Exchanging her ski poles for a lacrosse stick, junior Annie Van-Pilsum Johnson stays in shape by playing sports throughout the year other than nordic.

According to Van-Pilsum Johnson, she spends time playing lacrosse and conditioning by herself.

“To stay in shape during the offseason I love to lift on my own and I also play lacrosse with my teams,” Van-Pilsum Johnson said. “But to train specifically for nordic during the offseason I go for runs and rollerski when possible.”

According to athletic director Andrew Ewald, skiers utilize roller skis during the offseason.

“I think they do roller skis. I know they do a lot of natural body strengthening,” Ewald said. “I would assume lots of running as well, but I think roller skiing is the primary (training method).”

Junior Kate Brinkman said the coaches offered a training option over the summer.

“We did a summer program this year (and) it was a really big deal. It was free. Usually you have to pay for it, but the coaches volunteered to pay for the summer,” Brinkman said. “For two days a week we’d go roller skiing and one day we’d lift. That made huge improvements.”

Van-Pilsum Johnson said any effort put into staying fit throughout the offseason will help performance for next season.

“I recommend that other skiers find a friend they like to train with and get out on their roller skis as much as possible,” Van-Pilsum Johnson said. “Also, any other additional workouts or sports they enjoy doing is always good. As long as you stay in shape you are making at least some improvements.”

According to Ewald, training after the season keeps skiers close to in season shape.

“I think (offseason training is) to keep them as close as possible without snow to working on the mechanics of their sport,” Ewald said.

Brinkman said she would like to see more skiers work on their form rather than just training.

“I think a lot of people forget to work on technique. They don’t think there’s a way to work on technique during the offseason,” Brinkman said. “Skiing uses way different muscles (than running). It’s important to do stuff we do during the nordic season.”