UNM should pare down skiing program
THE DECISION by the University of New Mexico board of regents to discontinue NCAA Division I skiing comes as a surprise to many; however, given the budgetary constraints of New Mexico as well as the budgetary woes of the UNM department of athletics, it is understandable. Before UNM’s decision there were 9 Division I schools with men’s and women’s alpine and nordic — cross country — teams. There are 4 Division I schools supporting either an alpine or a nordic team. Fifteen schools compete in either Division II or Division III. I competed in DI NCAA skiing in the early 1960s in California and today none of the West Coast schools compete in NCAA skiing at any level.
In the past 10 years Western State Colorado University in Gunnison, Colo., discontinued their very successful NCAA Division I skiing program. This caused considerable discussion within the skiing community. However when one looks at competitive skiing programs at Western State in 2017 they appear to be thriving. Western State’s alpine ski team competed in the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association. Western supports an endurance ski team, a USCSA Snowboard Slopestyle team and a nordic team.
New Mexico enjoys a thriving ski and snowboard industry. Nordic venues are becoming more popular. Ski racing adds to the overall skiing experience, and it makes sense to support collegiate ski competition at some level within our New Mexico ski industry. Skiing is a life sport, and in my opinion introducing students to snow sports is beneficial and for some will be life changing. Supporting Division I NCAA men’s and women’s ski teams in both alpine and nordic competition may not be the best option for UNM. In the university setting there are many options as shown by the programs at Western State. These should be explored. It is possible that the New Mexico Ski Industry organizations would find it beneficial and in their interest to support collegiate skiing in New Mexico at some level. A priority should be to have as many New Mexico resident students involved as possible. Dr. PAUL R. DUNCAN Los Ranchos