Could Skiing Become Widespread in Collegiate Competition?

Ski CenterNovember 27, 2021
Northern Michigan University’s Kristen Bourne (c) after the 5-kilometer classic race at the 2017 NCAAs in Jackson, New Hampshire. (Photo Credit: Jackie Schneider)

Could skiing become widespread in collegiate competition?

Despite the fact that skiing doesn’t receive loads of media attention at the collegiate level, it does currently exist. Of course, professional skiing is covered in much greater detail, and people even bet on professional events, as can be done with the Caesars sportsbook promo code. This then begs the question, should skiing not receive better financial backing to become as high-profile as other collegiate sports?

That’s a decision that isn’t up to us, but we can still look at the facts and figures to determine how likely a boost in collegiate skiing could be.

A closer look at the potential of collegiate skiing

It’s not that skiing is completely ignored at the college level, it’s just that it isn’t nurtured as much as other sports such as basketball or football. However, there are signs that things might be picking up, which is what we will discuss now.

Adoption of other sports

This isn’t directly related to skiing, but we feel it is relative to this discussion. Basically, the fact that the NCAA has started to allocate funding for other, less followed sports, is a good sign for skiing. A classic example here would be squash. Squash isn’t a hugely popular sport on a global scale, yet funding is being allocated at high-profile schools to allow student-athletes to come to the states and complete their degrees. This then begs the question, could skiing be the next sport to receive such a major boost?

We don’t really see a reason why not, especially with current competitions already in place.

Improvement of facilities

It goes without saying that college athletes, especially those performing winter events, can only do so at colleges where the climate is cold. Of course, this is necessary to even play their sports in the first place. And in terms of the geographical impact of this, it means that college skiers must go to Northern schools if they are to follow their passion. However, as technology and overall facilities improve, it could now be possible for skiers to go to warmer climates and still perform their sport. The best example of this is dry ski run runs or indoor ski facilities, and these things are already quite prestigious in other parts of the world.

Room for growth

Many people view a lack of adoption as a negative factor. However, we like to look at it on the flip side of the coin. Since skiing is still falling short of other sports in popularity, this means that there is plenty of room for growth. All it takes is a bit of mainstream media coverage, investments, and fan interests for skiing to really explode at the collegiate level. Can it happen? Sure it can. Every prestigious sport started somewhere, and skiing could easily become the next big thing if you give it enough time

It’s an exciting sport, full of different competitions to keep things spicy, and who wouldn’t want to watch that?

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