Liberty Ski & Snowboard Compete In First USCSA Event Since 2020
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After being on hold for two years because of COVID-19, the Liberty ski and snowboard team traveled to compete in the USCSA Rail Jam at Beech Mountain Resort in North Carolina Jan. 22-23.
Head Coach Isaac Gibson was excited to get his team back on the slopes for their first United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association competition since 2020.
“We have a good mix of returning athletes with experience under their belt as well as some newcomers,” Gibson said. “We have athletes on the team that are not only going to be competitive in our region but at a national level.”
The ski and snowboard team has a total of 24 athletes on both the women and the men’s team.
“We have the biggest team we’ve ever had before, but the female side of our team continues to grow,” Gibson said.
The Lady Flames have a veteran roster that will feature three-time USCSA National Champion Coleen Leja (Rail Jam, Slopestyle and Boardercross), who looks to defend her titles in 2022.
On the men’s side, Gibson said senior Tyler Sherbine would be the snowboarder to watch for the Flames.
“Tyler has stepped up this season on the men’s side of the team,” Gibson said. “He has the most experience and has placed the highest in years previous.”
Sherbine said that on the snowboard side of the team, the Flames look solid, but the team’s second rider junior Jesse Mast will not participate in the meet due to a broken collarbone.
He also said that the skiers look strong going into the meet, and he expects the Flames to score well over the weekend and to be heavy contenders on the national level.
“We expect ourselves to be first in just about every single competition on the regional level,” senior Eli Hanna said when asked about the team’s expectations.
“We have pretty much dominated the southeast division, so I mean, I would say we’re going into this weekend expecting to come out on top,” Gibson said.
Liberty posted strong performances at Beech Mountain. The women’s snowboard team and men’s ski team both placed first, while the women’s ski team and men’s snowboard team notched second-place finishes in their respective categories.
Coleen Leja (1), Emory Orlando (2) and Emmaus Rich (3) all landed on the podium for the Lady Flames in women’s snowboard. Meghan Weigner also won the individual category for women’s ski.
On the men’s side, Ian Rosario and Andrew Smith placed second and third respectively in snowboarding. For ski, Luke Linker won the individual category while Robert Bynum won third.
Cash is a sports reporter. Follow him on Twitter