As teams settle into winter tryouts, Fieldston’s courts, tracks and gyms become enlivened with a new season’s energy. One team, headed by Lucia Mastroianni (V), takes the arena of winter sports to a new level. Or elevation, rather. The nascent varsity ski team begins its very first season this year. The group is a product of Mastroianni’s longstanding dedication to the art of ski-racing and steadfast desire to extend her commitment to Fieldston peers. A regular on the slopes, Mastroianni aims to use the team as a vessel for camaraderie and competition in an otherwise individualistic sport. Recently, I sat down with Mastroianni to get a glimpse into the upcoming season:
Saskia Sommer: Tell me a little where the idea for the ski team came from and the process of bringing it into fruition.
Lucia Mastroianni: I’ve been skiing since I was two-years-old and racing since I was eight-years-old, so I have basically been skiing all my life. I was trying to find ways freshman and sophomore year to ski during the week so I can be competitive in my races and continue performing well. My freshman year, I went to New Jersey twice a week to night ski with my team, and then my sophomore year, I skied with the Horace Mann ski team, but I really wanted something at Fieldston, and I really wanted to create a team here because I saw that Horace Mann was doing it. Originally, me and Gus [Ornstein] talked about creating a club or having something where we could go to a mountain and foster the love for skiing here. We eventually came to the decision that having a ski team would be an option and went from there.
SS: Amazing! I’ve heard so much excitement about the team both from friends that have joined and also throughout the school. My understanding is you’re in the preseason portion of the year- I’m curious to hear about what those first practices have been like.
LM: There’s no snow right now, so we started two weeks ago and have been introducing people to ski racing. A lot of the athletes who joined have skied many times before but don’t know what racing is, so we’ve been watching videos of ski races, looking at the top skiers in the world – how they race – and also we’ve been doing some workouts since we’re not able to be on the mountain. We’ve been in the weight and yoga rooms and doing some running outside to get used to the cold. We are going skiing on Wednesday for the first time! You may think, ‘how are we skiing; there’s no snow?’ We’re going to be at Big Snow at the American Dream Mall and ski there once a week, every Wednesday until the end of December when there’s actual snow on the mountain.
SS: So exciting! And I’m excited to watch as the season progresses. What does it look like securing that practice space and, as captain, figuring out the logistics of the year?
LM: There has been a lot of meetings back and forth between the coaches and I. Gus Ornstein, our Athletic Director, has been a huge part of making this happen. I’ve been meeting with him for the past year to talk about logistics, and we have two coaches right now. One is Simon MacLean, who is in the Admissions Office at Fieldston. He has been skiing his whole life. He was a FIS [Federal International de Ski] racer and has also coached racing in the past, so he is a great coach and also knows about racing which is amazing. Our other coach is Dylan Gray, who is in the nurses office, so a lot of people may already know him. He is a huge skier and has never raced before, but he has coached skiing, and we’re excited to have him as well.
SS: I appreciate how the team pulls from so many different aspects of the Fieldston community and that people have been so willing to help out. What was the process of reaching out to coaches? Tell me a bit about their enthusiasm.
LM: When trying to find coaches, we searched for people already at the school because trying to hire outside coaches can be difficult. Surprisingly, they reached out to us and offered to become a coach which was really exciting since we did not have to look that much.
SS: Yeah, that’s super great. What has the turnout been? How many people are on the team? What is the energy like at practice? All that jazz.
LM: Right now, we have a roster of twenty-two people, which is a lot more than I was expecting. I expected under ten because this is such a new sport, and I wasn’t [anticipating] so many people to enjoy the idea of ski racing. I know that a lot of people at Fieldston ski, but racing is different, so I was a little bit nervous to see the turnout. A roster of twenty-two people is a lot, so I’m excited to have that. I’ve been helping create the practices, and there has been a couple of challenges like the weight room also being used by the hockey team, track team and people working out. We’re trying to figure out where best to use space and playing it by ear, and it’s very experimental right now.
SS: It seems like a very adaptable environment. What would your messages be to those that are curious to join this year or in future? I know you mentioned a lot of people ski but don’t have racing experience, so any words specifically for that crowd?
LM: Ski racing is an incredible sport. I’ve been doing it my whole life. When you’re racing, you feel like you’re flying through the course because it’s just you, the mountain and the gates. You have to get down as fast as you can, and there’s nobody talking to you in that moment; you’re in your own world, essentially. It’s very abstract but so much fun.
SS: I can imagine the adrenaline.
LM: It’s definitely an adrenaline rush. When you’re in the start gate, you have to try and go as fast as you can, and nobody is really helping you. It’s an individual sport, but it’s also a team sport because you’re with your whole team at the top and the bottom of the mountain discussing the race. When you’re actually running the course, it’s just you, and it’s a kind of magical feeling.
SS: For sure. That leads into my next question about the individual versus team dynamic. I’m curious about your goals for the season, whether it be on a technical individual ski level or creating bonds within the team.
LM: I’m hoping to show what ski racing is and hopefully spark an enjoyment for it because it is a sport that not many people know about, and I want to share that experience and show people how amazing it is. We will do that through improving people’s ability and racing ability. We will start by assessing team members’ skiing abilities and improving that before going into the race course. That’s another thing I’m excited about. I really want to see people improve both in skiing and racing.
SS: Totally. On a semi-final note, do you have any words of wisdom for people that are either looking to start something at Fieldston that might seem unconventional – considering we’re not a school situated directly next to mountains, but you’re found a way to begin ski racing – or people wanting to start their own teams? Or even just captains that are leading their teams and want to embed as much enthusiasm as you have into their seasons?
LM: Everyone should just try, because taking that initial step to talk to the Athletic Director and see if it’s a possibility to create something at Fieldston is a huge step. Personally, I was not expecting much from my initial outreach. It’s grown to become so incredible, and the fact that we’re [already] able to ski is incredible. Taking that step made everything possible. To anyone looking to create something, just take that initial step, and everything will fall into place from there.
SS: I love that, and congratulations in advance on the season! I’m excited to follow along and be a Fieldston ski racing fan. Are there any final things you’d like to mention?
LM: A little about the logistics – we’ll be working out and going to Big Snow until there’s snow, and then we’ll be taking a bus two days a week to Thunder Ridge Mountain, which is about an hour away from school. We’ll have races throughout the year. There are two types of races: slalom and [Giant slalom (GS)]. Slalom is quicker turns, and GS is larger turns on the mountain, and it’s different kinds of courses. We’ll be doing both events. We’ll race slalom at Thunder Ridge Mountain where we train and GS at Holiday Mountain.
SS: Very cool. When can we look forward to the first meet?
LM: The first meet is January 20 at Thunder Ridge, so everyone be on the lookout! Race days are all confirmed, and we will race seven meets this season.
From now until January 20 and beyond, we wish the Fieldston ski team the best of luck with its inaugural season!
