TH alpine ski team grows; Howard repeats trip to NYS Championships

CRARYVILLE — In its third year, the Taconic Hills Alpine Ski team is seeing growth on the slopes.

According to Coach Neil Howard, “Team members consistently place in the top third of the best skiers in Section II.”

All schools in the section race at various mountains throughout the season. Racers compete in giant slalom and slalom disciplines with athletes from big schools like Glens Falls, Saratoga, Niskayuna, Ballston Spa and Shenendehowa.

Newcomers this year include Tyler Mulrein, Teddy Herrington, Logan Fink, and Neil Howard III who raced competitively and earned their varsity letters. For the women, Clare Howard and Haley Olson are veteran ski racers who lead the way with routine top 15 finishes.

For the second year in a row, Clare accumulated enough race points to be selected to represent Section II at the New York State Ski Championships at Bristol Mountain on February 24-25. All of the Taconic Hills ski team members also compete for the Catamount Alpine Ski Team.

About Clare’s performance this year, U19 Head Coach Pat Liu added, “Clare has been a positive and consistent force for the girls. This season she has placed as high as 4th as a first year U19 and is currently ranked 14th in a field of 66 women including seniors and college freshmen. More importantly she has an excellent work ethic, positive attitude, and always looks to improve her technique.”