Lauren Klaasen is a four year senior on the ski team. In her first race of the season, she took a hard fall and broke her collarbone. This injury ended her final season on the team, but she remains optimistic about her team and how she will be able to help despite her injury.

Q1: How are you able to still help out the team despite your season ending injury?

A1: “I will be attending all of their races to cheer them on and boost their confidence. I will also be helping out at practices once my shoulder heals more to help make everyone’s racing become faster, and to help them improve on their skiing skills.”

Q2: Who has picked up the slack from your absence on the team?

A2: “Now that I am no longer there I would say that the team has stepped up all together. The whole team looks after each other and makes sure everyone is set and ready to go for the races. It isn’t a role that just one person has taken on I would say.”

Q3: How has the lack of snow affected your team throughout the season?

A3: “In the beginning of the season we just had to train and lift in the weight room since there was no snow. It helps get our legs to get really strong and great for the turning aspects of skiing. But most of the other teams also didn’t have snow so its not like we were the only ones. And now that we have snow, we just practice as much as possible and try to make up for the time we lost.”

Q4: How has the new coach affected your team?

A4: “He has offered many new ways to ski how to make each and everyone of us become better than we were. He really pushes us during practice and gives us things to work on for every run and aspect of skiing.”