The Amherst College Alpine Race Team

Dear members of the Amherst College community or beyond,

This team means a lot to us as captains. It means hard work, dedication, diligence, perseverance, and not mention some fun. Being fortunate enough to grow up playing hockey I learned a lot about those things, about what it means to be in and work as a team towards a common goal and, despite the individuality of alpine racing, I believe these lessons hold true for our team. I want to recognize that not everyone got to grow up on a team and learn things like perseverance and dedication which is a big part of the reason this team has become so important to me.

We want to extend Alpine racing to the Amherst Community with equal access opportunity but, Amherst will not provide funding for our team’s operations over January Term. This has posed a significant problem for our team that I've come to know and love already, even before the season has begun. Because most of our competitive season occurs during January term, we will lose 60% of our scheduled races without additional support. This is where you're help could make a difference. Currently, we've gone to every department of the school and scoured every creative problem solving solution to make sure everyone gets an equal chance at alpine racing but, we're still $3400 short in racer registration fees which are integral to allowing our team members to compete in races and appreciate all donations above that level which contribute to things like transportation costs and future seasons (which we don't forsee administration helping us with sadly). Making sure the team is not pay to play is very important to me in creating an inclusive, equitable and diverse community on our team. We would appreciate any amount of support you're able to donate as it supports both the racing and Amherst community I care so much about. Thank you.

Best,

Jack Dunham 25', Co-Captain of Amherst College Alpine Racing