Nordic Skiing faced a demanding test on Wednesday at St. Paul’s, competing in a rare sprint-format, bracket-style tournament. Skiers raced multiple short loops, roughly one kilometer each, advancing through heats based on placement, with brief breaks of around 20 minutes between rounds.
The team was challenged by the snowy conditions and the learning curve of the format. Matthew Robinson ’27 emphasized their ability to adapt.
“It was a special format that we don’t really do. It’s a one-time-a-year event. There was a lot of adjustment at first, but once people learned the course, they started improving and doing a lot better,” said Robinson.
Snowfall during the weekend left the course soft and unpacked, slowing times and demanding good technique. These conditions also impeded teammates’ support from the sides.
“[St. Paul’s] snow hadn’t had a lot of time to be packed down, so it’s definitely slower and harder for most people’s technique. It was a challenging race because the simultaneous nature of it made it a lot harder to watch and cheer on your teammates,” said Robinson.
Despite the peculiarity of the tournament and the challenging conditions, several performances stood out. Robinson highlighted team captains Dylan Siegel ’26 and Noah Binkowski ’26.
“Noah and Dylan were both returning from injury within the last week. And they both had really strong races for such a return to the discipline,” said Robinson.
Alfonso Gonzalez-Cano ’27 similarly expressed his discontent for the conditions of the course. He pointed out a section of the course that was especially important and difficult to overcome.
“It was a course that demanded a lot of technique. There was just lots and lots of snow. You couldn’t glide. You had to keep up with the fast skaters because of how much snow there was. There’s this one long stretch of downhill that’s pretty steep. A couple kids fell there. If you were able to not fall, it essentially guaranteed you a spot in the semifinals,” said Gonzalez-Cano.
Binkowski also commented on the conditions of the game. He praised many teammates for their efforts.
“There’s a lot of loose snow, so it was fast and it was hard to turn and get traction and stuff. Sebastian did a pretty good job. I think he ended up leading us for the guys. And Dylan, she had her first race back from injuries. That was cool to see. Julia [Xu ’28] and Hannah [Jung ’28] both did well,” said Binkowski.
The team will travel to Middlesex on Friday.
