Andover Nordic primarily competes at Proctor Academy, as Proctor Academy makes artificial snow to ski on.
Andover Nordic travelled to Proctor Academy to participate in the annual Lake Regions Championships on Wednesday. The Boys finished 6th out of ten schools and the Girls finished 5th out of seven schools.
The Lakes Regions races were in the skiathlon style, where competitors switched from classic to skate skis in the middle of the course. The team adjusted to this unique format well, according to Co-Captain Neil Thorley ’19.
Thorley said, “It’s a pretty bizarre race format that lets skiers who are strong in one area make up for their weaknesses in another, and gives everyone an equal opportunity in the Championships. With two different race courses and swapping skis mid race, it’s a pretty confusing race that most of our skiers haven’t done before, but they handled the new format very well.”
According to Thorley, Claire De Saint Phalle ’21 stood out, as she was one of only two Andover skiers to finish top ten overall.
Thorley said, “Claire De Saint Phalle had an outstanding race today and was our best finisher at 6th place. She’s performed well all year, and this was a great way for her to wrap up her regular season moving into Nepsacs.”
The team’s depth in experience is an important factor in its success during races, according to Head Coach Keith Robinson.
Robinson wrote in an email to The Phillipian, “The top four racers for girls have been close together in results all season, and if one is having a bad race, someone else seems to pick it up and have a good race. For the boys… our top skiers have been here before, and know how to prepare and compete, even with poor training conditions here.”
Andover Nordic will next compete at the Nepsac Championships next Wednesday at the Dublin School.
