Skiing Coach Gibson Quits Harvard Post

Charlie Gibson, coach of the ski team for the past seven years, announced his resignation and junior John Mitchell became captain of the skiers' annual banquet Wednesday.

Gibson, a graduate of the Harvard Business School, has been transferred to Washington by his employer, I.B.M.

The Department of Athletics has not yet named a new coach.

For five of the past six years, Gibson's teams have earned invitations to the NCAA skiing championships by placing among the top five teams in the east.

This year's squad was the most successful, defeating the University of Vermont and the University of New Hampshire before financial difficulties hit the team late in the season.

Before Gibson came to Harvard, the ski team was a loosely-organized, informal operation, unrecognized by the athletic department. Although funds are still a problem, Gibson has managed to expand the team schedule, provide transportation to meets, and get recognition from the Department of Athletics as a major varsity sport.

Mitchell, a Nordic skier (jumping and cross-country), sparked the squad to a fifth place finish at the Middlebury Winter Carnival this season. At that meet, Mitchell came in 15th in the cross-country event right behind Jim Sise for his best finish of the season.

Mitchell replaces outgoing co-captains Sise and Pete Gagarin.