UNM's national champion ski team will not settle for the top skiers in America - they recruit the best around in the world.
Seven of the nine male skiers at UNM are from other countries, including five from Norway.
Sophomore alpine skiers Lars Loeseth and Peter Roering attended NTG Ski Academy in Geilo, Norway, and chose UNM for college.
Coming to UNM was a chance for Loeseth and Roering to pursue an education without giving up skiing.
"At universities in Norway, there are no ski teams, so this was my opportunity to ski and study," Roering said. "Getting a scholarship also played a role for me."
Head coach George Brooks said the recruitment process overseas is no different than recruiting skiers in the United States. Brooks said he sends letters, makes phone calls and encourages recruits to talk to members of the team.
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Roering said senior teammate Alexander Freberg, also from Norway, played a key role in his decision to come to UNM.
"I had friends here from Norway who recruited me," Roering said. "They told me it is a great place and I would have fun."
Loeseth said older friends on the team helped him to get in contact with the coach and apply to UNM as well.
Loeseth and Roering said their ski academy allowed skiers to put more emphasis on skiing than scholastics. They agreed the course workload is more demanding at UNM.
"School is more serious here than in Norway, and I really want to do well in school," Loeseth said. "The coaches really make it a point to help us to do well."
Roering said his biggest challenge starting at UNM was how all of his classes and textbooks were in English for the first time. He said it was challenging until he learned where he could get help on campus.
Junior Trine Lundamo is a UNM Nordic skier and a Norway native. She said the emphasis on school requirements makes the competition fair at the college level.
"All the people I compete against here take the same amount of school," Lundamo said. "Everyone has to do the same stuff, and that makes the competition more equal here."
Lundamo skied on a club team in Norway before she came to UNM. She said the competition is a different experience here than in Norway.
"The main difference is that at home, skiing is very individual, and here it is a team sport," Lundamo said. "It's not just my race. It's important that the whole team does well. That is interesting to experience."
Lundamo added she was recruited by several schools in the United States and is happy with her decision to come to UNM.
"It's been really good," Lundamo said. "I really like it here. It is warm, and we have a good team."
Last season Lundamo, Loeseth and Roering were top 10 skiers nationally and named All-American skiers in 2004. Lundamo said this was a great honor, because there is no award like this in Norway.
"It's interesting," Lundamo said. "We are not used to having titles and stuff. It was a goal for me to be top 10 in the NCAA, so I was very happy with All-American."
