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01/27/2015 11:00 PMThe sport of skiing has pumped through Justin Clark's veins for years and he's recently hit a new peak in his performance on the powder while negotiating the high school slopes.
While both of his parents are avid skiers, Justin spends the offseason doing some leisurely skiing by traveling to Colorado and Utah. In joining Guilford's squad as a freshman, Justin had to adjust to the competitive avenue of the sport. However, this has proven a shift for the better as the junior has already landed two top 20 finishes in the Indians' opening pair of races to help them to a 10-9 mark. Additionally, Justin earned the opportunity to compete in the Connecticut Interscholastic Ski League Shoot Out on Jan. 26 and Monday,
Feb. 2 against the top racers selected by the league to vie for a spot on Team Connecticut.
"I joined the team my freshman year and [former] Coach Rolf Meyer taught me what I know now and the differences between recreational skiing and racing," says Justin, who previously played basketball and soccer growing up. "Following my first year, I became more into it. Last season, I understood more about how to race competitively and saw improvement with my times. The great thing about skiing, versus other sports, is that you can look at your times over the years and see right there how much you've improved."
For the Indians' first meet on Jan. 8, Justin finished 15th overall before launching himself to fifth in the second race a week later with a personal season-high average time of 25.25 among his two runs on that day.
"In the first race, I was just throwing it out there on the slopes because we were without our coach [Todd Williams] so I was just going around the gates," Justin says. "A big difference came in that second race after getting more team practices in. The unique thing about skiing on a team is that there are individual aspects and also team ones. I am always worried about how I do, but I'm also proud of how well the team did at the end of the races."
First-year Coach Williams praises Justin for helping the Indians grow as a program with his strong leadership qualities-paving his way for a bright all-around future.
"As a new head coach, Justin has been an outstanding leader as we build up the ski racing team at Guilford," says Williams. "Having only known Justin for a little over a month, there are many qualities that jump out to me. First, is his ability to lead by example from the heart. During dry land workouts, he took on a leadership role by beginning many of the team's new unknown agility drills and core training. He has also been helpful to his teammates on the mountain, helping them become acclimated to the sport of downhill ski racing. The sky is the limit for Justin as he continues to move through his race career at Guilford. I'll be anxious to see where his drive and determination take him, not only while competing on the mountain, but more importantly, in life."
As he spends some time traversing mountains across the country, Justin says that becoming a stellar sloper is as much a mind game as a physical battle.
"I still ski avidly in Colorado and Utah during the offseason, but skiing is 50 percent confidence and 50 percent skill," says Justin. "If I'm nervous, it'll be hard for me to do what I want so I'm more about mental preparation and strengthening that for the season."
Justin and the Indians, who are 8-3 in their division, have warmed up to each other this winter and he feels they're on the right course toward developing even more with their collective abilities.
"We have a great group of guys and girls here that are confident racers. We have little tweaks to improve ourselves, but it's looking good, and we are scoring competitively," says Justin, who thanks parents, Allison and Richard, brother Zach, and Meyer. "This year shows the growth we can have for next year as a team. It's our time to shine."