Skiers Struggle Under Handicaps; Coach Builds Freshman Program

Auto wreeks, little snow, and financial worries have hindered the skiing-team this winter, but interest in skiing as a team sport has finally returned to the pre-war level.

Skiing, as a sport, is on a "laissez-faire" basis at Harvard. The Athletic Association gives minor letters and contributes $200 to the team, but the rest is left to those out for the sport.

The squad makes its own schedule, provides its own transportation, and pays all additional expenses out of its own pocket, including the cost of uniforms. Yet the team members have been constantly trying to organize and expand their program.

Snow Chief Headache

Snow, or rather the lack of it, has been the chief headache to the skiers so far this year. The mild winter has forced the cancellation of more than half the scheduled meets. The team has had only an occasional practice in the Boston area with the bulk of their skiing taking place in Verment and New Hampshire.

Ski officials have tried many ingenious methods for overcoming the lack of snow. In the Hanover Invitation Cross Country Meet, authorities spread manure over the bare spots.

The one big snowstorm of the year came at the wrong time for the team. The squad was driving up to the Lyndonville Invitation Intercollegiate Meet, when the storm caused three of the four cars used for transportation to be wrecked.

One car caught fire and burned, a second lost three fenders in an accident with another car, and a third skidded through a fence, almost going into a river.

The badly shaken skiers nevertheless managed to turn in their best performance of the year in the Lyndonville meet. The Crimson finished third out of the ten teams entered, Yale nosing them out for second place by 7/10 of a point. Captain Jim Weaver, Skiddy Lund, and John Houser turned in outstanding performances.

The only other meet in which Harvard entered as a team was the Middlebury Carnival. A glazed trail raised havoc with the Harvard skiers, with no one escaping falls. The other teams were able to keep on their skis somewhat better, forcing the Crimson to eighth place out of the nine teams entered.

Members of the team have competed as individuals in several open meets, with John Hart and Weaver turning in particularly good performances.

Rebuilding Job Needed

Coach Taylor had a major rebuilding job at the beginning of the season. He had only six veterans as a nucleus, with practically no help at all coming from sophomores. In addition, Weaver was graduated in February and can no longer compete in intercollegiate meets. Nevertheless, the team has gotten by with this limited manpower.

In an attempt to build for the future, Taylor has separated freshmen from the varsity squad and has given them their own schedule for the first time. Previously, a few freshmen were allowed to enter the open meets and could practice with the varsity.

Whitney, Dickson Lead Freshmen

Several of the Yardlings have turned in better times and distances than the varsity. Murdock Whitney and Neil Dickson can equal almost any jumper on the varsity, the former having broken the hill record at Dublin, N.H., earlier this year.

In cross-country Dickson is outstanding, having beaten every varsity man with the exception of Hart. A shoulder injury, however, has side-lined him for the rest of the year.

The varsity and freshman teams will combine in next week's Eastern Giant Slalom Championship. In addition to this meet, there are four others scheduled. The team is pointing for the Yale and Dartmouth meets, which take place the 2nd and 14th of April on Mount Washington, N.H.