As they celebrate their time at nationals, Scripps members of The Claremont Colleges’ Ski and Snowboard Team reflect on the ways athletics has given them an incomparable community and deepened their confidence as leaders.
The 5C Ski and Snowboard Team at the 2026 nationals competition
By Nichola Monroe 鈥�27
For the past six years, The Claremont Colleges Ski and Snowboard Team has been incredibly successful in sending athletes to compete at the US Collegiate Ski & Snowboard (USCSA) national competition each March. This year was no exception, with 17 athletes traveled to the iconic Whiteface ski resort in Lake Placid to compete in men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 ski and snowboard alpine and freestyle events.
Among them were Scripps鈥� own Katie Jenkins 鈥�27 and Leila Jahic 鈥�28. For Jenkins, there was no world in which she would not have joined the team. As the daughter of a former Scripps ski team captain, she showed dedication and grit in competition, and was recently named a team captain for the second year in a row.
鈥淛oining ski team has been the best thing I鈥檝e done since starting at Scripps,鈥� says Jenkins. 鈥淚 love the people, I love going fast, and I love skiing every weekend. It鈥檚 become such an integral part of my Scripps experience that I can鈥檛 really imagine my life without it.鈥�
One of the best things you can do at the 5Cs is join a club sport
On top of her psychology major and double minor in environmental science and art history, Jenkins says the ski team 鈥渒eeps her busy.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檝e always been an athletic person,鈥� Jenkins explains. 鈥淏eing able to get out on the mountain and move my body makes me feel a lot better generally.鈥�
For Jahic, a pre-med biology major and philosophy minor, the story is similar: getting off campus and connecting with people across the consortium has kept her dedicated to her fellow athletes.
鈥淢y first real experience was a Mammoth trip during my first year at Scripps,鈥� Jahic says. 鈥淪howing up for a weekend to a cabin full of people I had never met was daunting, but I was immediately met with so much genuine curiosity about newcomers, and I felt very welcomed. Everyone was just happy to be doing the same sport together.鈥�
Athletics at Scripps and the 5Cs: A Pathway to Community and Leadership
Jenkins says that skiing and competing most weekends facilitates a fierce friendship between teammates.
鈥淥ne of the best things about the team is our strong community,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou have to be a special person to go away for the first three weekends of the semester to get up at 5:30 a.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It creates a special bond between everybody.鈥�
We don鈥檛 take ourselves too seriously as a competitive team, but that works in our favor. It creates a great social culture that attracts really talented athletes
Jahic was also recently elected to captain the team alongside Jenkins for the upcoming academic year. The two leaders attribute most of the team鈥檚 success making it to nationals to the environment they foster.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 take ourselves too seriously as a competitive team, but that works in our favor,鈥� Jahic says. 鈥淚t creates a great social culture that attracts really talented athletes. We have some impressive alpine and free skiers that we were able to take to nationals.鈥�
The team boasts members who were former racing and mogul skiers, as well as talented free skiers and boarders. The diversity on the team is a major attribute to the team鈥檚 success.
鈥淲e always welcome people of all skill levels,鈥� says Jenkins. 鈥淲e support each other and have fun, even though we have varying ability and experience; that鈥檚 what makes our team our 迟别补尘.鈥�
鈥淧art of why we did well as a team at nationals was a lot to do with people鈥檚 willingness to compete,鈥� adds Jahic. 鈥淚n particular, our women free skiers showing up and trying new things has been really helpful to our team鈥檚 success.鈥�
鈥淔or alpine, our team is a supportive enough environment that we get first-time racers who end up placing extremely high,鈥� Jenkins continues. 鈥淔or us, it鈥檚 more about supporting each other than beating our teammates.鈥�
During the competition, the women鈥檚 free ski team competed exceptionally well, placing first in slopestyle events.
鈥淭he most electric moment of nationals was when we podiumed over Rocky Mountain College,鈥� Jahic says, noting the school is home to a very talented team. For the 5C ski team, these moments of athleticism, sportsmanship, fear, joy, disappointment, connection, and more, meld together in the outdoors in a truly special way.
鈥淥ne of the best things you can do at the 5Cs is join a club sport,鈥� says Jenkins. 鈥淭here is no comparable way to develop a community that strong besides sportsmanship.鈥�