Confessions of a pro circuit skier

Like many of his classmates, Mack Lyons '81 is a professional. In fact, he might even be considered a "yuppie" were it not for the fact that he makes his home in a small town high in the Colorado Rockies and for the fact that he makes his living as a professional ski racer. „

Sounds glamorous, doesn't it? But it's not that easy. And if anyone knows about the trials and tribulations of professional ski racing, Mack Lyons, of Winter Park, Colo., does.

Now in his fourth year as a professional, the former all-America skier has quite a few feathers in his cape: a 1982 National NASTAR pacesetter; sixth on the Peugeot Rocky Mountain pro tour in 1982, his rookie year; tenth overall on the Peugeot Grand Prix West tour last year; and fourth overall on last summer's South American Pro Tour.

But all those accomplishments did little to salve the wounds of not qualifying for the 1985 First Interstate Bank Cup in February at Winter Park. This year's race was to be a glorious homecoming; Lyons, who had finished second in the Super Giant Slalom (a cross between giant slalom and downhill) at the Winter Park pro race last year, was fresh off a second place slalom finish in the previous week's race at Ruidoso, N.M. "I was ready to win," Lyons said. "Not qualifying at Winter Park was one of the two worst disappointments of my ski racing career" (the other was when he fell in an NCAA Championship giant slalom race).

Still, with all the uncertainty and disappointments of pro ski racing, Mack Lyons wouldn't have it any other way. "When I graduated, I didn't feel that I had reached my potential as a ski racer; I wanted to prove myself once and for all in ski racing. Also, I wanted to make some money, to get a return on my investment," Lyons said.

So Lyons joined the pro ski racing circuit, which turned out to be an "entirely different ballgame" than amateur ski racing. "You're doing it for money, not points," Lyons explained. "It's a different format, a different psychology, a different type of skiing."

For the uninitiated, pro ski racers compete side by side on identical race courses, and the racer who comes out on top after two runs (one on each course) moves up to the next round of competition. However, a racer does not earn any money unless his qualifying runs are fast enough to put him into the round of 32, the first round of competition.

Unfortunately, Lyons was one of more than 40 racers who did not qualify for-the round of 32 at Winter Park. This particular disappointment was especially hard to swallow since Lyons was beaten out by the very last racer on a course that he had set himself, at his home ski area.

Luckily, the rewards of pro ski racing outweigh the disappointments, especially when you are a seasoned veteran of the pro circuit. "When I first started to race professionally, I was out to prove myself. Now, I'm less involved emotionally. Getting good results is not as important now as getting those results in the big money races," Lyons said.

Which is exactly what Lyons did the week beforfe the Winter Park race at Ruidoso, the richest race on the pro circuit. His second place slalom finish earned a handsome check for the man whose specialty is giant slalom, not slalom.

Yet Lyons still had some emotion left for Winter Park, for whom he has raced for the past three and a half years. "When you work all week, and it all comes down to one day and you don't get it, it's like you've failed at your career," he said.

Lyons is not the only former Dartmouth skier who has tried his hand in the pro ski racing arena. Classmate Tim Itin skied professionally out of Winter Park for two years, with nearly equal success. Itin has since left pro skiing for a position with Montgomery Securities in San Francisco, a job which he heard of through ski racing contacts, Lyons saifl.

Other Big Green skiers who have raced professionally include Robert McGrath '82 and Ken Lehman 'B2. Lehman finished 20th on the Peugeot Grand Prix Western tour in 1984, while McGrath opted to ski the Canadian professional circuit.

Finally, Bob Lee '57 is another Dartmouth graduate who has dabbled in pro racing, but in a much different fashion. Lee is chairman of the board of the First Interstate Bank of Denver, sponsor of the longest running race in pro racing history, the $40,000 First Interstate Bank Cup at Winter Park.

After four years of ski racing, Lyons has but one regret lack of security. "At this point, I'm strongly considering retiring, and moving into a good position somewhere,"

said Lyons, who graduated with an engineering degree.

But still, there are no regrets for the man whose best friend for the past four years has been his travel agent. "I've reached most of my goals in ski racing. It's time to get good at something else."

After four years on the pro circuit, Mack Lyons has found that professional skiing can be both glamorousand disappointing. Here he is shown competing in the Interstate Bank Cup at his home ski area, WinterPark, Colo., in February.