Panthers Prove Prowess at UNH Carnival

The Middlebury alpine ski team competed in its second carnival race of the season this past weekend at the University of New Hampshire, getting a taste of both heartbreak and sweet victory across the roster. The Panthers finished with 738 points, placing third overall behind Dartmouth (986 points) and Vermont (849 points). 

 Alpine races were held at Cannon Mountain and concluded on Saturday afternoon. Erik Ardvisson ’21 continued to dominate the slopes, taking home second place in the men’s slalom event and tying a career-best finish with a time of 1:45.16. Max Stamler ’19 finished second for the Panthers, securing the 19th spot in the slalom event with a time of 1:49.6, followed by Pate Campbell ’20 in 46th place with a time of 57.76.

 “We are so close to putting it all together. The team just needs to stick together and build off of each other’s speed,” Ardvisson said, looking ahead to the UVM Carnival in two weeks. 

With Dartmouth as the Panthers’ fiercest competitor, Ardvisson says the team’s key to success will depend on “being able to make really good turns no matter the conditions or the pressure.”

 In the women’s giant slalom event, Lucia Bailey ’21 turned out the best GS results of her career. Bailey paced the Panthers on Saturday, clinching eighth place after completing the course in a two-run time of 1:54.68. It was another stellar weekend for Madison Lord ’21 on the slopes as well. Lord finished second for the Panthers with a time of 1:56.86, putting her in 14th place overall. Caroline Bartlett ’19, the final scorer on the women’s side, took the 20th spot with a time of 1:57.52. 

 Bailey spoke to the underrated importance of mental preparation when it comes to racing. 

“I think everyone did a great job staying positive, but we need to work on our confidence on race day.”

 The team will return to action in two weeks at the UVM Carnival. In the meantime, the Panthers plan to focus their training on preparing for Stowe’s tough terrain and even tougher competition. Each race has brought the team to new heights. With the consistent mental ability to build off of the inevitable lows, there is nothing that can stand in the Panthers’ way.