It's exhilarating.
In cross country ski racing a combination of aerobic capacity, exercise efficiency, as well as strength and power characteristics are important determinants of performance. However, managing emotions and often raw mental toughness, or grit, are also required to optimize the development process and performance. In short, as in many endurance sports, cross country ski racing is a tough challenge. Meeting tough challenges is most rewarding and exhilarating.
The team competes in the Rocky Mountain Conference of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA). Both conference and national participation in cross country skiing has grown annually since it began, and can be considered highly competitive, with distances from sprints to 21 km. CMU team competes in both skate and classic races. In 2021-22, four athletes, one woman and three men, attended the USCSA Nationals in Lake Placid, New York, winning the National Championships. In 2022-23 season, two CMU athletes competed in the USCSA Nationals in Mammoth Lakes, California. In 2023-24 season, four CMU athletes, two women and two men, competed in the USCSA Nationals in Lake Placid, New York, bringing home two silver medals and five All-American titles.
CMU Cross Country Skiing team competes in USCSA point races at the following venues:
- Snow Mountain Ranch, Colorado
- Crested Butte, Colorado
- Leadville, Colorado
- Laramie, Wyoming
- Mammoth Lakes, California
- Lake Placid, New York
- Mt. Bachelor, Oregon
The team also participates in optional races, such as the The American Birkebeiner in Wisconsin.
Your body will stay 'stop,' but your mind will say 'no.' Crossing the finish line, no matter how often, is something you don't forget. It brings a sense of accomplishment that may never be replicated. We design our training and racing program with the focus on:
- Fundamentals: a focus on building basic skills in all areas of the sport that lead to high performance of more specialized skills
- Athleticism: the application of fundamental skills through a multitude of environments focusing on building higher capacity in all elements of physical fitness and health
- Passion: the fuel drives athletes to pursue the sport with joy, grit, and perseverance sustaining a lifetime of constant improvement and enjoyment
The head coach, Marcin Wiesiolek, strives to provide an environment where student-athletes develop a life-long enthusiasm for the sport and where positive memories created with the team would last years beyond at Colorado Mesa University. Participation in the sport can positively impact the physical and mental well-being of the student-athletes and can lead to enhancing their life skills, such as self-reliance, positive self-image, teamwork, time management and healthy habits.