Four Skiers to Continue In Individual Competition

The Harvard ski team closed out the 1971 Carnival Circuit with a sixth place finish at Middlebury last weekend, but four team members-Alpine skiers Alan Watson and Ben Steele and Nordie competitors John Rikert and Dick Compton-will continue racing during March.

Watson and Steele will probably compete in the Eastern Alpine Championships on the weekends of March 20 and March 27, while Rikert and Compton will vie for the Eastern cross country title.

Watson, the Alpine captain, has been skiing well the last two weekends, but falls have prevented him from placing high in the combined slalom and downhill standings. Steele is a freshman and has therefore been ineligible for the carnival circuit.

Rikert had his best finish of the season at Middlebury, placing 16th out of a field of 60. Compton has been racing steadily, but has been unable to crack the top 20 consistently.

The Eastern giant slalom and downhill titles will be decided on the first weekend of competition-March 20-with the slalom race scheduled for the following week. The giant slalom is not a regular even on the carnival circuit.

One Crimson Alpine skier, senior Jay O'Rear, will not continue racing up to the Easterns. O'Rear, probably Harvard's top prospect as a sophomore, broke his back in an accident last winter and has never regained his form.

O'Rear reinjured his back on January 10 and missed a full month of practice. Although he came back to do reasonably well in the carnival races. O'Rear was unable to practice during the carnival season.

Because only individual titles are at stake now, O'Rear decided to sit out the remainder of the season and not risk further injury to his back.