2021 Alpine Skiing Season Preview

COMING UP: at Lookout Pass Cup (Slalom), Lookout Pass Ski Area, Saturday-Sunday.
 
LIVE TIMING: Live Results will be available for each weekend run online through Live-Timing.com – with full results to be posted online following the event at YoteAthletics.com.
 
SKI SEASON SET TO BEGIN: COVID-19 put a wrinkle in The College of Idaho alpine ski season, but despite the challenges set forth by the virus, the Yotes will open their season this weekend on the Idaho-Montana border, competing in slalom competition. C of I will race against the University of Idaho and Rocky Mountain College – with the three schools looking to hold more races later in the season. The teams will attempt to have four runs per day, depending on conditions.
 
2020 REWIND: Last winter, the Coyote men won seven of the eight Northwest Collegiate Ski Conference qualifiers, claiming the team title for the second time in three seasons. C of I followed it with a third-place effort at the USCSA Western Regional at Bogus Basin, punching their ticket to the USCSA Championships in Lake Placid, N.Y., where the squad placed sixth overall. The C of I women battled through a season with just two competitors – finishing ninth in the NWCSC regular-season standings. The Coyote men must replace their Top-5 athletes – including All-Americans Mateo Gonzalez and Trevor Trimble, along with Jacopo Gelmetti, Jarod Esnoz and Arnav Virmani – all who were apart of the scoring quintet at Nationals.
 
A NEW LEADER: Former Coyote skier and assistant coach Aaron Flynn took over the C of I program this winter after longtime head coach Ron Bonneau retired after 30-years. Flynn competed for the Yotes from 2005-08 and was a 3-time All-NWCSC selection.
 
ABOUT THE COYOTE MEN: C of I will have a completely different look this winter, returning just two athletes from the 2020 squad – William Gisler and Loi Ha – who each competed in all eight league races last season. Three newcomers – freshmen William Paquette, Benjamin Troyer and Vance Moses Sibetang look to make an impact. Paquette, a second generation Coyote skier from Quebec, competed with the Sun Valley SEF squad; Troyer, from Coeur d'Alene, raced for the Lookout Pass Ski Team, while Sibetang, a Boise native, raced at Bogus Basin.
 
ABOUT THE COYOTE WOMEN: Both racers from the 2020 season return – sophomores Josie Pape and Madison Ewing – racing in all eight NWCSC events, with Pape logging four Top-25 finishes. Four recruits will be key to the Yotes success – freshmen Kayla Vandecoevering, Sasha Mueller, Amy Farley and Teresa McCallum. Vandecoevering, from Portland, raced at Mount Hood; Mueller, from California, has raced at Mammoth Mountain for the past eight year; with Farley, from Washington and McCallum, from the Magic Valley, adding key depth.
 
NWCSC SEASON POSTPONED: Due to the COVID-19 restrictions in Washington and Oregon, along with the travel restrictions between the U.S. and Canada, the Northwest Collegiate Ski Conference canceled the 2021 race season. Eight of the schools in the league – British Columbia, Washington, Washington State, Gonzaga, Puget Sound, Whitman, Eastern Oregon and Oregon – are unable to currently compete, while resorts in those states unable to host events.  Both C of I and the University of Idaho will look to compete in the Gem State, along with partnering with both the Rocky Mountain and Grand Teton Conferences for potential events.
 
NO USCSA CHAMPIONSHIPS: In addition, the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association decided to postpone its 2021 national championship due to the ongoing pandemic. The national body is hopeful that each region can still hold events for schools able to compete – with a potential regional championship still a possibility.