Home on the trails

EAGLE RIVER — There are two skiers from the UAF program that share the same roots. They both come from the Chugiak-Eagle River area. Both travelled north to ski for the Alaska Nanooks, and each fought to keep skiing alive in the UA system.

Those skiers, senior Hannah Rowland and junior Sarissa Lammers, have been skiing a long time in the state of Alaska.

In October, the University of Alaska system and UA President Jim Johnsen announced they had sent a proposal to the Board of Regents which included cutting of the ski program at UAF. The ski community wasted no time as it prepared a rally to gather support for their program. As both UAA and UAF were preparing to voice their support of their beloved sport, they received news on Nov. 10 in the morning that none of the sports were being cut. This changed the plan of the rally from being one of support, to being a march of celebration. The Nanooks marched to where the BOR meets in UAF, with people from the Fairbanks community coming out with support.

“It’s awe inspiring, absolutely awe inspiring to see how much support we have in a sport here that is what Alaska is,” Lammers, a 2014 graduate of Chugiak High School, said after the Nov. 10 rally. “Just knowing that these people came out to show us support. It warms your heart, you don’t see in other places. Everybody is just so loving here, they’re so excited to come out and show their support.”

Regardless of the future of the UAF ski program, Rowland, a member of Eagle River High School’s class of 2013, didn’t need a backup. She is set to graduate in the spring.

But it’s different for Lammers. She’s only a junior, but there was no backup plan for her. When Lammers committed to UAF, there was no thought of the program being cut. Like many other student-athletes, Lammers was forced to try and wrap her mind around the possibility of their sports being cut.

“I had no more of a backup plan than I think any normal person would have in this situation. When picking a school and going to college for a sport you don’t think about what might happen if the sport is cut because to you at that time obviously that would never happen,” said Lammers.

After the announcement was made about the possibility of skiing being cut, Lammers and other skiers began the process at looking at other schools to continue their sports careers. For Rowland, she didn’t have to worry about, since she is a senior, but she still wanted her sport to stay put. It was breath of fresh air for them both to know that skiing is here to stay.

For Lammers, with UAF in her home state of Alaska, coming to the school was also a family affair. Her brother Isaac Lammers skied at UAF for four years, and when it was her turn to decide where she wanted to go to college, going with her brother was part of the equation. Skiing along her brother was important for Lammers, because to her, she is very close to her brother.

“I loved going to college with my brother. He and I are pretty close and so for me it was really nice that I had him to share this experience.” said Lammers on skiing with her brother. “ He lived in the sustainable village his junior year and off campus his senior year while I was in the dorms and the Cutter Apartments. His place was another place I could go and hang out. It was really nice that we could be there for each other especially after our parents moved second semester of my freshman year, his junior year.”

Both excelled for their respective teams in high school.

Rowland finished eighth in the Skimeister rankings at the ASAA/First National Bank State Cross-Country Skiing Championships as a senior. She was also fifth in the girls’ 7.5-kilometer freestyle. Rowland also competed in cross-country running, and track and field with the Wolves.

Lammers was a highly decorated athlete with the Chugiak Mustangs, a three-time team captain, who helped Chugiak win the 2011 state title. As a senior, Lammers earned girls’ Skimeister titles at the region and state level.

The Chugiak-Eagle River area was the backdrop to the lives of Lammers and Rowland. According to the census, there are about 30,000 people that live in this area. Lammers and Rowland appreciated growing up in a smaller community. To them it was like growing up in

a small town, but with it being more spread out. The plus side to it all for Rowland, was that it was close to Anchorage, but not too close.

“I really like the community of Eagle River a lot. It’s close enough to Anchorage where you can go to the stores and go shopping when you need to,” said Rowland. “It’s not in the heart of the crazy chaos of the city. It’s really fun, having neighbors in your neighborhood and being part of the community.”

Lammers said after the rally at UAF, that it is the community that came together to show the Board of Regents their support of skiing.

“Just knowing that these people came out to show us support.” said Lammers after the march on Nov. 10. “It warms your heart, like you don’t see it in other places. Everybody is so loving here, and they’re so excited to come out and show their support. They want to see you do well, even though it’s not as easy to go and watch like hockey or basketball. You see the community come out and they’re bundled up,”

So what got them into skiing? For Rowland, it was her parents that taught her at a young age. Skiing to her was a fun pastime, and not until later in life did she decide to race competitively for skiing. She raced for the Eagle River High School Wolves, where she competed in both cross-country skiing and running.

The thrill of racing was there for Rowland, as in her senior year of high school, she suffered an injury and came back to race well in the state championships. Skiing for her started at a very young age. Rowland said that it wasn’t till high school, where she competed in bigger competitions.

“I started down hill skiing when I was two, and I really like that. Then we moved to Alaska. When I was six, we started cross-country skiing.

Apparently I didn’t like it at first, but my parents made me stick with it. So I kind of just did junior Nordic for fun when I was little,” said Rowland about her roots for skiing.

Lammers said her love of the sport drives her to continue to be involved.

“Skiing means a lot to me. I have been skiing since I was pretty little and it has become part of me and it always will be,” said Lammers about skiing itself. “If it wasn’t something I truly enjoyed I wouldn’t be doing it. Skiing has given me so many life experience and given me so many opportunities such as being a collegiate athlete and traveling to different places to compete. I have had the privilege of working with and competing against some amazing athletes and coaches. I love my sport and i wouldn’t trade any of it.”

Aaron Walling is a senior at UAF, and an intern at the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman