World University Games report!

The alpine competition became a dominant affair. Czech skier Jan Zabystřan took home all available men’s victories. However, in the dual combined, the Czechs lost to the US, mainly because they did not have a fourth competitor due to an injury.

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It is challenging to evaluate the strength of an individual national team because the majority compete in the Pac-12 Conference. The teams from USA, CAN, CZE, NOR, SWE, AUT, GER, ITA, FIN, FRA, SVK, and DEN include athletes studying both domestically and abroad. However, the field was very similar to the NCAA Championships because many of the athletes study and train in US NCAA schools. They have US coaches paid by US taxpayers.  However, it is hard to say how much influence the USA has on the development of those athletes because of Covid. Some have competed for US schools for five years. However, the credit for developing their fundamental skills belongs to their home countries.

On-site

As with any premier event of this magnitude, the security was very tight. Concrete barriers and checkpoints were placed around the perimeter and secured by dozens of police cruisers and hundreds of officers. Downtown Lake Placid became a no-traffic zone for the two weeks of the games.

Lodging and accommodation

While the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center hosted the US group, the rest of the competitors stayed in the Northwood School dormitories. OTC hosted a few US sports teams, but the facility was almost empty. However, the Northwood School was packed to the brim and was a melting pot of all nations. The indoor soccer field was divided into roughly 12 areas that served as ski storage and wax rooms for all guests. Uniquely, each area was outfitted with several power units since the gymnasium had only some of the needed (50+) outlets.

The venues

The 1980 Olympic venues and Whiteface have experienced improvements since the 2015 NCAA Championships. Trails have been shaped and widened.

The race crew (mostly certified FIS TDs) came well-prepared; despite the variable weather, conditions were flawless! In the first week of super-Gs and super combined, the snow was hard, providing the whole field with a stable course surface through the last competitor. The race crew included experienced and capable people. Hopefully, they will use the same team for the NCAA Championships in March.

Dual slalom

Even though all events offered excellent TV coverage, the competitions where spectators can observe the whole race are the best. The highlight of the well-executed series was a dual-gender parallel – very spectacular and executed to perfection.

Downsides

The opening ceremony should have been shorter since athletes had to compete the next day. It was a well-organized and choreographed program, but it would have been more attractive to some delegations if it had been shorter. Unfortunately, people started leaving prematurely. An embarrassing situation, but the show was terrific!

US Alpine Team

Fourteen women and ten men competed for the US in the speed and technical events. However, some individuals competed in all events. Jacob Dilling was the only stand-out in both GS and SL. However, the rest of the US team performed admirably.

Notably, speed events are not a part of the NCAA format and it was apparent. Athletes that are part of the NCAA programs do not regularly train or race in the speed events and the visiting nations had a clear advantage in those events. However, the US group competed without accident or injury!

Overall

The two weeks of competitions occurred between the preceding Eastern NorAm races, followed by the start of the RMISA and EISA races. Living out of duffel bags and traveling across the country during an academic semester is uncommon for college students. Let’s hope fatigue will not be a factor at the end of the season.

A global initiative

To globally unify collegiate skiing, ESKI (a project financed by a European Union grant focused on innovation in Alpine Skiing) took all needed notes. One of ESKI’s goals is to introduce a dual careers program similar to the NCAA in Europe. The goal is to help eligible athletes ski race and graduate college in Europe under the same or similar conditions as in the US.

Special appreciation to

Kris Shampeny, Chip Knight, Ellen Tolstad, the selection committee, as well as to the athletes, coaches and organizers.