Exhibiting spectacular edurance on the 5K trail, Captain Dave Holliday ’08 led the Andover Boys Nordic team with a 23rd place finish. The very hilly course at Vermont Academy was a change from the flat soccer fields where the Andover team typically practices. All racers started the race 15 seconds apart, at the bottom of a steep hill. After the grueling uphill start, the five km narrow trail led racers across fields and through winding paths in the woods. Andover skiers enjoyed the style of the Vermont course, which demanded the skating technique. “I definitely like that kind of race because it is longer and requires a lot more endurance,” said Berol Dewdney ’09. While the snow for the boys’ race was slushy and slow, the girls’ race course became glazed over and treacherous when the temperature dropped and left the course icy. The downhills were riddled with tough, rutted corners that forced racers to stay balanced and maintain concentration. Close behind Dave Holliday’s time of 20:13, Andy Clay ’08 finished in 36th place with a time of 23:17. Team newcomer Ben Ho ’11 had a breakout race and completed the race in 38th place. Nate Miller ’08 and Matt Sternberg ’08 raced tremendously and placed 44th and 46th, respectively. Miller found that the conditions were not the only factor effecting the race results and said, “My performance was impeded by losing my pole.” In her best race of the season, Dewdney claimed a 13th place finish. Captain Sara Ho ’08 sprinted to the finish to round out Andover’s top three in 16th place. “Unfortunately my back has had some issues lately so I wasn’t able to ski as well as I wish I could’ve, but just skiing that course was an awesome experience,” said Captain Ho. Andover pace-setter Rich finished the course with a time of 17:17 finishing in third place overall. Rich said, “I couldn’t take the downhills like I wanted to; I was too fearful of flying off of the trail.” Dewdney crossed the finish line with a time of 21:05, followed by Ho in 22:16. Mimi Tanski ’11 finished in 21st, just missing out on the top twenty by a few seconds. Coach Keith Robinson summed up the day pretty well: “We got a bit banged up on the course, but it was a heroic effort by all team members to make it to the finish.” Co-Captain Holliday added, “The race was really tough this week. The sharp turns were often tough to handle, especially when we got going really fast.” He continued, “However, I think we all raced quite well. The league is just full of some really great racers this year and it’s helpful to have them pushing us to race faster each week.” Andover hopes to use the next two weeks to prepare for the team’s next race against Putney Academy. With just two races left in this short season Andover looks to begin preparing for this season’s New England Championship.
