Meet the Freshman - Alex Loan

Here's the second installment in the UAA Ski Team Blog's "Meet the Freshman" series.  Alex is going to "redshirt" his freshman year at UAA.  For those who are unfamiliar with the NCAA's redshirt rules, it works something like this:  At the start of your first year competing in NCAA sports, your clock starts ticking and you have five years during which you can compete for four years. In sports where injury is more common, like football or even alpine skiing, the redshirt rule allows athletes to compete in a full four years' worth of NCAA athletics even if they have to sit out one year with injury.  But it can also be used to allow athletes time to develop, and maximize their potential during their NCAA sports career.  A redshirt team member is a full member of the team, but does not race in the NCAA college races.  Instead, Alex will be focusing on junior series races this year, including Junior National qualifying races, junior national championships, senior national championships, etcetera. Alex is from just up the road in Eagle River, and was one of the best Alaska high school skiers in the state last year.