CCSA Skier Interviews
By Corey Coogan
March 10, 2005
Ari Ofsevit | Johanna Turunen | Erich Ziegler
Ari Ofsevit, Macalester College
- Where are you from?
I have lived nearly all of my pre-midwest life in Newton, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston (Go Sox, Go Pats).
- What high school or club did you ski for and what was your best result in high school?
I did not begin racing until I was a junior in high school, and I raced for the Newton North High School ski team, coached by Pat Garrison, mother of Saint Olaf racer Ollie Garrison (small world). I never did especially well in high school, and placed in the top-ten several times in our league races senior year, and 56th in the state.
- What led you to choose Macalester?
Macalester seemed like (and still is, for the most part) a very good fit. I wanted a small school, but did not want to go to school out in the so-called boonies. I found many of the comparable schools on the East Coast much more snobby-feeling than Mac, and liked the midwestern lifestyle. The ski team was a plus (and now it is gone...).
(Editor's note: In 2004, Macalester Nordic lost its varsity team status, and is a club sport at the school.)
- What are you majoring in at Macalester? What do you intend to do after college? Do you plan to ski after college?
I am a geography major and urban studies major and will probably throw in a political science minor. As a junior, I have no real plans for my life post-graduation (it is scary seeing senior friends fretting about jobs and grad school). While I think that I will go to grad school, perhaps in urban or transportation planning, I think that I will want to take a year or two off. Sixteen years straight is more than enough time in academia. Who knows, I might throw on a backpack and hike the Appalachian Trail or something crazy like that.
- What do you like best about Macalester?
That's a tough question. I like the city aspect of the campus. It affords many opportunities that would not be possible at a school in a more remote setting.. For instance, with the lack of ski opportunities [on City of Lakes weekend], I was able to easily go to A Prairie Home Companion on Saturday, sample local cuisine in the evening, and go see my hometown Boston Celtics beat the Timberwolves on Sunday. I am living off-campus this semester and am absolutely loving it; the fact that I can eat easily at 11:00 (am or pm) after classes. Also, it is not really that far from home. I looked at several schools that were 3-5 hours driving time from Boston. Macalester is the same distance, just by air. As far as academics go, I have found Macalester to be the perfect fit. I like the liberal arts setting and have found the classes interesting and thought-provoking. I really like the Geography Department here and my professors are great.
- You lived in Australia this summer. How much skiing did you do there? Where did you ski?
I studied for a semester at the University of Melbourne. Melbourne is a city of about 3 million people in the state of Victoria in the south of Australia. The city itself never drops below freezing and has a fair number of palm trees. Australia, however, has to be the most snow-obsessed country for a country without any real snow. The only reliable snow falls in areas above 4000 feet, which covers only a tiny part of the country. This past year was a reasonably good snow year there. I skied every weekend in August (I did not arrive until mid July) and skied in three places. Lake Mountain, which has 35 km, is the closest snow to Melbourne at only two hours from the center of the city. I also skied at Stirling Mountain (three hours from the city, 50 km of trails). I also skied for a weekend at Falls Creek, home of the 42k Kangaroo Hoppet.
- What differences did you observe between cross-country skiing and the cross-country ski scene in Australia and those of the United States?
The differences are endless. For one thing, the snow in Australia is wet and nasty, even by my Boston standards. It goes above freezing nearly every day there, so the snow is almost always transformed. For this reason, there is minimal non-fishscale classic skiing and racing there. It is simply too bloody hard to wax for the conditions, which are nearly always klister. Out of the several dozen annual races there, only a handful are classic technique.
The Aussies are also not adapted to cold like here in Minnesota. It never falls below 20 there, even on the mountains. After the Kangaroo Hoppet, which took place in temperatures from 30 to 40 in bright sunshine, I ran in to Stillwater's Larry Larson. He said that he was standing at the start, already sweating, and a skier next to him said, "Let's get this race started, my toes are freezing."
Johanna Turunen, University of Alaska-Fairbanks
-
 Where
are you from?
I come from a Finland city called Joensuu. It is located
in east part of Finland and it is part of North Karelia.
- When did you start skiing?
I started skiing almost right away when I learned to walk
(as it is for most of the kids back home).
- When did you start racing?
My first ski race was when I was about 3 years old and in
a daycare. Actually I did not like cross-country skiing
so much when I was in elementary school, but as it was part
of our school and lifestyle I started to like it, and ended
up to be a member of a ski club at age of 12. That is also
when I started to race more seriously.
- What differences do you notice between junior skiing
in Finland and in the United States?
In Finland cross-country skiing is part of the culture and
so every kid will begin skiing when they go to the elementary
school at the latest. I remember when I was in elementary
school, we had ski trails around the school yard (about
1km). During the 15 minute breaks between classes, I and
my friends took our skis and tried to ski as many laps as
we could during the break. Also in Finland we do not have
ski teams in our school but instead we are members of ski
club. Usually people who are members of the ski club are
really focused on skiing and their whole family is helping
them to get better (usually dads are waxing skis and mums
take care of other things). Junior skiers attend many ski
camps during the year (especially in the fall) where they
learn technique, nutrition and how to train smart. Usually
ski clubs have instructed practice twice a week and other
times juniors train on their own or with their personal
coaches.
- What led you to consider coming to the U.S. for education
and ski racing?
I considered coming to the USA because I did not have any
plans other than skiing after high school.
Erich Ziegler, Gustavus
- Where are you from?
I am from Crystal Falls, which is in the Upper Peninsula
of Michigan.
-
(Photo: Corey Coogan) |
What high school or club did you ski for and what was
your best result in high school?
I skied for the Superiorland Racing Team, which is based
out of Marquette, MI. The Superiorland Club is an active
ski club and is very supportive of youth skiing. I was lucky
to have quality coaches through these years, including two
of whom are now ski coaches at the college level (Joe Haggenmiller
at MTU and Scott Jerome at UAF). The Superiorland Club and
Racing Team is one of the most powerful programs in the
US. My best result in high school was when I was the Michigan
State Champion my senior year. That was a big goal of mine
since I started ski racing back in the 5th grade. I had
several top results on the Central/Midwest JO Qualifier
circuit, and competed well at Junior Olympics as well.
- How is high school skiing in Michigan different from
that of Minnesota?
Michigan high school skiing does not have the quantity of
the Minnesota system, but we have the quality. The Superiorland
team that I was on competed successfully on the Central
and Midwest circuits. The Upper Peninsula is a great place
to grow up and call home, as well as to develop as a skier.
Yooper power.
- What led you to choose Gustavus?
I wanted to be a science teacher after college, and Gustavus
has top-notch education and science programs. I also wanted
to ski after college, and Scott Jerome, whom I had known
and worked with since junior high school, had recently taken
the job at Gustavus. Gustavus is a great school.
- What are you majoring in at Gustavus? What do you
intend to do after college? Do you plan to ski after college?
I am majoring in secondary education and biology. I want
to teach life science after I graduate. I will continue
skiing for the rest of my life, as it has always been an
important part of my life (my parents had me on skis before
I could walk). I hope to coach after I graduate, and try
to give back to the ski community from which I have gained
so much.
- What do you like best about Gustavus? What do you
like best about the ski team?
I love the atmosphere and attitude that is exuded at Gustavus.
The same is true for the ski team. Our coaching staff and
team are a great group of people. We work hard and have
fun. The team will be returning many dedicated and driven
athletes next year, and our coach Jed Friedrich is a high
quality coach. My girlfriend, Chandra Daw, is also on the
ski team, which is sweet.
- How have you and fellow Gusties overcome the challenge
of recent low -snow years?
Hard work.
- How do you feel about your season thus far? Have you
met your goals?
This season went well. I achieved some of my goals, but
am looking forward to next year.
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