Bob Hill and Nadine Price celebrate in 2008 with
photographer and historian Hubert Schriebl.
Pat McNamara won the Stratton
GS in 2000, but quit racing
shortly thereafter.
But these observations are only anecdotal and perhaps biased by short-term influences. For example, I’m
aware of at least five women in the East who are nursing
injuries this season, and the region has been plagued
with endless freeze-thaw cycles that have turned most
racecourses into skating rinks. The Far West and Intermountain were also barren until a few weeks ago. It’s
hard to get excited about going ski racing when there
are daisies growing alongside the road. To eliminate the
human element, I took a look at some hard data — participation numbers from the year 2000 versus those of
last year. Maybe then I could determine if overall participation has declined, if class sizes have shifted, and
if women have really abandoned ship.
I decided on using the Janeway Cup at Stratton Mountain as a basis for comparison. It’s traditionally the most
popular race on the NEMS schedule, it has years of
tradition, and with a big trophy going to the winning men
and women, the Janeway has ski racing gravitas. Furthermore, the snow was excellent for Stratton 2012, and
the weather was clear and relatively warm. Let’s take a
look at the numbers:
Stratton
2000
Men/women total 155/25
2012
79/18
Classes Men/Women
1 – 12/5
2 – 13/2
3 – 21/2
4 – 34/7
5 – 14/4
6 – 19/2
7 – 15/7
8 – 11/0
9 – 3/1
10 – 7/1
11 – 6/0
12 – 0/0
13 – 0/0
11/6
5/3
2/2
3/0
7/1
17/4
4/1
9/1
9/0
7/0
3/0
4/0
2/0
As one can see, the percentage of women racing was
as small in the year 2000 as it was in 2012, with class
sizes randomly scattered in both decades. The only
standout class size in 2012 was the 7s, which has a
strong and loyal following.
On the other hand, the strength in the men’s classes
back in 2000 was concentrated in the 3s and 4s, with
strong numbers also in the 5s, 6s, and 7s. Only in the
2012 Class 6s was participation on par with the year
2000. What the statistics don’t show, which is equally
telling, is that only three of the top 15 men from the
2000 event are still racing. Yes, this snapshot of masters ski racing in 2012 shows an aging population, and
dangerously declining numbers.
USSA masters
membership
2000 2011
Total
Classes 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
2049
96
137
267
410
285
257
191
127
79
72
37
16
5
1696
91
37
73
146
250
345
268
181
122
103
43
28
8
Unfortunately these numbers are not just an Eastern
trend. National masters membership stats show a simi-
lar pattern. I don’t have a breakdown by gender, but to-
tal membership and class sizes from 2000 to 2011 also
reflect a slide down a slippery slope.
The same pattern is evident: fewer current racers, par-
