Photo courtesy of the Winter Sports Club University of Nevada, Reno Winter Sports Club

Former President Graham Collins overlooks the mountains at Squaw Valley. The club is set to send 11 athletes to Lake Placid, New York.

The University of Nevada Ski Team is once again fundraising. This time, it’s to go and compete at the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA) 2020 National Championships in Lake Placid, New York. The championships are scheduled for March 8-14.

The team is sending 11 athletes—six women and five men—to compete at this national-level event. Of these 11 individuals, five women and five men will compete in the alpine ski event and the remaining athlete will compete as a snowboarder.

The Nevada squad will be competing against teams from all around the country, many of whom are fully funded collegiate programs. 

James Henderson, president of the Nevada Winter Sports and Ski Team, is asking supporters of the team to donate via ScaleFunder. ScaleFunder is a donation-based fundraising site used by the university. 

Currently, the team has received donations from 22 individuals, totaling more than $3,700. The fundraising goal for the campaign is just over $5,000. The largest donation was gifted from an anonymous individual, with the donation coming in at $500. 

Donations have come in from all over the country, including Nevada, Idaho, California, Massachusetts and New Jersey.  

Elsie Childress, a member of the team, stressed that the donations could go a long way to helping the team. Even with the university’s financial assistance, athletes on the team are still having to front a heavy bill to compete. 

“Each athlete pays between $1500-$2300 a year to be on the team,” Childress said. “That includes race day lift tickets, gas to get to the mountain, food at nationals…the race day lift ticket is the big one…it’s about 50-60 dollars per day.”

The cost mentioned by Childress does not include the price of the equipment needed to compete. 

Beyond the upcoming championships, fundraising and financial stability is a constant concern for the team. Especially when trying to recruit new members to the club.  

“The number one question we get asked is how much is it going to cost,” Childress said. “It’s hard to convince people to join when you’re telling them it may cost them $2300 to be on the team.”

With 19 days till the opening of the national championships, the clock is ticking for the team to reach their fundraising goal.

For those looking to view or donate to the fundraiser, a link to it can be found here

Ryan Freeberg can be reached at rfreeberg@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @SagebrushSports.