Catlin Gabel Ski Team crashed but will make a partial recovery
By Ann Crosby ‘25
Photo of 2024 ski team courtesy of Ann Crosby
The unexpected cancellation of the Catlin Gabel School (CGS) ski team and the ensuing chaos stunned student-athletes, coaches, and parent volunteers. For 14 years, CGS Upper School students participated in the ski team program, which included bi-weekly dryland training, Friday night practices, and multiple races throughout the season.
Students have consistently joined the ski team to improve their skills and contribute to a team environment.
“I thought going into high school [the ski team] would be a good opportunity to improve [my] skills, which it was, and… make some friends,” said junior Ari Waechter. He remarked that his overall experience with the team was positive and that he achieved many of his original goals.
Additionally, the ski team coaches, Robin Chapin and Cameron Clear have been dedicated to coaching the team for 14 years. In 2011, they noticed that CGS did not offer a ski team and approached the athletic director, proposing to start one. They have constantly promoted a positive team environment, encouraging racers of all levels to improve and develop friendships with racers from other schools.
CGS did not provide transportation, financial assistance, and lodging for ski team members. This led to heavy parent involvement in the team and a sense of community. Every Friday, a few parents would pick the team up from school, drive to the mountain, and find a place to stay overnight.
Given the considerable parent involvement, the supportive team environment, and the benefits the ski team offered students, many were surprised when the program was terminated last spring. CGS athletic director Kate Williams sent a cryptic email that read, “Hello Ski Team—The Athletics Department would like to meet with you on Wednesday, May 8th, after school in the Athletics office.” So, after school, every team member went to the gym, unsure of what was happening.
During the meeting, Williams and Tyler Reuter, the Associate Director of Athletics, informed the ski team that CGS Athletics would no longer continue the program due to a lack of participation. However, ski team membership had grown over the past few years, and many rising freshmen planned to join the team. Considering the team's rising participation, CGS’ reasoning for terminating the program confused many community members.
After the meeting, Williams notified the parents that the team had been canceled due to “numerous factors … most importantly the programmatic sustainability over time.” Many parents were frustrated by this vague reasoning and the lack of communication between the athletics department and the ski team.
One parent emailed CGS athletics expressing their frustration and said, “It was a surprise to hear that the Catlin ski team was being dissolved… A decision was made behind closed doors without transparency and with little understanding of the true benefits of the program. This process contradicts what we are told as parents that Catlin stands for: open communication, transparency, student involvement, balance, etc.”
The same parent also said, “Shutting down the ski program may be a decision you must make—for whatever reason. But your failure to follow the very ethos of the school is a shame. As an adult, I have seen and experienced worse, yet the real frustration is what your words, actions, and contradictions say to our kids.”
Williams responded, but her reasoning only led to more confusion. She stated that CGS is “not going to run athletic programming financially backed by families, and [they are] not going to make programmatic decisions in consultation with families.” This contradicts the initial “lack of participation” reasoning and demonstrates CGS’ false commitment to transparency.
A different parent was also surprised by this decision for various reasons. Firstly, they agreed that the communication between CGS athletics and CGS parents was unsatisfactory. “I would have expected a decision such as this to have had more community feedback or consultation,” said the parent.
However, Williams told this parent that the team was canceled due to “resourcing for the new Community Center for Athletics and Wellness.” This reasoning makes little sense since the ski team only costs CGS $3000 annually. In the grand scheme, CGS is fundraising around 47 million dollars to fund the new gym, and tuition costs are over $43,000 per year, so spending an extra $3,000 annually only adds a small additional cost.
Some parents contacted Chapin to understand this surprising decision better. However, CGS Athletics had not notified Chapin or Clear about their decision to end the ski team. In fact, a ski team parent was the one to inform Chapin that his 14 years of coaching the CGS ski team had ended.
Chapin called Williams to ask if this was true and “why this decision had been made without any consultation with the coaches.” Kate said the decision was an “equity and inclusion decision.” Chapin was surprised by this response because of the positive reviews he had received over the past 14 years and the inclusive team environment.
Chapin greatly respects CGS’ values, especially integrity, community, and honesty. "Unfortunately, these core principles were not exhibited when deciding to terminate the Catlin Ski Team,” said Chapin. After talking with Williams, he wondered, “Where was the integrity and honesty” that CGS preaches?
Despite this, Chapin, who also coaches the Lincoln High School Ski Team, invites CGS ski team athletes to practice with Lincoln if they desire coaching. According to The Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association (OSIRA), ski athletes are allowed to train with their zoned public school, however, they must compete for the school they attend. This means the CGS ski program would need to be re-established if any CGS student wanted to race.
Although CGS clearly stated they would not support a ski team, creating a CGS ski club that is unsupported by CGS athletics remained possible. Some freshman parents took the initiative to organize the CGS club ski team, collaborating with athletics staff, Chapin and Clear, and former ski team parents to establish the club. Essentially, the ski club relies entirely on parent support and does not include dryland training.
CGS Athletics has promoted this club, sending multiple emails and including information in the daily bulletin to ensure students know how to join. However, the support from CGS athletics for the Ski Club reveals a contradiction in their stance of not promoting athletics programs financially backed by families. To join the ski club, every racer must pay $600.00, find transportation, pay insurance ($45.00), buy a season pass (around $400.00), and pay for overnight lodging on Mt. Hood, which starts at $120.00 — totaling $1,665.00 considering that most seasons consist of six overnight stays on Mt. Hood.
If CGS Athletics intended to cancel the ski team to eliminate programming that depends on family financial support, this alternative does just the opposite. Additionally, endorsing the ski club suggests that CGS promotes activities that impose financial burdens on families.
Perhaps CGS athletics could have drawn inspiration from the Oregon Episcopal Schools (OES) Ski Team. OES tuition covers racers' transportation and lodging and does not require athletes to pay a signup fee. This means that OES racers only pay for insurance and a season pass totaling about $445.00 — a fraction of CGS ski clubs' cost.
It remains unclear whether CGS canceled the ski team due to a lack of participation, family financial backing, issues related to equity and inclusion, or a desire to prioritize the incomplete Athletics and Wellness Center. However, this decision highlights CGS's inconsistent commitment to transparency, integrity, and inclusion. It also demonstrates how faulty communication can cause tension and distrust within the CGS community.
Reestablishing the CGS ski club team shows the strength that communities can harness when they come together over a shared goal. The CGS ski club is solely a result of support from both parents and coaches. With active community involvement, the ski club is poised for a successful pilot season this winter and aims to be established for many years to come.