Because the beginning of the season faced weather-related delays, Park girls nordic has been challenged with accommodating an absence of proper training conditions. These adversities have impacted their preparation for races. On Jan. 18, the team participated in a race at Hyland Lake Park Reserve, placing second.
According to freshman Indigo Schoneman, the inconsistencies in practicing have impacted her performances and, in particular, her speed in the race.
“I haven’t been classic-ing for the last two weeks. I haven’t skated up until today. It definitely had a negative impact on the time because I went a lot slower than I have been in classic races,” said Schoneman. “The goal for today was just kind of to get through it because we haven’t skate-skied in two weeks, so it’s been a while.”
Head coach Doug Petersen said he admires the dedication of the team and their willingness to be persistent in training. He said the team’s involvement in strength training and conditioning in addition to skiing has been beneficial.
“(The team has) just been committed in a terrible ski season. They always come to practice and do the things that they have to do,” said Petersen. “We have to do a few extra things during this time. There’s not as much snow, so a lot of weights and a lot of core training.”
Junior Sophia Mavis said all of the training and preparation contributed to the outcome of her performance. According to her, because of the effects the weather has had on what they commonly do for practice, she relied on strength training to carry her through the race.
“We often do workouts where we go 10 times up the hill and down. We’ve powered through those, which has helped us prepare, and being able to practice by skiing has been impactful in general,” said Mavis. “I think (the race) went really well. I powered through. I didn’t have to pass anyone, and nobody passed me. I believe I came in first, so I’d say moments like these feel pretty great. They remind me why I like to do this sport.”
With conference championships approaching, Park has made a decision to rotate the athletes racing in accordance with the need to rest in preparation for more competitive races. Petersen said for this race he had to change his usual lineup to ensure the collective teams needs are met in anticipation for their upcoming performances, allowing other athletes to compete on varsity.
“I knew that it was going to be cold and I didn’t ski my top five boys or girls because we were resting them for the conference championships,” said Petersen. “They raced on Saturday and then they raced again Tuesday. Today we gave them a day off so some of the younger kids are racing varsity.”
According to Mavis, having athletes who have not competed on varsity racing was impressive and showed potential for the team. She said she was proud of her perseverance and saw her dedication as impactful to the outcome of her performance.
“All of my friends got to race for varsity, so I was a little down on myself. I think I should have done better but then I just raised myself up. I powered through and it looks like I won,” said Mavis. “I’m pretty proud of myself because I can be independent and count on myself. I’m also really impressed. I mean, a lot of people (on Park’s team) are varsity skiers, and most of them are gone so a lot of JV (Junior Varsity) skiers stepped up.”
In all, Petersen said the preparation for every race has a particular purpose and simulates the potential outcomes in more important races, like conference races. According to him, skiing in these conditions is further preparing athletes to be resilient and more competitive.
“I hope what these kids get is a chance to really get used to skiing in this kind of weather,” said Petersen. “Most of these conference races are pretty preparatory for a lot of future races.”
Park’s girls nordic varsity conference takes place on Jan. 25 at Hyland Lake Park Reserve.
