Sophomore Danny Walsh, who participated in Minneapolis Ski Club last year and will be a Nordic captain this upcoming season, said Minneapolis Ski Club was a two to three hour commitment per day.

“They’re really hard and you’ve got to get up really early, but it’s really rewarding,” Walsh said. “It helped so much.”

Minneapolis Ski Club coach Kevin Brochman, who is entering his 27th year coaching for the ski club, said Minneapolis Ski Club began in 1933.

“Some programs do games but we focus more on the technique and the sprints and distance and endurance and strength,” Brochman said.

Junior and captain Rakesh Plantz said strength and form will be two areas the team will focus on this summer.

“We really want to try to get the best Nordic team we can for next season,” Plantz said. “We are trying to do a lot of Nordic summer training and that involves some captains practices, some things we want skiers to do by themselves.”

According to Walsh, the amount of time available in winter makes summer skiing very important.

“The season is so short that you just really need to use this summer or else you’re just not going to have enough hours to train,” Walsh said.

According to Plantz, roller skiing, which is how Nordic athletes are able to train in the summer, is similar to Nordic skiing in the winter.

“Most people don’t really see like skiing as a summer thing because most people see the snow and they think skiing (is) only in winter,” Plantz said. “It doesn’t really account for the inconsistencies of snow, but it really does account for the form.”

According to Walsh, senior Cece Schmelzle tried out for the 2019 Junior Nationals.

“At the highest level, (athletes) will go to Junior Nationals as Minneapolis Ski Club,” Walsh said. “But for most people that are there, it’s just an extra training opportunity for their own school team.”

According to Brochman, Minneapolis Ski Club ends training August 8.