FSC Clubs vie for Pauline’s Cup

Our clubs compete for Pauline’s Cup, also known as the Florida Cup, during the January ski week. Call it winning for the glory or winning to show Pauline’s Cup to your constituents... It's a bragging right that stays with the club all year long.

The History of Pauline’s Cup

The first trophy, awarded in 1985, was donated by Snowmass Associates and kept by the winning club, the Miami Ski Club. The following year, Coors donated the trophy, and various sponsors continued to do so until 1992. In 1992, Worldwide Ski Corp donated the trophy that became officially known as the Florida Cup.

Every year, the trophy would travel in its custom-made box to the January Florida ski week to be presented to the winning club. In 2001, the FSC Executive Committee decided that traveling with the large trophy was too difficult and replaced it with a traveling plaque. Following this change, the Board of Directors decided to present the original Florida Cup Trophy to Pauline Borovicka Arias, the FSC Founder and longstanding cheerleader for NASTAR.

Pauline took the cup home, had it repaired, and proudly displayed it in her home until she passed away in 2008. Her husband graciously donated the cup back to the Council. Following this, the Executive Committee decided to reinstate the trophy back into service for the FSC.

In addition to the engravable plaque on one side of the base where the name of the winning club is added each year, a tribute to Pauline has been included. This features a picture of her in her NASTAR bib and a list of all the NASTAR individual and National Medals she won over the years.

The Cup was officially renamed Pauline’s Cup in her honor. Pauline’s husband, Vince, and her daughter, Judy, attended the June 2008 meeting to present Pauline’s Cup to the winning Tampa Bay Club.

About Pauline

Pauline did not begin skiing until her 40s, following her treatment for colon cancer, but it quickly became her lifelong passion. She was the first female President of the Miami Ski Club and co-founded the Florida Ski Council (FSC).

Despite facing numerous health challenges over the years—including breast cancer, leukemia, two recurrences of lung cancer, and a knee replacement—she continued to ski with a brace, determined to return to the slopes after each setback. The year she passed away was the only time in 40 years that she missed a ski season.

A nurse by profession, Pauline used all her vacation time to ski. Upon retirement, she and Vince skied an average of 12 consecutive weeks each season. She competed at every resort she visited, winning countless individual medals. As she grew older, she grew faster, consistently qualifying for the NASTAR Nationals, winning her age category in her 70s, and earning one of NASTAR's first platinum medals.

 Pauline passed away in 2008 shortly before the NASTAR Nationals. In her honor, NASTAR officials sent her family a racing bib and a final gold medal. Additionally, at the request of the Florida Ski Council, NASTAR established a permanent award in her memory. For many years, the FSC presented a replica of Pauline’s Cup to the Platinum winner in the Female 80+ category at the NASTAR Nationals. NASTAR has paused the Nationals to focus on broader efforts, but Pauline's memory still lives on.