There are only 24 open spots. Many try, but only the elite are selected. The 12 best boys and the 12 best girls in the state are given the opportunity to compete for Team Connecticut, representing their state in a high caliber competition with skiers from ten different states, including Wisconsin. Among these top athletes is Staples Ski captain Melissa Sweeney ’11. Captain does not adequately represent Sweeney’s many achievements, however. She has been the MVP for the girls’ ski team for four consecutive years since her freshman year, as well as first team All State. 2011 is not the first year that she has made Team Connecticut, however, she was the only student from Staples who made the team this year.

Such an achievement is not easily accomplished. Sweeney describes the tryout process as long and time consuming. To even be considered for the team, the skier must be recommended by a coach to compete in the Giant Slalom (GS) Shootout. To qualify for the next round, the Slalom Shootout (SL), the skier must place within the top 30 positions of the GS. In the subsequent round, the skier must finish in that esteemed top 12 in order to qualify for Team Connecticut. Despite such a rigorous process, Sweeney prevailed and came out on top. 

 “It is a very challenging team to make because of the competition and every year, people miss the cut off by hundredths of a second,” Sweeney said.

 Unlike the Staples ski team, which trains and practices multiple times a week, Team Connecticut’s success relies on its talented members to bring their A-game on a single weekend. This year the competition was held in Cannon, NH on March 11, 12, and 13. March 11 is a day devoted to training with the team, and the SL race and GS race take up the remaining two days.

To achieve the skill level that is required to make Team Connecticut, one must take on a demanding schedule. In addition to the Staples team, Sweeney is also a member of the Thunder Ridge Race Team. For this team, she practices and races every Saturday and Sunday in Massachusetts. Thunder Ridge also holds team practices on Wednesday and Thursday nights in New York, which Sweeney sometimes finds difficult to fit into her schedule.

“Sometimes I can make these [practices], but it is hard because high school races will usually overlap with my practice schedule,” she said.

 Such commitment can only be sustained by passion for the sport of skiing, which Sweeney clearly possesses. With impressive accolades and consistency, it is no surprise that she has seen such success in her high school skiing career.