Once An Eagle, Always An Eagle: Carter Robertson '18
March 10, 2020 | Skiing, #ForBoston Files
Parker Biele's run to NCAA's brings back memories for the first Eagle to qualify
On Wednesday, 34 men and 34 women will converge on Bridger Bowl in Bozeman, Montana for this year's Alpine division in the National Collegiate Men's and Women's Skiing Championships. They will each make runs down the historic, 8,000-foot mountain, each harboring dreams of earning All-American status.
Boston College's Parker Biele will be among the women traveling west to Montana from schools situated in the eastern United States. The junior will become the first female competitor from the Heights in NCAA Championship history when she steps in the starting gate, and she'll look to capitalize on advantageous seeding, especially in giant slalom.
Biele's run will make history for BC and will join her with Carter Robertson '18, who was the first male to qualify when he earned a slot during the 2018 season, just two years ago.
"I approached my year similar to how I think Parker approached this season," Robertson said. "I approached my year trying to do something every day to set myself up for success on the race hill. That was a mantra for the team that year, and we really tried to make sure that we did everything in practice and off the race hill, so we could be at our best on race day. It really came down to doing the little things, over time, and adding them up."
The success inexorably links Biele and Robertson as trailblazing stories for BC's upstart, underdog program. Both came to Chestnut Hill from the Burke Mountain Academy program and skied together for one year at BC in 2017-18. That was when Robertson, a top-three recruit, exploded onto the national scene.
He placed seventh at the St. Michael's Winter Carnival and added a 10th place finish one week later at the UVM Carnival in giant slalom. It preceded a monster performance at Dartmouth in which he finished 11th in slalom and eighth in giant slalom. After finishing 12th in the slalom at Williams and 11th at Middlebury, Robertson earned an invite to the NCAA Championships, held that year in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
"We both went through the same (program)," Robertson said, "so it's ingrained in us to make sure we put in the time. That means going over video or extra workouts and extra cool downs, and all of that adds up to set up for race day.
"Skiing is a fast sport, literally and figuratively," he added. "There's a whole day of preparing and inspecting to get ready, but you're only on the course for a good two minutes. What people don't see is the work in the background, and that's something I know Parker carried around with her for a long time."
Bridger Bowl is in a completely different state from Steamboat Springs, but it will likely retain some of the similar characteristics given its geographic orientation. Western mountains are unique for their snow and makeup, and both are vastly different from the mountains Robertson and Biele both skied out east. That said, there is an experience factor from skiing outside of the NCAA Championships, and there's a familiarity with the competition through those outside events that doesn't usually exist.
"Skiing isn't like football or baseball or another sport," Robertson said. "You're not seeing an entire team of people for the first time in your life. Parker and I both skied against the same people for our entire lives. She probably saw the entire field during other race days, so she knows that she can put in the time and effort to get into the top-10 and earn All-American status. I think that can create a lot of confidence."
She'll need that confidence because she's just the second Eagle ever to compete on the national stage. The NCAA Championship field is littered with athletes from skiing's blue-blood programs, which means eastern schools like Vermont, Dartmouth and Middlebury will compete with athletes from Colorado, Utah, and Denver.Â
"I know Parker will have a lot of confidence," Robertson said. "She knows that she can beat a good amount of the field that's out there (in Montana). It'll come down to snow conditions, how it compares to how she normally skis, but I know she'll do a really good job out there."
All six of the western schools are represented by multiple skiers, and only four of the 15 institutions at the event have individual skiers. That means Biele will have a decided advantage stemming from an ability to ski without any added pressure of placing for a team championship. That likely will enable her to attack the mountain for herself and identify her as a possible disruption for the individuals requiring points for a team title.
"BC doesn't have a huge history, so there can be a slight pressure," Robertson said. "Being a single athlete, though, takes away any of that pressure that other skiers from Dartmouth, Middlebury or Vermont have as a team. All of those schools are competing for national championships, but we compete to represent BC. We are the people who want to disrupt those bigger players, and that's one of the things that's kind of fun. There's so much opportunity to make a name for yourself because you're not worried about the team aspect."
Ultimately, Biele's runs on Wednesday and Friday will provide a second watershed moment for the Boston College program. The Eagles long stood in the shadows of the bigger, northern New England teams with longer histories, but they are beginning to threaten that standing with a newfound tradition of their own.Â
"This is exciting because there's so much potential for this program," Robertson said. "You don't have to go to Dartmouth or Middlebury or Vermont to make NCAAs. In the past, that's maybe how people saw the circuit, but now there's so much competition. There are so many good schools, and I think BC has an amazing draw (to recruits). It's in the city, and it's a Division I powerhouse with great athletics and great academics.
"We're only two years removed from when I made the NCAAs," he continued. "Seeing someone qualify shows why I came to BC. Skiing can have long term success and prove it wasn't just (any) school. Skiing can be a No. 1 priority, and you can get a lot out of it. Seeing Parker make it to NCAAs, with more young, good skiers on the team, is really just a starting point. I think the two of us will show the circuit that high school kids can come to BC and have a good time, with a great education, and with a really good shot at making nationals."
Boston College's Parker Biele will be among the women traveling west to Montana from schools situated in the eastern United States. The junior will become the first female competitor from the Heights in NCAA Championship history when she steps in the starting gate, and she'll look to capitalize on advantageous seeding, especially in giant slalom.
Biele's run will make history for BC and will join her with Carter Robertson '18, who was the first male to qualify when he earned a slot during the 2018 season, just two years ago.
"I approached my year similar to how I think Parker approached this season," Robertson said. "I approached my year trying to do something every day to set myself up for success on the race hill. That was a mantra for the team that year, and we really tried to make sure that we did everything in practice and off the race hill, so we could be at our best on race day. It really came down to doing the little things, over time, and adding them up."
The success inexorably links Biele and Robertson as trailblazing stories for BC's upstart, underdog program. Both came to Chestnut Hill from the Burke Mountain Academy program and skied together for one year at BC in 2017-18. That was when Robertson, a top-three recruit, exploded onto the national scene.
He placed seventh at the St. Michael's Winter Carnival and added a 10th place finish one week later at the UVM Carnival in giant slalom. It preceded a monster performance at Dartmouth in which he finished 11th in slalom and eighth in giant slalom. After finishing 12th in the slalom at Williams and 11th at Middlebury, Robertson earned an invite to the NCAA Championships, held that year in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
"We both went through the same (program)," Robertson said, "so it's ingrained in us to make sure we put in the time. That means going over video or extra workouts and extra cool downs, and all of that adds up to set up for race day.
"Skiing is a fast sport, literally and figuratively," he added. "There's a whole day of preparing and inspecting to get ready, but you're only on the course for a good two minutes. What people don't see is the work in the background, and that's something I know Parker carried around with her for a long time."
Bridger Bowl is in a completely different state from Steamboat Springs, but it will likely retain some of the similar characteristics given its geographic orientation. Western mountains are unique for their snow and makeup, and both are vastly different from the mountains Robertson and Biele both skied out east. That said, there is an experience factor from skiing outside of the NCAA Championships, and there's a familiarity with the competition through those outside events that doesn't usually exist.
"Skiing isn't like football or baseball or another sport," Robertson said. "You're not seeing an entire team of people for the first time in your life. Parker and I both skied against the same people for our entire lives. She probably saw the entire field during other race days, so she knows that she can put in the time and effort to get into the top-10 and earn All-American status. I think that can create a lot of confidence."
She'll need that confidence because she's just the second Eagle ever to compete on the national stage. The NCAA Championship field is littered with athletes from skiing's blue-blood programs, which means eastern schools like Vermont, Dartmouth and Middlebury will compete with athletes from Colorado, Utah, and Denver.Â
"I know Parker will have a lot of confidence," Robertson said. "She knows that she can beat a good amount of the field that's out there (in Montana). It'll come down to snow conditions, how it compares to how she normally skis, but I know she'll do a really good job out there."
All six of the western schools are represented by multiple skiers, and only four of the 15 institutions at the event have individual skiers. That means Biele will have a decided advantage stemming from an ability to ski without any added pressure of placing for a team championship. That likely will enable her to attack the mountain for herself and identify her as a possible disruption for the individuals requiring points for a team title.
"BC doesn't have a huge history, so there can be a slight pressure," Robertson said. "Being a single athlete, though, takes away any of that pressure that other skiers from Dartmouth, Middlebury or Vermont have as a team. All of those schools are competing for national championships, but we compete to represent BC. We are the people who want to disrupt those bigger players, and that's one of the things that's kind of fun. There's so much opportunity to make a name for yourself because you're not worried about the team aspect."
Ultimately, Biele's runs on Wednesday and Friday will provide a second watershed moment for the Boston College program. The Eagles long stood in the shadows of the bigger, northern New England teams with longer histories, but they are beginning to threaten that standing with a newfound tradition of their own.Â
"This is exciting because there's so much potential for this program," Robertson said. "You don't have to go to Dartmouth or Middlebury or Vermont to make NCAAs. In the past, that's maybe how people saw the circuit, but now there's so much competition. There are so many good schools, and I think BC has an amazing draw (to recruits). It's in the city, and it's a Division I powerhouse with great athletics and great academics.
"We're only two years removed from when I made the NCAAs," he continued. "Seeing someone qualify shows why I came to BC. Skiing can have long term success and prove it wasn't just (any) school. Skiing can be a No. 1 priority, and you can get a lot out of it. Seeing Parker make it to NCAAs, with more young, good skiers on the team, is really just a starting point. I think the two of us will show the circuit that high school kids can come to BC and have a good time, with a great education, and with a really good shot at making nationals."
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