Biele Climbs BC Record Book with "Heart of a Lion"

Few things are more pure than the starting gate of a giant slalom. Athletes perch atop the world, looking down at the peaceful snow below. There's a calmness standing inches away from a hurdling chaos, a small sliver of grace before alpine speed commandeers both their mental and physical fortitude.

Parker Biele knows all too well how the margin changes. There's an appreciation of the moment, a gratitude for the opportunity. It precedes her attack built on an unmatched determination.

Last weekend at Sugarloaf Mountain, everything came together perfectly for the Boston College junior. She completed two runs in a cumulative time of 2:03.49, placing fourth overall in the EISA event.

It was the highest finish ever by a Boston College skier.

"I had already raced Sugarloaf a number of times," Biele said. "So I was able to envision and plan for what I wanted to do. I went through my head in the week to make sure I knew (the course), and I visualized a prep to go execute the plan on Friday. In ski racing and giant slalom, you have to be able to run twice, which requires a lot of mental preparation."

It required more than just throwing the skis down a mountain. Sugarloaf is a physically-demanding course designed to tax someone's physical fitness. In the first run, she placed fourth with a time of 1:00.16, the fastest among skiers who didn't crack under the one minute barrier. The only three racers ahead of her included Claire Thomas and Patricia Mangan from Dartmouth, the No. 1 team in the nation, and Marina Vilanova from No. 4 Vermont.

"The course itself was straightforward in the first round and became about who could charge in the right line," she said. "But the course was completely different (in the second run) with chicanes and rhythm changes. It made it more tactical than just charging, and when I got into the lodge, I drew a picture so I would know when those rhythm changes would come. It made me a little slower than in the first run, but it wasn't slow enough to hurt my overall position."

Biele finished her second run in 1:03.33, a hair slower than Dartmouth's Ellie Curtis but fast enough on overall time to claim fourth place. She was the only skier in the top eight not from Dartmouth or Vermont and one of only two in the top-10 to compete at a different school.

It came as a shock to the EISA conference carnival, but the Eagles patiently knew the possibility of a breakout. She already owned a 14th place finish at the Harvard Carnival to open the season, the highest finish by a BC female skier in 25 years after Jessica Hult placed sixth in the slalom at the 1995 EISA Championships.

"You wouldn't think of her as being an athletic freak, but her strength and conditioning is off the charts," BC head coach Chuck Carmone said. "Even though it's not on a surface level, inside is the heart of a lion. She has dedication, and she just keeps skiing and skiing. She just has that ability to override, to keep charging and charging (at her opponents)."

It builds the process for a student-athlete given an opportunity at Boston College. Biele's underdog mentality fit perfectly for the Eagles, who granted her a chance to ski with a team developing its program. There's a sweat equity investment at BC unlike any other program in the EISA.

"It's a really cool feeling to be able to do it at BC," Biele said. "The entire team is super supportive, and we're pushing our own individual rankings up into the 30s at events. The men's team is improving, especially at slalom, and the freshmen are all steadily getting better in Chuck's program."

"We face off against competitors from other countries (in our conference)," Carmone said. "Other teams will have Norweigan and Finnish skiers, or skiers from places like Sweden, that race in some of the top places around the world. Dartmouth, Vermont, Middlebury - those are some of the best schools in the country for ski teams."

It's why Biele's explosion onto the national scene is buzzing excitement through the entire Boston College ski team. She had an explicit goal to reach the NCAA Championships this year in Montana, a tall order given the national competition. The Sugarloaf finish, with its 50 NCAA points, is a big lift, but everyone knows the ski season pivots on a dime. So the excitement requires a specific change in mentality to continue pushing forward, in a season known for a short time frame subject to mountain conditions.

"I have a routine that doesn't really change at a mountain," she said. "I trust the work that I put in during the fall with physical training and with my ski training, and that makes me confident when I'm in the starting gate. Confidence is a huge thing; you can't really think because you have to be ready to give that mountain and that run everything you have with the fewest mistakes possible."

"(Coach Carmone) has the same vision as our entire team, and it's what I have," she continued. "I took on a workout plan (this year) for my explosiveness and my reaction speed. (Our training staff) worked specifically with me on things I wanted to work with. It made a huge impact on my physical shape, which is helping me on my skis. It's put me in the best possible spot that I could have."

"I always sensed that Parker was a driven athlete from the start," Carmone explained. "In the 30 years that I've been coaching, I've seen a number of great athletes. But she has more focus and can steer clear of everything that doesn't make her better."

Boston College continues this weekend at the Bates Carnival hosted at Sunday River in Newry, Maine. The season continues through the two weekends after with the Williams Carnival and the Middlebury Carnival, also the EISA Championships.

The 202 NCAA Championships will be held in March this year at Bridger Bowl, hosted by Montana State.

Biele Climbs BC Record Book with "Heart of a Lion"

Players Mentioned

Parker Biele

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