Former Tigers Skiing Collegiately:
Emily Kemp and Eeva Pregitzer

Do you ever wonder what happens to Ski Tigers after they graduate from high school and leave the Copper Country? Some of them just keep right on skiing! Two such Tigers are Emily (Em) Klemp and Eeva Pregitzer, who now both ski for colleges in the eastern part of the country. Emily skis for the University of Vermont, while Eeva skis for the University of New Hampshire.

In March, 2003, they both participated in the NCAA college championships which took place at Dartmouth College. Skiing in this championship is a great accomplishment, because only about 40 female skiers qualify from the whole country (and that number includes many foreign skiers). We caught up to them (using e-mail) to ask them questions about their skiing and their lives in college. In the following article you can read the questions we asked and how each of these former Ski Tigers replied.

Do you like Freestyle or Classic technique better?

Eeva: freestyle, I think it is because I race faster skating :)

Emily: I personally like classic skiing better, I feel that I am more in control because of the set track, rather then skating and being all over the place.

Who waxes your skis?

Eeva: I wax all of my practice skis and most of my race wax, sometimes my coach and teammates help with the final layer. My coach always tells me what kick wax or klister to use.

Emily: I wax my skis for training, this includes scraping them every time, kickwaxing them for practice and then cleaning them of kickwax and putting new glide wax on after practice. If our coach finds skis that are not clean and glide waxed in the ski room, you loose team wax privleges.

Do you ski every day?

Eeva: I have one day a week off

Emily: Our team skis 5-7 days a week depending on if we are doing an intensity or volume week. We generally complement workouts and races with easy running 3-4 times a week.

How far do you have to drive to where you ski for practice?

Eeva: It depends on how much snow we have out east, The Copper Country gets much more than we do in NH. We have to drive anywhere from 20 min to 2 hours.

Emily: Depending on weather, traffic, and where we ski, anywhere from 35 minutes to a little over an hour.

Is it hard to study for school while you are on the ski team?

Eeva: Yes, it makes it harder, but it not impossible. Sometimes it works out to your benefit because the athletic department pays for tutors to help you study what you missed.

Emily: Yes it is, mainly because it is hard to focus on school things when you are on the road racing, and because I am too tired to study the rest of the time. To get good studying in, it takes planning, organization, and lots of motivation to get it done.

Do you get nervous before big races?

Eeva: Yes, although I try to make myself calm because I find it easier to race relaxed.

Emily: I get more nervous for other kids on the team mainly because they put more pressure on themselves in a more open manner... so I automatically feel their anxiety. I do get nervous about whether we will have the correct kick wax on sketchy condition days.

How many skiers are in your college races?

Eeva: Around 55

Emily: I don't really know... I aim for the top ten... but I am happy if I am in the top fifteen... So I generally don't look any farther down the results then I am.... I just focus on the people that are in front of me in the results.

Do you have any workouts that are fun? or What is your favorite workout?

Eeva: Yes, we sometimes go "beach skiing" where you classic ski on the beach with your old junk skis! Its fun because we usually get to have a BBQ and play speedball and swim after. You don't get much glide though!

Emily: Our coach would want us to say that all of our workouts are fun.... But my favorite days our the medium recovery volume workout at Trapps lodge on Sunday mornings. There is a feeling of relaxation in your skiing, since you are just happy to be done with the week of training, and not quite focused on the upcoming races.

When you were a Ski Tiger, did you ever think you would ski for a college team? and make it to the NCAA championships?

Eeva: I really wanted to ski in college because I wanted to go to
school out east or out west. I am really glad that I have, because it is a great experience to travel around the country doing something I love.

Emily: NO.. I didn't even know there was a NCAA championship!

What advice do you have for a Ski Tiger who might want to ski for a
college team someday?

Eeva: Keep up your training and don't be afraid to contact college coaches! Oh yeah, and if you want to ski out east practice your downhills!!!! Dartmouth has some nasty S turns!!

Emily: Get good grades ... That is by far the best way of paying for school. It will open up more options than you can imagine and you will form good study habits.

As far as skiing goes - Put in the time and be patient with your skiing and it will come. It helps to know a lot of people in the skiing world too....its not very big.

What kind of workouts do you do when it isn't ski season?

Eeva: Running, rollerskiing, lifting weights, swimming and waterskiing.

Emily: Track sprints, classic and skate rollersking with pickups, hill climbing, ski walking, hiking, weightlifting, road biking, mountain biking, kayaking, weight-bearing exercises, stretching, .... and the list goes on and on...

What do you like most about ski racing?

Eeva: The fact that I get to travel all around with my teammates and
have fun! Plus you get to meet all kinds of fun people.

Emily: The competition, and the personal challenge.

Has anything funny ever happened to you at a race?

Eeva: Once at JO's during my relay I went into the lap lane instead of
the finish lane!! Not so funny because I cost my team a medal!

Emily: I have worn my race suit pants backwards... no one noticed except my teammates, because my V-cat and VERMONT were on opposite legs.

You have done a lot of traveling in connection with your skiing, where is your favorite place to ski, and how does it compare to skiing in the Copper Country?

Eeva: Traveling around is the best part about skiing! For NCAA's I got
to stay in a five star hotel (with Emily) and go out to eat every night,
plus get a whole week off of school. Pretty cool if you ask me! My favorite place to ski is Bend, Oregon in the summer because you can ski in your shorts and t-shirt! My favorite place to ski out east is Stowe, VT because the mountains are beautiful and you can ski up to the Von Trapp Family lodge and drink hot chocolate. Although skiing in the Copper Country is awesome because there is always lots of snow!! We sometimes have to ski on frozen dirt out east!

Emily: I think skiing in the Spring, sunny skies, and klister skiing is the best. I would have to say doing that wherever there are good snow conditions is the best feeling. Scenic views are nice, but not as important as having good company to ski with. The hot dog roasts and picnics we used to have at Mandan when I was a kid were always fun.

What was your "best race" ever?

Eeva: I don't really have a best race. I would say the Birke, but the last 10ks weren't all that great. I guess I had a good race in JO's my senior year, just because then I knew I could go to school and ski!!

Emily: My best race was at World Junior Biathlon Championships in 2001 when I was 21st in the Sprint... Because all the important aspects of skiing, and shooting came together for me in an important race. I raced really hard and was focused, and when it was done I felt like I had given it everything.

Final Note: Beside their college ski racing, both of these skiers have also had international skiing success. Em has twice been on the U.S. World Junior Championship team for biathlon, and as she notes, finished one event in 21st place - that's 21st in the World! Eeva recently skied in the Norwegian Birkebeiner, a 54Km classic style race with around 10,000 participants. In this race each skier has to wear a backpack that weighs at least 3.5Kg. She finished 16th out of 175 skiers in her age group and earned the prestigious Birkebeiner Medal.