Ski Racing - March 29, 2010

For the Love of the Game Richard O’Brien: December 16, 1990 to February 13, 2010

doesn’t have any help from coaches or team-
mates, and he soldiered through the week
brilliantly. He struggled some in the early
events, but then pulled out an amazing per-
formance in GS, winning by more than six
seconds.”
Raine’s was among the most dominant
performances of the week, but perhaps the
finest moment of the Championships mani-
fested itself in the form of sportsmanship
and humility.
The men’s giant slalom event ended in a tie
between western powerhouses Sierra Ne-
vada College and Westminster College. Af-
ter calculating a series of tiebreakers, Sierra
Nevada coach Branko Zagar conceded the
event, graciously walking over to the West-
minster team and congratulating them on
their victory. At the awards ceremony hours
later, when official results and tiebreakers
were recalculated by USCSA staff, it turned
out that Sierra Nevada College had actually
won.
“When we announced SNC was the win-
ner, they were shocked,” said Sullivan. “But
more than that, it was the grace they showed
when they learned the news. I think a lot of
groups would have immediately celebrated,
but SNC didn’t. They asked us to double and
triple check the results, and they seemed to
feel bad for the Westminster team — it was a
tremendous show of humility.”

Last month, on his way to the top of a training course at Bluewood Mountain, where the team trains, Whitman College racer Richie O’Brien hooked an edge on loose snow and rocketed into the woods, colliding with a tree and dying instantly. “I can’ tell you how much Richie loved the sport,” said Whitman’s ski team captain, Torey Anderson. “It didn’t matter if Richie was racing or training in the park or jumping off huge cliffs, he just loved everything about skiing. And he always had a smile on his face.” O’Brien’s accident occurred shortly before the USCSA regional championships. The team wasn’t initially sure whether or not they should continue with the season, but were eventually galvanized by the loss of their friend and qualified both men’s and women’s teams to USCSA National Championships in Maine.

“At Regionals we all wanted to go all-out in the races so we could go to Nationals in his memory,” said Anderson. “Richie would have been happy as long as we were doing our best, leaving nothing on the hill, and having a great time. We dedicated the remainder of our season to him — he’s been in our hearts the whole time.” Anderson added that Whitman’s ski team, having dropped their NCAA program a year ago, was comprised of athletes who deeply love racing and carried on in USCSA this season without a coach or any funding from the school. O’Brien was a freshman addition who incessantly helped and brought out the best in his peers — carrying jackets, cheering, and encouraging folks to enjoy freeskiing whenever possible.