Boys
Girls
In its second meet of the season, Nordic Skiing traveled to Holderness on Wednesday. Nordic Skiing awards points based on which teams have the lowest cumulative score. Andover’s boys placed fourth with 93 points in their division, while the team’s girls finished in fifth place with 120 points.
Andover racers participated in their first classic race this season, a racing format based on a technique similar to walking or running on skis. The team’s previous two meets were both in the skate racing style, where racers test their coordination and use their ski poles for propulsion. The classic style of racing, on the other hand, challenged the team in both endurance and form on a difficult, fast course following recent snowfall.
The course, featuring tough hills and rolling flats, tested each racer, creating head to head battles for many members of the team. Hannah Jung ’28 described being locked in a back-and-forth duel for nearly the entirety of the 5-Kilometer race, capturing the physical demands of the course and the competitive energy on the trails.
“I would pass [a competitor] on the flat areas, but she was really strong on hills. So it would be like a back and forth for the entire race,” said Jung.
The meet stood out as especially exciting in the finishing stretch. Claire Bancroft ’28 recalled how a crowd gathered to watch Gavin Freeman ’26 as he secured a strong finish.
“Gavin’s [race] was a huge sprint to the end, ultimately beating two other racers. I was cheering him on with Julia [Xu ’28] and Hannah, and I could see Matt [Robinson ’27] cheering on the other side of the track,” said Bancroft.
As Competing on a course freshly packed with snow and in the season’s first classic style race, Bancroft provided insight on the team’s energy leading up to the meet.
“The fresh snow made the whole team super excited to race. It was our first classic style ski race of the season, so it was a new experience to many people, including myself, but the beautiful course through the Holderness forest was amazing,” said Bancroft.
For many athletes on the team, this meet was a test of adaptability, as the adjustment from skate skiing to classic, a style that focuses on sustained power on flats and uphills, proved to be demanding. According to Jung, the team excelled and adapted quickly, securing multiple personal records.
The team featured several impressive performances, with multiple Andover racers finishing near the top. Sebastián Vermut ’27 described the hard work and tenacity required for racers to remain at the front, pointing to examples of the team’s standout results.
“Another really impressive performance was from Henry Wall [’27]. He’s been racing since he was a freshman, so this is his third year right now, and he’s put in consistent work year in year out,” said Vermut.
Vermut also highlighted the influence of Co-Captain Noah Binkowski ’26, who recently returned from injury. He stated that Binkowski’s first race back was marked with a strong individual performance.
“[Noah has] been injured for a couple weeks. This is his first race back because this is the first race of the season. He did really well. He was all the way up there in really competitive spots which is really impressive considering he hasn’t raced for almost a year now,” said Vermut.
Emphasizing the importance of team enthusiasm, Nathan Chun ’28 expressed gratitude for the team’s motivating spirit. Chun noted the impact of guidance from older skiers and the energy of younger skiers.
“The biggest strength [of the team] is absolutely [its] spirit. Skiing has a pretty steep learning curve, so we need all the advice and help we can get from each other every day. I know I’ve really benefitted from the wisdom of more experienced people, and the culture of teamwork allows it to be easy to give back to. The enthusiasm of newer skiers has also been really cool to see, and some even started skiing full length [5-Kilometer] courses on their second race,” said Chun.
Nordic Skiing will compete at St. Paul’s next Wednesday.
