CMC ski team celebrates historic wins and graduates

The Skigles post major victories and rally a fundraising campaign to secure the program by a June 30 deadline

By Shauna Farnell, Colorado Mountain College

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — As two Colorado Mountain College Alpine Ski Team members prepare to graduate this spring, they leave behind more than race results — they helped drive one of the most dramatic turnarounds in team history.

Just one year after the college announced the team might be cut due to budget constraints, the CMC Eagles ski team, known as the Skigles, have surged back, fueled by a community fundraising campaign and a season marked by breakthrough performances and national-level wins.

“It’s been quite the turnaround,” Skigles coach Scott Tanner said. “It’s been really rewarding — not only results-wise, but the experience these students have here.”

Ski team graduates

The team will graduate two students this spring.

Theodore Kim is earning associate degrees in ski and snowboard business and business, along with certificates in ski and snowboard business and from Snowsports Industries America. He plans to pursue aviation training to become a pilot.

Filip Krota is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He aims to continue in ski racing as a coach.

“They’re different guys than when they entered,” Tanner said. “They’re grown-ups. They know what they want to do. It’s been cool to see their transformation.”

That growth has been reflected on the slopes throughout a banner season.

Historic wins

In February, sophomore Lucas Ellis, 21, earned CMC’s first-ever victory for a male skier on the university circuit, winning a slalom race in Nevada by a wide margin. He followed with a second-place finish the next day and secured another win at the University of Utah series later that month.

“That sort of sealed the deal,” Tanner said. “It’s very clear this isn’t a fluke. Our athletes are real contenders.”

The women’s team also delivered standout performances, led by sophomore Maddie Welling.

After taking time away from racing following high school, Welling said she rebuilt both her physical and mental approach at CMC.

“Ski racing is 50% physical and 50% mental,” Welling said. “I had the physical strength, but I was too much in my head. It wasn’t until February that I found something that worked.”

Welling went on a dominant late-season run, winning a $10,000 prize at the World Pro Ski Tour event in Aspen in March. Freshman Viveka Deck Stang finished runner-up in that race and in the overall tour standings.

Welling followed with additional victories, including a giant slalom win at Copper Mountain and multiple FIS slalom wins at Loveland, where she finished more than two seconds ahead of the field.

“CMC is helpful for turning around athletes,” Welling said.

Save the Skigles

The team’s success is also generating renewed interest in the program, with dozens of prospective student-athletes now seeking to join the Skigles.

“It’s a reflection of what we’re doing — the success, the team culture and dynamics,” Tanner said. “The most rewarding part is that we all built this. We didn’t inherit it.”

To sustain that momentum, the team has raised more than $600,000 toward a $1 million goal needed to secure its future by June 30.

Visit Save the Skigles for more information about the team's fundraising campaign.