Nordic Skiing tops off another season with a solid performance at states, placing 12th for the boys and 8th for the girls, in a successful season filled with improvement and collaboration, according to head coach Jeff Parker.
After his first season with North, Parker could only describe what a wonderful experience it was. “It’s been a really great year,” said Parker. “I don’t think I’ll forget this one for a long time.”
North had a few standout placements at states, with Hoch coming in 8th place, finishing with an elapsed time 24:20 minutes for the boys, while senior Sophia Wax finished in 18th for the girls, with a time of 27:49 minutes.
Besides their top placements at states, the team had multiple other accolades that shaped their exceptional year. The girls displayed outstanding performances in each race, eventually leading them to win the Mass Bay East (MBE) Title. They defeated multiple rival schools such as Wellesley, Weston, and Dover-Sherborn.
The MBE win was led by Jampel, Bailey, Lee, and Wax, who according to Parker, were “pretty dominant” against the other competing schools. Jampel, Bailey, and Lee also ended up MBE League All-Stars for the season.
According to Hoch, a captain alongside seniors Ella Bailey, Jo Graham, Serena Jampel, Ali Lee, Bergen Nelson, and Griffin Steele, the team’s culture and spirit matched the competitive successes they had this season. “What we’re really known for as a team is our community,” he said. “A lot of days we’re just out on the snow playing games and having a good time.”
Parker added that the team acted as “a big cohesive family,” that always supported each other throughout races and training sessions.
Despite the numerous accolades, Hoch stressed the improvements that needed to be made going forward. “I think we need to get going on the ice more efficiently,” said Hoch. “That didn’t happen as much as I wanted to this year.”
Parker added that the departure of many crucial seniors is a challenging step for next season. “They’ve been skiing together forever, and now they’re all graduating,” said Parker. “I think we need to focus on developing skills for first and second year skiers next season.”
“I think they should just try to learn more about skiing everyday,” said Parker. “At the end of the day, what it’s all about is focusing on becoming a better skier.
