:10 Seconds with Charlotte Lemgart

Courtesy: Dustin Satloff

Did you know that there is a team on the campus of Plymouth State University that competes at the Division I level? Both the Women’s and Men’s ski team at PSU compete against some of the biggest schools within the Northeast (including, but not limited to Boston College, Harvard University and University of Vermont) in the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA). Since the Panthers joined this conference starting in the 2012 season, both teams have improved over the past four seasons.

One of those skiers who is a big reason for that improvement is sophomore Charlotte Lemgart. The Vaerloese, Denmark native has been the most consistent skier for the women’s team, as she has been the top performer for Plymouth in five of the eight meets she has competed in. Lemgart also had success her freshman year at PSU, as she finished within the top quarter of skiers in six different events last season.

As this season starts to come to a close (there is only one more event within the Northeast that the teams will compete in, that being the NCAA Regionals at Whiteface Mountain next weekend), Lemgart will look to lead the Panthers to their best showing to date. 

1. How long have you been skiing for?

Since I was 3, so for 18 years.

2. How does the ski team look for the rest of the 2014-2015 season?

We only have one Carnival left, but I believe that the guys can get a good team result, probably in top 5, and hopefully the girls will all qualify for second run and we can get our best results of the season.

3. What is your most memorable moment in your skiing career?

Every time I beat my current ranking, I am very satisfied and being on the Podium in FIS races is always memorable. Last week, I was participating in the World Ski Championship and going through the start gate and then crossing the finish line is a moment I will always carry with me.

4.Do you have any superstitions on the day of your events?

I do the same warm-up routine at the start before each run and that makes me feel loose and ready to go. Eating a good breakfast is also very important to me, because if I feel hungry I don't feel completely ready to perform the best of my ability.

5. What was the "Welcome to Skiing" moment in your career?

When I started racing FIS and got to compete in big events for my country including the Junior Olympics, Junior World Championship, and now World Cups and the "real" World Championship. I get many opportunities that many who are from bigger skiing countries can only dream off, and that is partly what keeps me going.

6. If I were to look at you iPod/iTunes/etc., what would be the five most played songs?

Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Jason Derulo would all be up there.

7. Being on the ski team, you obviously go to a number of different mountains throughout the duration of the season. What are some of the things you look for when you are just checking out the course?

While inspecting the course I look for the difficulties where it is important to stay ahead and also the easier parts where there are possibilities to gain speed.

8. Are you really ever able to just go to a mountain, and enjoy the day skiing? If so, what are some of your favorite ski resorts?

I always enjoy skiing, but yes there are days where I just cruise around, mostly in the Spring when the race season is over, and my focus start to fade away a little bit. My favorite mountain is Tarnaby in the northern part of Sweden. There are never many people and it is really peaceful to ski there. Here in the US, Vail in Colorado is among my top destinations, because of the constantly perfect snow and the wide slopes.

9. For the average person that may not know, can you explain exactly what giant slalom and slalom are, and what are some of their differences?

Slalom is a shorter radius regarding both skies and course sets, and it has the tightest distances for all of the four disciplines. We wear protection such as shinguards, poleguards, and facebar because you "ski through" the gates, so your shins and hands move the gate out of the way. In Giant Slalom there are two gates with a flag in the middle and the radius on the skies and between the gates is longer. GS is the faster of the two disciplines.

10. Being the only team to compete at the Division I level at Plymouth, how much of a challenge is it competing against some of the best athletes in the U.S./world?

There is a lot of competition and it is really difficult to be in the top, but I think our team is doing really well and improving every season. In a few years, I am sure that we will be fighting with the top teams. Since Plymouth doesn't have a cross-country ski team, it is hard to get placed well since that is used in the calculations as well.