For the past month, Park’s girls nordic team has been practicing in preparation for the upcoming meets. According to head coach Doug Peterson, the management of their schedules around these practices and participation in them are important for the athletes, as learning the principles and techniques of skiing contributes to the outcome of their races.
“There’s a lot of preparation that goes into meets. We learn different techniques and waxing, but for most of our racers, we just have to come out and go skiing,” said Peterson. “We expect them to be here, do the work out and manage their schedules accordingly. You know, it’s kind of time-consuming.”
According to senior Addison Chenvert, the team has been focusing on endurance training and technique to ensure that all athletes — novice and veteran — are prepared for competition. She said speed will be more intensely incorporated later in the season.
“At the beginning of the season, we try to get a lot of distance. It’s super important to get that in at the beginning of the season so that, later in the season, we can work on speed,” said Chenvert. “We have been working a lot on technique too and just getting all the beginner skiers comfortable on their skis.”
Junior Sophia Mavis said although there is a lack of snow, having the opportunity to be skiing has contributed greatly to practices. She said in preparing for meets, the coaches have been critical yet encouraging.
“Practice is really important to improve your form and increase your speed. We just started skiing this week, which is super exciting, but I’m hoping for more snow,” said Mavis. “The coaches are pretty awesome. They give really helpful tips, and they’re good at cheering you on and growing your confidence in the sport.”
According to sophomore Abby Erdmann, the first months of the season have felt long because the team has not had consistent access to snow. However, she said the ski trip to Michigan was a great training and team bonding opportunity for many people.
“(The beginning of the season) has been very slow because we do not have any snow except for this. We don’t have any natural snow,” said Erdmann. “It was really nice that we got to go to Michigan to ski because they have a bunch of snow. It was a very fun weekend trip.”
Chenvert said despite a lack of snow being a hindrance to training, the team has made progress and is very hopeful for a successful competition season. According to her, the team has been maintaining an optimistic spirit and is motivated to continue practicing.
“Even right now, when we’re at Theodore Wirth Park, there’s still barely anything open. It is beneficial to at least be out on snow, but we’re still missing the big course and different hills we want to work on,” said Chenvert. “However, I think everybody is just so excited for this year, especially since we have a big group of seniors. Everybody just wants to work hard for our last year. We have just been trying to stay positive with the lack of snow.”
Park’s girls nordic team will compete in the Skate Race at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 19 at Elm Creek Park Reserve.
