- February 06, 2026
- By Karen Shih ’09
None of us mere mortals is landing a quadruple axel or racing down a snowy mountain at 80 mph, but if you’re itching to at least try one of the 16 sports featured in the 2026 Winter Olympics that open on Friday, you’re in luck. The University of Maryland has clubs that can give you a blast of adrenaline-pumping action.
Slide into this rundown of student organizations for skiing and snowboarding, figure skating and ice hockey.
Courtesy of 1 2 3 Ski Club
Ski club members during their winter break Mont-Tremblant trip to Quebec, Canada, which drew 150 participants.
How it Started: Harrison Offenberg ’26 and Ben Margolin ’26 co-founded it freshman year after discovering the previous ski and snowboard club had gone defunct. They started by just grabbing a couple of friends to go up to local slopes like Liberty and Whitetail together, and within four years, an avalanche of members joined; more than 900 are in the Groupme today, and 150 traveled up to Mont-Tremblant in Quebec, Canada, over winter break.
Who Can Join: Any skill level is welcome; the executive board makes sure at least one skilled skier and snowboarder is available at outings who can give informal lessons to first-timers. Thanks to SGA funding, transportation by bus is free, and the club raffles off 20 lift tickets and equipment rentals for each trip. “We know it’s an expensive sport, so we’re trying to make it as cheap as possible so more people can enjoy it,” he said.
When it Meets: Sunday day trips in February and March; weeklong trips during winter and spring break. In the fall semester before ski season, the club gets together about twice a month to just hang out, playing spikeball or hosting barbeques. “It’s such a great community—random people I roomed with during our trips have become my best friends,” said Offenberg. During the snowstorm last week, some members even got out their boards behind McKeldin Library and built ramps to catch some air.
Olympic Activities: While the club hasn’t organized formal watch parties, exec board members like Gaby Ross ’26, who grew up skiing at Lake Tahoe, are following some of the Olympics’ biggest stars like downhill legend Lindsay Vonn. “I was obsessed with her, and when she retired, I was so sad,” said Ross. Now 41-year-old Vonn is back, and despite a recent ACL tear, “she’s still planning to go and compete. It’s a super inspiring story.”
Courtesy of Maryland Figure Skating
From left, Joey Lin '28, Tracy Ly '27 and Jenna Hauer '28 representing UMD at the Sunshine Classic competition at the University of South Florida.
How it Started: Revived shortly after the pandemic, the club now has more than two dozen regular members who skate at Herbert W. Wells Ice Rink, just down the street from the College Park Metro station.
Who Can Join: Anyone from a beginner who barely knows how to lace up their skates to former Team USA ice dancer Jenna Hauer ’28, now part of the executive board. The club encompasses both freestyle skating, focused on individual programs, and synchronized skating, where students compete group routines, such as a “Mean Girls”-inspired program.
When It Meets: Weekly practices and five competitions per year, as well as off-the-rink fundraisers and socials.
Olympic Activities: At 1:45 p.m. Saturday, members are hosting an Olympics watch party for the figure skating team event, featuring the men’s short program and the free dance program, in the Nanticoke Room (1238) of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union. “We are most excited to cheer for the DMV’s very own Ilia Malinin and Amber Glenn!” executive board members Vlad Volkov ’27 and Grace Wartmann ’27 wrote in an email. Hauer, who’s met several of the Milano Cortina competitors and skated on the same ice as Team USA’s “Quad God” Malinin and Maxim Naumov, said, “they inspire me to remain motivated for my training, even for collegiate skating. … So many of these elite athletes are incredibly hardworking and successful, yet they remain humble and kind.”
On Feb. 15, the club will also have an Olympics-themed practice where members will give out some swag to participants.
Courtesy of Club Hockey
When Lake Artemesia froze over during the last week of January following winter storm Fern, club hockey members spent two days out on the ice.
How it Started: The decades-long tradition has been around since 1980 and brings together UMD’s top male ice hockey players, since the university doesn’t have an NCAA team.
Who Can Join: Nearly 90 people participated in tryouts in August, and 28 made it onto the D2 team (another two dozen or so are on the D3 team). But anyone can get a taste of the action by cheering on the team at its home games at Gardens Ice House in Laurel; more than 300 came out for Senior Night last week, including some via bus from UMD. “It’s really fun to play in front of a large crowd,” said Vice President Luke Mohan ’27.
When They Meet: During the fall semester, the team practices twice a week at Bowie Ice Arena and competes every weekend, tallying nearly 30 games per year against teams spanning New Jersey to North Carolina. This weekend, it’s heading to Wake Forest for playoffs. During last week’s deep freeze, the club even spent two days out on Lake Artemesia for impromptu, local practice sessions. “To a bunch of hockey players, a frozen lake is the best sight in the world,” said Mohan.
Olympic Activities: The team plans to get together for Team USA games; with a strong contingent, Mohan expects to see the U.S. in the gold medal match. It’s the first time NHL players will be back at the Olympics for more than a decade, so Mohan is excited to “watch the best players in the world all be on the ice at the same time.”
This is an occasional series highlighting interesting UMD student clubs. Have a suggestion for one to feature? Email kshih@umd.edu.
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