Charles Whisnand
Conditions haven't been this favorable in a long time for the Carson High boys skiing team.
Along with having an incredible snowpack, the Carson boys team may be the strongest it's been in years. The Carson girls ski team is also back to full strength and should be competitive as well as another season approaches.
The season will begin for Carson on Jan. 19 at 8 a.m. when it faces North Valleys and will continue that day at noon with races against Reed and Spanish Springs. The state championships will be held Feb. 21 and 22 at Mt. Rose.
Carson coach Jack Reinhardt said his boys team could make a run at the overall state title. Races are held in slalom and giant slalom. Scores from the slalom and giant slalom and a combined score from those two events go toward determining the overall state title. The Senator boys took second in the state last year in the giant slalom.
"The boys team is really strong this year, a lot of depth," Reinhardt said. "The girls I think are going to be competitive. The girls are kind of a young team."
Reinhardt said it's the most depth he's had on the boys team "in probably five or six years."
He said Reno High and McQueen could be the toughest competition for his boys team this year. While Galena has lost many skiers from last year, the Grizzlies are also always strong, Reinhardt said.
On the girls side, Galena's girls should be the favorite. "The Galena girls are almost unbeatable," Reinhardt said. Reno's girls should be tough as well, he said.
With the popularity of other sports such as snowboarding growing, the number of skiers Reinhardt has had as declined in recent years. For the first time last year, Reinhardt was unable to field a full girls team of 10 skiers. But that won't be the case this year. Reinhardt has 18 boys and 12 girls in the program.
"They are good scholastically and athletically," said Reinhardt about his skiers, most of whom compete in other sports. "We've got really good kids this year. These kids are really high-caliber kids. I'm just really excited about the program."
Carson had a chance to see how great the conditions were on Sunday when they practiced at Homewood where there was 10 to 15 feet of snow, Reinhardt said.
"The snow conditions were incredible," he said. "Unbelievable. The best in years. There's a 10-foot base everywhere. It's really nice. The snow is excellent right now."
Reinhardt said he has a strong nucleus of skiers on the boys team and if they all qualify for state, his team has a strong shot at the state overall title.
Two of the best skiers in the state should be Danny Rotter and Devon Anderson. Rotter is a three-sport athlete who also plays football and baseball and Anderson competes in Far West Regional events. Another skier who competes in Far West Regionals is freshman Mats Boehnke.
Other returners for Carson include Brett Andersen and James Reavis. Among the best athletes on the team are Rob Ghiglieri, a two-way starter in football, and Robbie Liebherr, a standout in soccer.
The top skiers on the girls team include Austrian foreign exchange student Inez Zemann and returners Greta Schnaser and Erica McAfee. Others expected to be top skiers include Aysia Roberts, Yvette Hollet, Jessica Goddard, Krista Wisbar and Brooke Conway.
Charles Whisnand is the Nevada Appeal Sports Editor. Contact him at cwhisnand@nevadappeal.com or 881-1214.
