by MacKenzie Silvia
Nordic skiing had its State Championship meet at Notchview Nordic Ski Center Wednesday, Feb. 11. The girls’ team finished the meet in 11th place, while the boys’ finished ninth.
“Originally the race was scheduled for Tuesday but it was postponed until Wednesday due to weather,” said senior Sonya Jampel, a captain with seniors Lauren Benson, Alyssa Kann, and Alex Klavens. “The team arrived at the school at 5:15 a.m. to begin the long day which was a great way to end the season.”
“The weather was supposed to be treacherous but the sun came out and it was perfect racing weather for the 7.5 kilometer course,” Jampel said. “The course is much hillier than where we train at Weston ski track but the team rose to challenge.”
Kann appreciates the strong team chemistry that Nordic possessed throughout the season.
“I may be a bit biased, but I think Nordic is special because of every team member’s unique ability to bond with everyone else,” Kann said. “Our team has developed a weird and wacky rapport throughout the season, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Both Jampel and Kann said that the team has worked hard throughout the season to improve upon its skiing regardless of skill level.
“So far I have been very proud of the team this season with our hard work learning and improving our skiing,” Jampel said.
“We’ve always emphasized sportsmanship over sheer athletic ability, but this year we’ve had the fortune to have both,” Kann agreed.
Jampel also believes that “the surplus of snow has certainly been very exciting.”
Jampel appreciates the “large cheering squad that made the 2.5 hour trek to Windsor to come and cheer on the team.”
Nordic ended its season with a bang when the team concluded the meet with “a celebratory dance party where the North team lead the dancing to Disco Pogo, our team anthem,” Jampel said.