On December 6th, Andover Nordic competed against Proctor Academy. While the matchup did not count for the team’s standings in the league and was not officially scored, Andover still had a productive day according to Head Coach Keith Robinson, with skiers competing in both varsity and novice races.
Several newcomers had promising finishes, and Co-Captains Claudia Leopold ’18 and Spencer Davis ’18 were able to help out the beginners, according to Coach Robinson.
Coach Robinson said, “It was the first race of the season. We hadn’t been on skis yet, so it was the first time on skis for a lot of people this year. The whole team overall did very well for their first time on snow back. It was good to get out on snow early. Typically, that race has been canceled for the last six years.”
Sam Lasater ’21 added, “I was in the novice race, having never cross-country skied before this season. We had a couple of really good skiers out there, among them [Leopold], Posie Millett [’20], and Eli Newell [’20].”
Lila Brady ’18 said, “Our [boys] team did really well. I think we might have won. It wasn’t officially scored, but they were definitely the predominant people in the top ten spots… The people in the beginner race [skied] a lap, and everyone cheered for them. It was really fun. I think the biggest thing was that [they hosted] this beginner race, which is pretty unusual. It was just to celebrate the people who were trying a new sport.”
After returning from Winter Vacation, Andover competed in its first official race at Cardigan on Wednesday.
Coach Robinson said, “Wednesday’s race went well. Long trip to Vermont, but beautiful conditions and great course. I only have preliminary results now, but Neil Thorley [’19] was our top skier for the boys and had a good race, but his skis weren’t feeling all that fast, so he hopes to improve in the coming weeks.”
“Looking into the season, we have a couple newcomers that are going to play a big role. Nikita Muromcew [’21] has experience and has skied back home. Nick Schoeller [’18] had a really good first race. Having never raced before, he jumped into the varsity race and did great and will be helpful for this team. Hats off to my two Captains, Spencer Davis and Claudia Leopold. They helped the beginners figure out what to do and get out there,” added Coach Robinson.
Next Wednesday, Andover will compete at Dublin.
Nick Schoeller is a Copy Editor for The Phillipian.
