"It gives me a rush to ski down a mountain at such high speeds," he explained.
For the past couple of months, Schonberger has been busy doing just that: flinging himself down icy slalom and giant slalom courses, creating a name for himself on the collegiate racing circuit through his fearlessness and fast pace.
Growing up in Rye, N.Y., the ski slopes were never more than a couple hours' drive from Schonberger's house, and by the age of four, Schonberger was a competent skier. However over time, even that distance proved too much.
During the winter of his freshman year of high school, Schonberger began to attend the prestigious Stratton Mountain Ski Academy in Stratton, VT. For four months, his routine consisted of waking up, running, getting on the slopes, then sitting through classes until five. After classes, it was off to the gym for another two hours of dryland training.
Although Schonberger, a natural athlete who also is part of the Jeffs' baseball squad, loved skiing and his classmates, the time commitment proved too much and he soon returned home to Rye.
Now, after taking four years off from the sport, Schonberger is back to racing, this time as a Lord Jeff. Despite his penchant for falling, which cost him the lead in a number of competitions, this first-year has his sights set high, as evidenced through his performances.
Schonberger hopes to place well in the final two meets of the season and close out the winter by making it to easterns.
Steve Hollister '05, accomplished captain of the men's alpine team, sang his praise for Schonberger. "In my opinion, Zach is the best skier in the league," he commented.
Some of the schools that Amherst races against boast powerful squads. Green Mountain College in particular, has been rumored to recruit European skiers and reward them with scholarships. On the other hand, Schonberger, as with every other member of the Jeffs crew, is an amateur who races for fun despite such fierce competition. "Zach has been driving a lot of the big-name recruits crazy by beating them all season," Hollister continued.
Schonberger's skiing benefits mostly from three things. First, he spent a week of the season under the tutelage of former Olympic downhill racer Doug Lewis, perfecting his racing technique.
Second, Schonberger has competed while outfitted in his good luck racing suit, a duct-taped and split-seamed remnant from his years of middle school ski racing, and a bright pink neck gator, a gift from the women's team captain, Amy Randall '04.
Finally, Schonberger employs a "No-holds-barred" attitude that he applies to both on the ski slopes and the classroom. When it comes to guts, few athletes possess as many as Schonberger, skier extraordinaire.