Last year at this time, Douglas High School ski coach Rob Parks, entering his first year with the program, was just looking for a place to get his kids some experience on the hill as the school was trying to work out contract issues with an area ski resort to allow the team to practice.
This year, he's looking forward to having a solid foundation to build on.
"We didn't have a single practice on a mountain before our first race," Parks said of last year. "It was tough to even know who to start on varsity and who to put on JV.
"This year, we'll have a better idea. We'll be able to get some training runs in beforehand, hopefully, and have a better feel for the course."
That is, if the weather cooperates.
"The kids are all working hard right now, trying to get into shape," Parks said. "And we're all doing snow dances, trying to get some storm clouds in here to help us out."
Whether the snow pack builds up in time or not, Douglas is returning the majority of its varsity roster on both the boys' and girls' sides.
Leading the way will be sophomore Hillary Sapp, who was an All-Tahoe Basin League selection as a freshman and placed 13th in the giant slalom at the state championships last year.
"She was consistent all year last season," Parks said. "She was No. 2 in the league in total points.
"That's something we're really trying to stress to the kids is that this really is a team sport. The better you do in your individual run, the better the team will do. It's not just about having a good run, it's about being consistent."
The Tigers should be particularly strong in the girls after finishing third place last year.
"The top two go to state and that is our goal this year," Parks said.
Junior Crystal Rutledge won the regional championships, a race including the top athletes not to qualify for the state championships, last year.
"Crystal did really well last year and we're looking forward to seeing what she can do this year," Parks said.
Senior Jennifer Stice took fourth at regionals last year and is another of Douglas' key returners.
Alicia Dreyer, Kristin Lovell and Jenna Dykes make up the remainder of the Tigers' returning varsity core.
"We're in a situation where all of our top racers for the girls are back," Parks said. "We're really hoping to be able to build on what we accomplished last season."
On the boys' side, Douglas' top returner is senior Anton Anger, who showed a lot of promise last season but fell victim to some misfortune along the way in the form of missed gates and untimely crashes.
"Anton is a senior and he's showing a lot of leadership so far," Parks said. "He was always in second or third place after the first run last year and then something bad would happen on the second. He showed a lot of promise and is hoping for some better luck this year."
The Tigers will also be looking for a large boost from two incoming freshmen, Troy Cohee and Grant Denny.
"We have a lot of freshmen coming in, but those two are the only ones with significant race experience," Parks said.
Cohee skis for the Kirkwood Ski Education Foundation and Denny skies for the Heavenly Ski Foundation.
Cohee is currently ranked No. 8 in the Far West Region in giant slalom among J3 boys and No. 18 in slalom.
Denny is No. 12 in giant slalom and No. 11 in slalom.
Both are expected not only to score well for Douglas this season but also to be competitive at the Western Region J3 Junior Olympics this March.
Douglas also gets Mackenzie Bennington, who took fourth in last year's regional championships, back.
The Tigers will lose junior Andrew Soloman, Douglas' top point-scorer last year, as he will be attending a Washington, D.C. semester program and will miss the bulk of the season.
Until the snow comes in, Douglas has been spending its afternoons doing dry land training.
"We do a lot of endurance running for our aerobic work, plyometrics with lunges, knee-highs and lateral work and we've spent a lot of time in the weight room, mostly focusing on the core," Parks said. "They are working really hard as a group, trying to get into shape for the season. Hopefully that will translate into some good results on the hill."
Douglas opens its season with an exhibition race at Alpine Meadows on Dec. 17.
"It's kind of like a scrimmage, but we still want to do well, because if any of the rest of the races get canceled due to weather, we'll have to use the results from that first race to replace it."
