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Since he was 6 years old, Micky Wehrle has spent his winters skiing in Vermont. Wehrle, who grew up in Madison, Connecticut, regularly made the three-and-a-half hour trek to Stratton Mountain, where he competed with high-level junior skiers.

After one of his races in Vermont, a then-14-year-old Wehrle finished in a three-way tie. Shocked, he screenshotted the results on his phone. Several years later, as a freshman at Syracuse University, Wehrle rediscovered the screenshot. But he noticed something different. When he showed it to his newest friend, Stevie Connolly, the pair couldn’t believe their eyes.

“I was like, ‘Holy sh*t Stevie, I remember tying some kid. I didn’t know it was you,’” Wehrle said.

Fast forward three years, the two are now roommates and seniors on Syracuse’s club ski team. The team competes against other collegiate squads in alpine ski races for 12 weeks during the winter. SU is fresh off a United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association Championship appearance at Mount Bachelor in Bend, Oregon, from March 10-13, where it placed ninth among 27 teams.

Though to book a ticket to the Beaver State, Syracuse had to finish in the top three of the 15-team Mideast Conference. In ski racing, standings are determined by the cumulative times of the top-three racers on the team. According to Connolly, SU came in fourth in the Mideast the past two years, missing nationals by fractions of a second.

“It’s mentally pretty tough,” Connolly said. “It’s literally half a second, and you could’ve not messed up with that one gate, (it would’ve) made the difference.”

Ski racing had shaped Connolly’s life. In high school, he moved from Braintree, Massachusetts, to Killington, Vermont. There, he attended boarding school at Killington Mountain School, where his entire schedule was structured around skiing. He began practicing at 7 a.m. and completed agility drills and film sessions after his classes ended in the evening.

Connolly had dedicated a lot of energy to the sport. He entered his senior year at SU understanding it was likely his last time ever skiing competitively. So, he had one goal: qualify for nationals.

“I saw my last race ever coming up. And I wasn’t freaking out, but I was like, ‘Damn, this is almost 10 years of this sport,’” Connolly said. “I was very like, ‘This is the year, I’m not (missing nationals) again.’”

The team didn’t let its final chance pass by. Connolly, Wehrle and their roommate, Sawyer Duserick, excelled to earn a third-place finish in the Mideast. After losing to Colgate for three straight years, Syracuse defeated the Raiders to clinch its ticket to Bend.

Syracuse’s club ski team traveled to Oregon to compete in the USCSA Championships. Courtesy of Micky Wehrle

Earlier in the season, Wehrle and Duserick weren’t as optimistic about their chances. They arranged spring break plans to Florida and Europe, which would’ve directly conflicted with the trip to Bend. Once the team qualified, the two canceled their excursions.

“It was definitely a tough decision to make … It was my last year on the team. That’s something I’m never going to be able to do again,” Duserick said. “I think it was the right decision for me.”

Syracuse’s Oregonian odyssey included Wehrle, Connolly, Duserick and two freshmen: Justin Gray and Anthony Matusik. Ben Ludke, the team’s coach, wasn’t present due to family matters. And junior Mason Schlopy, the team’s sixth racer, couldn’t go due to being in Europe.

Once they arrived in Portland, the team picked up its rental car, a Ram 1500 truck. The team drove three hours with little issue, even stopping at Madras Municipal Airport to look at planes. But as they neared Bend, the truck began clicking on left turns.

The noises kept intensifying as Wehrle drove on, and the car began lurching forward. So, Connolly stuck his phone out the window to record the tire. As he watched the video in the backseat, he saw the tire wobbling as Wehrle drove. He decided it was better not to show him.

“I was like, ‘Micky, I’m not showing you this video, because it’s going to freak you out, but just drive slow. That’s all you need to know right now,’” Connolly said.

Wehrle drove four miles to the nearest mechanic at a five-mile-per-hour pace. When Duserick explained the issue over the phone, he wasn’t sure if the mechanic thought he was exaggerating. But after he saw the wheel nearly falling off, the mechanic couldn’t believe they were still alive. The team missed the opening ceremony, though the truck was repaired in time for its races.

On the slopes, Wehrle led the way in giant slalom, placing 29th of 150 racers. Connolly finished 32nd, and Matusik capped it off with a 40th-place finish. In slalom, Wehrle again paced SU with a 35th-place finish. Matusik followed in 51st, while Gray rounded out the group with a 64th-place run. Duserick didn’t qualify for either due to a knee injury he suffered in a giant slalom crash.

But the team won’t remember the trip for their individual races. It was the memories made that truly resonated with them.

During their week in Bend, they spent time relaxing in a hot tub, visiting the town, shopping, exploring the surrounding mountains and freeskiing. Each member bought matching fur caps, which remained on their heads throughout the whole week. Matusik went overboard on his spree, splurging on clothes and souvenirs for his family.

“(Matusik) spent way too much money,” Wehrle said. “He was carrying bags like a mom skiing out of Aspen.”

Throughout the competition, Connolly noticed other teams took a more “cutthroat” approach and rarely talked to other teams. In contrast, Syracuse built strong relationships with Cornell and Hobart, the two other qualifying Mideast teams. By the end of the trip, the three squads had essentially become a family.

“I thought it was great for us to not just team bond with ourselves, but also with other teams,” Gray said. “It kind of felt like we all became one team from the Mideast area.”

The competition was initially scheduled to last until March 15, with men and women alternating race days. However, due to an upcoming winter storm, all races were pushed ahead two days.

Because of this, the team finished racing several days before returning to Syracuse. But the storm gave it an opportunity to hit the slopes of Mount Bachelor alongside friends from Hobart and Cornell.

As they freeskied during their final day in Oregon, Wehrle and Connolly laid down in the woods, enveloped by a foot of untouched snow. They stared up at the sky, watching as snowflakes surrounded them in the silent forest.

Wehrle experienced a complex assortment of emotions. He realized he’d never compete in a race again. But at the same time, he felt at peace. He began reflecting on his racing career, proud of how much he’d put into the sport. He turned to Connolly after a bit. Overwhelmed, he could only think of one thing to say to him.

“We did it,” Wehrle said. “We friggin’ did it.”

Published on April 9, 2025 at 10:49 pm
Contact Mauricio: mjpalmar@syr.edu | @mpalmarSU