength and where we stand with DU and the other western powers."
The most dominant skier this season, men or women, alpine or Nordic, has been CU sophomore Lucie Zikova, who has three wins (two slaloms and a giant slalom) and a runner-up finish in 2006. The Buffaloes will be bolstered in this meet, as its top two men's Nordic skiers are now close to full health, seniors Erling Christiansen and Henrik Hoye, with top woman Jana Rehemaa back from attempting to qualify for the Olympic team for her native Estonia. In addition, alpine racer Josh Bryan has been cleared to ski by the NCAA; had he skied for the Buffaloes in the first two meets instead of an independent CU student, the Buffs would have won both meets.
The first two meets were so close that on both occasions, meet officials informed Rokos that his team had won. He found out otherwise while in transit leaving both venues. The Buffaloes are still looking for their first team win since claiming this same invitational at Eldora Ski Resort almost exactly three years ago, some 17 meets since.
The invitational also serves to honor the late Laura Flood, as it is named in her memory. She died instantly at Eldora Ski Resort when she fell and hit a tree while on a training run on April 3, 1990. Sharpe was a sophomore on the CU ski team at the time of her death.
SCHEDULE: The following is the schedule for all four days of competition:
Friday, Jan. 27 Women's 5K Classic (Howelsen Hill Nordic Center, 9:30 a.m.)
Men's 10K Classic (Howelsen Hill Nordic Center, 11:30 a.m.)
Saturday, Jan. 28 Men's 20K Freestyle (Howelsen Hill Nordic Center, 9:30 a.m.)
Women's 15K Freestyle (Howelsen Hill Nordic Center, 11:30 a.m.)
Friday, Feb. 3 Women's Giant Slalom (Mt. Werner; 9:30 a.m. & 12:15 p.m.)
Men's Slalom (Howelsen Hill; 5:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.)
Saturday, Feb. 4 Men's Giant Slalom (Mt. Werner; 9:30 a.m. & 12:15 p.m.)
Women's Giant Slalom (Howelsen Hill; 5:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.)
PARTICIPATING TEAMS: Alaska-Anchorage, Boise State, Colorado, Denver, Montana State, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Western State, Whitman and Wyoming (associate member) will participate in the Nordic competition; all but Wyoming will race alpine (which is also a FIS race, and thus includes some unattached, non-collegiate individuals).
SCORING: The standard NCAA team scoring system for skiing will be used: each school can designate up to six scorers, with three counting toward the team score. First place receives 30 points, second 29, third 28, etc. Any other finishers from a school that has already utilized its three scoring spots do not receive a team point credit, with that credit assigned to the next finisher of a school that has not yet utilized its three scorers.
RESULTS: Daily results will be faxed and/or e-mailed to participating NCAA schools; SID's are expected to take care of their own media. Results will also be available on CU's official web site at www.CUBuffs.com: there will be a direct link from the front page to that day's story and the results (we are shooting for them to be up no later than 3 p.m. on the Nordic days and 10 p.m. on the alpine days).
STEAMBOAT CONTACTS: CU sports information director Dave Plati and associate director Lindsay Lew (303/492-5626) and Steamboat personnel Roger Perricone and Rick DeVos (970/879-0695) are the contacts for the meet.
CREDENTIALS: Please submit all credential requests through Dave Plati at CU athletic media relations (303/492-5626). Most of the Steamboat areas are accessible without credentials,
