With the Nordic season approaching, senior captain Max Gohman said the team is slowly increasing the number of practices it has weekly.

“We’ve been having Nordic practices every week on Sundays, we just added (Thursdays) as our second day,” Gohman said.

Junior Danny Shope said practice structures have been different this year, but the team is still thriving.

“Normally we do practices all summer, but because of COVID, we had to wait this year. Honestly, we’ve had even a bigger turnout than last year,” Shope said.

According to Gohman the captains are doing all they can to make the Nordic team feel as safe as possible over the course of the season.

“We have mandatory masks except (for) when we’re running. Some people wear masks while roller skating, that’s not mandatory though,” Gohman said. “We also have a contactless thermometer that we use for every person and we have a sheet that has a questionnaire.”

According to freshman Modesty Manion, captains’ practices help make the team feel stronger and more connected.

“When I started captains practices my first year, it really helped me get to know the older kids on the team and sort of just bringing the team together before the season actually starts,” Manion said.

Shope said that he thinks captains’ practices build a sense of community for everyone that is a part of Nordic.

“The main reason (captains’ practices) are important is (because) of team bonding type of thing and just kind of getting people excited for the season, getting new people to be a part of the team,” Shope said.

Gohman said the Nordic season typically focuses on how to improve on skills, rather than preparing its members physically.

“You need to get in shape because in the actual season, it’s more focused on technique in races rather than getting into shape, so it’s really important,” Gohman said.

According to Shope, adjustments to COVID will be difficult, but he is still looking forward to the season.

“This year is supposed to be a really great year for snow, so I’m just really excited to get on the skis,” Shope said. “It’ll be a little different this year because of COVID, but I’m just really excited to get skiing.”