Hello, we are the Independent Guest Race Team! Initially founded in 2024 by passionate ski racers, the IGRT competes as a guest team in the Thompson Division of the USCSA. All of our athletes attend Boston College, but we are unaffiliated with the school. Many talented skiers attend Boston College, creating high demand for racing opportunities on campus. Despite this, there is no official club-level team at BC. Luckily, the IGRT makes it possible for these driven student-athletes to extend their ski racing careers and continue their passion for the sport. Over the past few years, there have been numerous attempts to establish an official BC Club Ski Team, but no proposals have been approved. We therefore operate as an independent team, meaning we receive no financial support or recognition from the institution; we are entirely self-funded and unaffiliated. After two extraordinarily successful seasons, the IGRT is hoping to up its game in 2026. To achieve this, we have launched a GoFundMe fundraiser to help meet our season goals and support our athletes.

In the Thompson Division of the USCSA, we compete against other university teams such as BU, UVM, UNH, Dartmouth, WPI, Holy Cross, etc (The Thompson Division scores teams as a whole). Building on the momentum from our inaugural season, the IGRT continues to impress. During the 2025 season, IGRT skiers were on the podium all 5 weekends with numerous team sweeps, individual wins, and top-10 results. In a remarkable season finish, the IGRT won multiple overall awards combining results from the whole season: Our Boy’s team named Best Male Guest Team, Ryan Turnbull taking #1 Overall Guest Male, and Sienna Hendrickson claiming Overall Guest Female Champion.

This year, with an expanded roster, we plan to hold our second pre-season training camp, attend all 10 Thompson Division races (5 race weekends), and maintain our high level of ski racing excellence. To help us continue our success, we are seeking financial support from generous individuals who share our passion for ski racing.

Our expenses arise from: race fees, lodging, transportation, and food. As anyone who skis knows, the sport is not cheap, especially for college students. As an independent guest team, we pay dues out of pocket- usually from summer or on-campus jobs. All donations that we receive will go directly towards these costs, meaning that every donation will result in decreased dues for ALL racers. Donations will be used strictly for IGRT race operations and for no other purpose.

Some examples of IGRT season costs:

USCSA Thompson Division dues: $1800

Race fee for one racer: $68 ($136 for one weekend)

Team food for one weekend: $220

Airbnb lodging for one weekend: $800

Gas reimbursement for drivers: $200

We are responsible for covering all seasonal expenses ourselves, and accomplish this through efficiency and maximizing our budget. For example, we save money by staying at team members' houses, cooking simple pasta dinners/preparing brown bag lunches, and optimizing carpools. Your generosity will enable us to make dues more affordable for our student-athletes and ensure our season is the best it can be! Please consider donating; any amount helps! Thank you so much for your generosity and support!

With Gratitude,

2026 IGRT Members