The ski team officially kicked off its season at the Christine Cato Memorial Race Jan. 3 at Timberline Lodge. The Cardinals had 10 top-10 finishers at the JV level but none at varsity.

Sam Flecker (18th for the boys) and Avi Hill (14th for the girls) were the top performers for varsity. The strongest part of the team was the JV girls, who snatched six of the top 10 spots in their category, including all first five places. Natalie Waldrum, with her 28.94-second first-place slalom run, was the top finisher for the team. Asa Miller (33.20) came in second for the JV boys, just one of the four top-10 finishers.

However, the results may not be truly accurate of the best skiers at Lincoln. “It [ski team] is ridiculously expensive,” said junior Bobby Lazzara, who was a member of the team freshman and sophomore year, but decided not to return this season.

“It’s too much to pay right now, especially for my family,” he said. The ski team is not an official Lincoln sports team, but rather an independent program. It receives no monetary support from the school. Because of the lack of funding, each member of the team must pay approximately $800 for equipment, lift tickets, coaches, buses, and even food at the mountain. “It’s such an expensive extra-curricular that even if the school was to fund part of it, we would still have to pay a lot,” Lazzara said.

Money was Lazzara’s only issue with the team, however. “I definitely wanted to return…it’s a great overall experience…everyone is very friendly,” he said.

Sophomore Walter Williamson, who finished eighth in the boys’ JV division Jan. 3, also had praise for the team. “It’s fun because it’s not that serious,” he said. As with many of his teammates, Williamson had skied before, but never in a competitive atmosphere. “I like that you can learn as you go,” he said. As to the expenses, Williamson joked, “I don’t really worry about that. I let my parents take care of the cost.”