As the end of Fall Term approaches, Head Coach Keith Robinson ’96 has started planning for Andover Nordic’s upcoming season. At the moment, it is still uncertain how many athletes will be remote or on-campus in the winter, so Robinson has been looking for creative ways to include and engage all team members.
“Hopefully, those who are on campus, we can train here, and ski out on the fields and stuff like that. For those that are not here, some of them may have access to skiing where they are. I have had some kids who have skied before who are out in areas where they have cross country ski trails, so that works. Some probably won’t and we will just have to be creative about it and maybe do some online core challenges,” said Robinson.
Captain Nikita Muromcew ’21 added, “We are probably going to do a lot of team challenges, time drills or something, stuff like that so people have something to share with the team. It is honestly very up in the air.”
Despite the uncertainty, athletes are hopeful that Nordic will be able to practice in-person, as it is the only outdoor winter sport and would be conducive to social distancing.
Sam Capobianco ’21 said, “I feel like there may be a little less restrictions just because [Nordic] can practice outdoors and maintain social distancing a lot better than teams that have to participate indoors.”
Maya Lai ’23 looks forward to seeing how the team will adapt to the challenges presented by the pandemic.
Lai said, “I decided to still sign up for Nordic because I think it will be a really new experience. I think that is the same [situation] for all sports, and it will be interesting to see how they will all compromise and change a few things to still work together as a team.”
According to Muromcew, though the athletes might not have the chance to compete this year, they are trying to stay positive and build relationships within the team.
Muromcew said, “What has been helping me is remembering why I like the team so much. It’s not really that I love competing—it’s that I love spending time with my teammates and I like being around people who love skiing… At the end of the day, everyone on the team loves being outside and loves being active in the winter, so I think that is what it is going to come down to.”
Regardless of how Winter Term will manifest, the team will be using Zoom to stay motivated and connected as a team throughout the season, according to Lai.
“I think just through Zoom, being able to communicate with other people, that is one of the most important things, to stay positive and know that other people are also in the same boat, and you aren’t the only person who is going through this chaotic experience,” said Lai.
Robinson intends to stay flexible as plans for the winter season are tested and finalized.
Robinson said, “Myself and the Captain, and some of the other experienced kids who have been on the team for a while, my assistant coach, we are just going to have to sit together and come up with what works. If something isn’t working, we get rid of it and it will just be a little bit different.”
