 Ski team vice president and junior business major H. Ben McCracken races at Bryce Resort in Bayse, Va. Photo by Tommy Penick
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by BRYAN LAIL
Intern Sports Reporter
As exciting as the prospect of speeding downhill at a frenzied pace, zipping around obstacles and opponents may be, there is more work than fun involved right now for one of Appalachian State’s most expensive club sports.
Appalachian’s club ski team is gearing up for another season of slope racing as they await the year’s first winter snow.
But before that snow hits, the team hopes to have a good start financially through vigorous ongoing fundraising efforts.
With a race
scheduled almost every weekend once the season opens, including
possible trips to conference championships at the end of the year,
money can get tight in a hurry.
An
unfortunate example of that came two seasons ago when one member of the
team qualified for national competition. While it was an exciting honor
for ASU club skiing, a feat they had not managed in over a decade, it
was also a huge disappointment.
Due to financial constraints that year, the team could not afford to send their qualified member to the national event.
“It’s
really tough with all the racing and traveling that we do, but our
members go out and get sponsors in Boone and their hometowns or even
end up paying out of their Christmas money,” team president and senior
biology major Ashley E. Auman said. “We just ask that members raise as
much money as they can, but it is tough.”
Hoping
to avoid such problems in the future, the team has explored new
fundraising options this year while keeping old successes intact.
Local
businesses and even some of Appalachian’s student body helped
contribute to the ski team’s cause while making a few bucks of their
own during the teams annual swap shop, an event held last week in
Plemmons Student Union.
Businesses
from Boone and Banner Elk including First Track, Ski Country Sports,
Extreme and Edge of the World, loaned select merchandise to the team
that, when sold, provided 15 percent of that product’s value to the
team while the remaining 85 percent was returned to the businesses.
While
swap shop has enjoyed success over the years, it alone has not been
enough to fully support the team’s significant expenses.
“When
you get into racing you have to pay for registration fees, travel,
hotel rooms and those costs add up really quickly,” senior club
treasurer and business management major J. Richard Campbell said. “That
money has to come from somewhere, we get a little bit of money from the
school, but in all reality, it doesn’t even touch our costs.”
Next
year, more support could come as Appalachian’s club sports council
fights for a new student fee, finances from which would be spread
amongst all of Appalachian’s club sports.
In the
meantime, the team, through a partnership with Appalachian Ski
Mountain, is offering two nights of skiing on Dec. 11 and Jan. 8 for a
mere $20 as another form of fundraising. Interested parties can visit
www.appstateski.com.
Contact tables are being arranged in the coming weeks in the student union to promote further interest and support for the team.
Photo by Tommy Penick | The Appalachian
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