The Nordic team trekked all the way to Vermont for Wednesday’s race at the Putney School. Taking 11 skiers (5 boys, 6 girls), the Blue performed well at what would be the first “classic” race of the season. Travis Green ’04 gave a quick review of the race, saying, “The course was, in essence, a long downhill, followed by a long uphill that ends at the finish line.” Parts of the race proved to be a little treacherous. As Kendra Allenby ’05 described, “I felt like I was going to fall off the mountain.” Yet overall, everyone seemed to enjoy the course, with the exception of a difficult stretch toward the end. Meg Sullivan ’04 spoke for the whole team, saying, “The first part of the race was awesome, but the long uphill was killer.” Gen Desaulniers ’04 summed up the conditions, saying, “It was a gorgeous day, sunny, and not too cold, but the wind was insane – it kept blowing my poles around, which made for an interesting race.” The snow had iced over due to recent weather, and skis needed to be prepped using a special technique called “klistering” to ensure that the wax on the bottoms would stick well enough to the slick surface. Using a blowtorch, skiers melted a special wax onto the base of their skis that was stickier than type they usually use. According to Captain Scott Silverstein ’04, “The waxing job turned out to be a big help for some skiers, and a big problem for others.” Depending on the amount used, some skis stuck to the surface a bit too much, causing glide problems for some skiers. Several of the new team members have showed great progress this season. Abby King ’07 was invited to race with the squad this past Wednesday, participating in her first race of the season. Despite the harsh conditions and first-time jitters, King pulled off a remarkable performance. With a time of 29:34, King placed third among the Andover girls, followed by Helen Fitzmaurice ’05, Gen Desaulniers ’04, and Charlotte Pougnier ’05. When asked to comment on her outstanding showing at Putney, King simply said “Racing is so much fun!” The Nordic team sees strong promise in skiers like Abby and will expect more from her for seasons to come. With NEPSACS drawing near, the Nordic season is quickly coming to a close. NEPSACS, the final racing competition of the year, is an all day event to be held next Wednesday at Kimball Union Academy.
