On Tuesday afternoon the members of the Macalester College Nordic Ski Team were called in to attend an unplanned meeting with our coaches, the athletic director and assistant athletic director. I knew upon entering the room that all was not right with the world and that whatever the athletic director said to us would greatly affect the future of nordic skiing- and athletics in general- at Macalester. Without any prior notice we were informed that a committee had decided to dismantle the cross country ski team as a varsity sport.
Our biggest qualm with this news is the manner in which it was presented to us. I remember the situation with the football team two years ago. Although circumstances were different as to the reason for cutting the program, I would just like to point out that the team was informed before a final decision was made. Community meetings were held. Opinions were heard. People rallied to support their team. Our team was given no such opportunity. The decision has been made. Our team will not belong to the MIAC and NCAA next year.
I am reminded of a very similar thing happening at Carleton, just two years ago. Once a very strong skiing program, they now have a club team consisting of three members and no coach. I fear a similar fate for our team. Now it seems that the loss of the Carleton program was just the beginning of a decline of the MIAC (the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics Conference). St. Mary's cut their program last year as well. I fear it is only a matter of time until all the skiing programs of the MIAC fold.
The disbanding of the ski team calls into question Macalester's commitment to quality athletics. I would like to point out the fact that our team is the first to be dismantled since the loss of the men's hockey team in the 1970s. The school and its athletic department have endured occasional economic hardship between then and now without cutting other teams. The solution to eliminate a varsity team was chosen over decreasing the entire department's budget by 5%.
The timing of this announcement is also rather unfortunate. New skiers have been recruited and several of them have already withdrawn their applications as a result of our loss of varsity status. Also, the team is primarily composed of sophomores and freshman who are thinking very seriously about transferring. However, they will have a difficult time of it because many application deadlines have already passed. If I was not graduating, I know that I would very seriously consider leaving Macalester.
The existence of a Nordic Ski Team at Macalester made the school unique among the elite, small liberal arts colleges in the Twin Cities and surrounding area. In fact, Macalester is the only Division III college in an urban setting which supports nordic skiing as a varsity sport in the nation, setting it apart from all other schools. Having grown up in St. Paul, I know just how strong the local skiing community is. I hate the idea of such a thriving nordic skiing community losing the one college in the Twin Cities that offers skiing at the varsity level.