Welcome back to your favorite weekend recap with the University of Michigan Alpine Ski and Snowboard Team! Fourth weekend means Parents Weekend, where all our racers’ parents travel from far and wide to host the best wine and cheese night in all of northern Michigan, filled with endless amounts of food and fun. They were also kind enough to support us at the bottom of the hill where they witnessed how much our racing skill has declined since high school.
Waking up bright and early Saturday morning and venturing deep into Otsego to a previously unraced hill, the Wolverines gave it all they had in slalom. Unfortunately, the Women’s team results were lost due to a mishap with timing, so I’m proud to announce that the whole Women’s A team tied for first for the first time in history! The Men’s team fought valiantly with Wyatt Mattson and Will Hallas tying for fourth, followed closely by Benny Aulicino at fifth and senior Calum Schulz at seventh. Going over to Snowboard, Stella Gaydek came out on top with a first place finish. After many hugs and bountiful amounts of pictures at the bottom of the hill, the team made its way over to the parking lot for a rather chilly tailgate. As the temperature dropped and the food vanished, the racers and their families migrated to the Logmark to enjoy some company, conversations, and live music. To end off the night, the team headed back to our cozy cabin to enjoy one last night with our beloved seniors.
Still wiping some tears from our eyes, we returned to Otsego the next morning to send the weekend away with some good old G.S. The Women’s team ended the regular season with a bang, with Lauren Carlson taking first and senior Kristen Gresla at second. Ashley Binette and Marie Morris were right behind them taking fourth and fifth, nearly securing another sweep. The Men’s team scored second place with Wyatt Mattson taking the gold, Benny Aulicino snagging 6th, and seniors Max Block and Calum Schulz sliding into seventh and ninth. Following the race, the local Q-Doba had its best hour in history as crowds of college racers re-fueled for the drive home.
Huge thank you to the parents for making this year’s Parents Weekend one for the history books. Congratulations to our incredible seniors; Max Block, Will Brodie, Sarah Burg, Erin Burke, Grace Dempsey, Liv Durcan, Josh Goldberg, Kristen Gresla, Aaron Gronsman, and Cameron Moy, for one last season packed to the brim with great memories and great people. Catch us this weekend at the collegiate Midwest’s version of the Super Bowl (with only a few less viewers) in Marquette.
