Cold rain, slushy snow, and slick downhills did not stop Nordic Skiing from opening its season on a high note on Friday. At its first race of the year, battling Rivers, Middlesex, and Belmont Hill at the Weston Ski Track, the team placed second in the boys’ race and third in the girls’ race. At its following meet at Proctor this Wednesday, the boys’ team placed fourth and the girls’ team finished eighth.
Novices competed in a 2.5-Kilometer Race while returning skiers raced along a 5-Kilometer course. Riaana Bajaj ’29 highlighted the team’s performance across the races and specific results.
“We did pretty well considering that the team has a lot of beginners. The beginners raced the 2.5[-Kilometer Race], while the more experienced skiers raced the 5-[Kilometer Race]. Julia [Xu ’28] placed fifth in the girls’ 5[-Kilometer Race], Gavin [Freeman ’26] placed first in the boys’ 2.5k, and Celine [Lee ’28] placed second in the girls’ 2.5[-Kilometer Race],” said Bajaj.
Challenging conditions tested both the team’s preparation and composure, especially on a course that demanded strong uphill technique and careful balance. According to Hannah Jung ’28, much of the team’s preparation focused on building strength for those climbs.
“We prepared for the uphills by doing hill workouts [behind] Andover Cottage a few days before, when we still had snow. [Assistant] Coach [Rebecca] Bowers instructed us to be quicker with our steps going uphill, and we practiced poling and foot positioning,” said Jung.
Beyond notable individual performances, Bajaj emphasized the community within the team as one of the meet’s biggest highlights.
“Being there with the whole team was really nice because it’s a great community. Everyone was cheering, we all had blue face paint, and afterward, someone brought hot chocolate, cookies, and donuts,” said Bajaj.
Despite the poor weather during the race, Jung shared that the race set a positive tone for the rest of the season.
“Overall, we’re in a pretty good position to grow, and [our performance] showed how the returners, like me, Julia, Claire [Bancroft ’28], and Iris [Liu ’26], who raced in the 5[-Kilometer Race], improved a lot in times and mentality over one season. But we still have a lot more to improve on,” said Jung.
The team’s meet against Proctor on Wednesday, according to Sebastian Vermut ’27, served as an important benchmark early in the season. Looking ahead, Vermut identified pacing as an area where he struggled and hopes the team can focus on in training.
“That was our second meet of the year and the first Lakes Region championship. On Friday, we got to see how a lot of newer skiers performed in a race setting, which showed us what we needed to work on. One of the main things we focused on Monday was bounding and uphill technique. We did stadium workouts — stair repeats — to really work on uphill form,” said Vermut.
Vermut continued, “[On Wednesday’s meet], I personally went out too hard, and by the fourth lap, it was exhausting. If I had paced myself better, going slower in the first lap and speeding up later with a negative split, I would have had a better race.”
At the meet, Vermut finished as Andover’s top scorer in the boys’ 5-Kilometer Race, placing 12th overall with a time of 15:55.4. He shared a moment just after his teammates Ansel Bartell ’28 and Matt Robinson ’27 crossed the finish line of the same race, doing so in 17:47.9 and 18:07.2, respectively.
“A memorable moment was seeing Ansel Bartell and Matt Robinson finish close together. After the race, they were both on the ground, breathing heavily. It really showed how much effort they put into the race,” said Vermut.
The team will travel to Holderness next Wednesday.
