Andover Nordic will be comprised of new faces and youthful energy this year. Of the top racers from Girls Nordic last year, only Olivia LaMarche ’16 will return to compete this season. Of the top racers from Boys Nordic last year, only Captain Paxton Hyde ’15 will return.
Head Coach Keith Robinson, however, is optimistic. “We have some young newcomers with experience,” said Robinson. “Hopefully the team will come together and quickly improve.”
Sixteen new skiers will join a returning roster of ten students.
New Upper Carmen Bango ’16 will be a key racer alongside LaMarche, bringing a history of competitive skiing from her home state of Vermont. LaMarche has skied since she was a Junior and placed in seventh at the final race of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Conference (NEPSAC) at the conclusion of last year’s season.
Rex Noble ’18 and Isaac Newell ’18 both have prior skiing experience. Newell is part of Cambridge Sports Union, which is a year-round Nordic club that trains six days a week. He participated on the Lincoln-Salisbury High School Nordic Team as a ninth grader before coming to Andover.
Last year, the Girls team finished fifth in the NEPSAC, while the Boys team finished eighth overall.
The team has yet to practice on skis this season with the current lack of snow, but it is finding ways to work around it. As an alternative, the practices have consisted mostly of running and strength conditioning. The team has tried to be especially organized about strength workouts this season in order to establish team chemistry.
With only a few days of practice under their belt, Nordic racers, new and old, have already started bonding. “It’s a great group of people,” said Newell.
Hyde said, “There is even more bonding to come. A lot of team bonding comes from being in the really cramped environment of the wax room. It makes people become friends really quickly.”
Hyde’s leadership will have a great impact on the success of the team this season. “I think he’s a very stoic leader,” said Margot Steiner ’17, who also participated on the team last year. “He has such a love for the sport, and it really shines through and gets everyone else excited. How hard he works really sets an example for all of us.”
Abby Czito ’15, Thea Rossman ’15, Claire Glover ’16, Parker Tope ’16, Evelyn Mesler ’17 and Sophie Smith ’17 round out the eight returners on the Girls team.
Viraj Kumar ’17 will join Hyde as one of the two returners on the Boys team.
Wednesday’s race at Proctor in Andover, NH, was cancelled. Instead, the team will first compete after Winter Break, traveling to Proctor on Wednesday, January 7.
The team has nine races scheduled for the season. Unfortunately, Andover will not host any races. Nordic will race teams in both the NEPSAC as well as the Lakes Region League.
Over the Winter Break, contrary to most other students, the team hopes it will snow in Andover, so that upon its return it can get outside and begin the season in earnest.
