The New York Times-20080127-For High School Skiers- 3 Leagues of Their Own

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For High School Skiers, 3 Leagues of Their Own

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AS if on cue, sugary snow began sprinkling the slopes at Mountain Creek Ski Resort just a half-hour before the first race of the Sussex County Interscholastic League ski season. Floodlights on the hills glowed through the gathering darkness.

This chilly Thursday afternoon in mid-January might not have been so terrific for a high school track meet or soccer match, but conditions were ideal for conquering the gates near the top of one of Mountain Creek's highest trails.

More than 100 boys and girls from eight high schools scrambled to catch the ski lift for a final course inspection. The skiers had practiced just as much as the members of, say, their schools' basketball teams, so they wanted to make every run count.

They're representing their school, too, so they have a duty, said Jen Logan, a French teacher who is the coach of the Wallkill Valley Regional High School Rangers ski team. Everything they do is a reflection on the school itself.

Interscholastic ski racing has been conducted in New Jersey for at least 30 years. The races are held three days a week at Mountain Creek, a complex near the northern tip of New Jersey.

It is not easy to trudge up a snowy mountain to watch a race. Most of the fans are parents, and some carry cowbells to shake when the skiers fly by.

We bring our own cheering section, but we have to get some more cowbells, said Roger Foco, the coach of the perennially powerful Vernon Township High School ski team.

The skiers are not doing this entirely for the acclaim, because there is not much of that. Much like cross-country runners, skiers push for personal bests, and the elite high school skiers -- often members of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association -- use the scholastic season as a training ground.

But something interesting seems to happen, they say, when seasoned skiers combine with newbies to form a team. Because a team's standing in meets is based on its aggregate time, members pull for each other.

Laura Backman is a senior at Wallkill Valley whose father, Jim, coordinates the three leagues in the New Jersey Interscholastic Ski Racing Association -- the Sussex County league, the Western League and the Prep League.

About 400 skiers represent 20 schools in the leagues. New Jersey is one of two dozen states that have high school ski racing, although it is not run under the auspices of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, which governs the state's more common high school sports.

Ms. Backman plays on the girls' soccer team at Wallkill Valley and, because she is involved with the United States ski association, really does not need to ski on her school team. But she competes for the Rangers anyway, because she wants to ski every day and because the scholastic season is rewarding in its own way.

I think it's more relaxing than soccer, she said. I enjoy them both, and it's hard to compare them, actually. But I really enjoy helping the others out.

The Wallkill Valley girls' team has five skiers; only two are experienced. Ms. Backman smiled when she said the newcomers had improved, one markedly. She's finally gotten into the racing atmosphere, Ms. Backman said, beaming.

The regular season runs six weeks; state championships are scheduled for the last weekend in February. For the first part of the season, skiers tackle a giant slalom course, with 12 to 15 gates. Then they move to the trickier slalom, with 35 to 40 gates.

Each athlete on the varsity team, which can include up to six members, completes two runs, and the times of the four fastest athletes are added to determine a team's ranking in the meet. There is also a junior-varsity competition, so many get to ski.

The guys and girls all hang out at the bottom of the hill with each other, Jim Backman said. They're all sitting down, talking, and it really doesn't make a difference what color ski bib they're wearing. Yeah, they're all biting their nails because they don't want someone to beat them. But it's good, healthy competition.

Susan Tordoff, the coach of the Jefferson Township High Falcons, said: I've noticed that the ski racers are almost like a big family. They wish each other luck; they hope for the best for each other. Even though it's an individual sport, it's also a team sport. They're very passionate about it, but it's more relaxing, too.

Ms. Logan of Wallkill Valley said the popularity of snowboarding had made it hard to find skiers. But we take what we can get, she said. And the more they want to ski, the merrier.

[Illustration]PHOTOS: LOOKING UP: Members of the Vernon Township High School ski team at Mountain Creek Ski Resort. (pg. 6); COLD RUN: Scholastic skiers race at Mountain Creek Ski Resort. (pg. 1) (PHOTOGRAPHS BY LAURA PEDRICK FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES)