Andover Nordic looks forward to a frosty New England winter this year as it hopes to improve its record despite losing a number of significant skiers on both the boys and girls teams. Last season, Andover Nordic experienced a rebuilding year, with many new skiers joining the team. Throughout the winter, the team improved drastically, as many skiers cut several minutes off their times. At Interschols, the Andover girls grabbed four spots in the top 25, resulting in a very respectable fourth-place finish. The boys squad did not fair as well, as the team finished in ninth place at Interschols. This season will once again be a rebuilding season for Andover Nordic. The team graduated four from the boys team and two from the girls team. Many newcomers will look to fill these spots adequately as the season progresses. Despite these losses, Captain Berol Dewdney ’09 looks to lead the team to success: “The best thing about Nordic is that it is very fun but intense at the same time.” She continued, “Also, instead of being stuck inside for the whole winter, the team gets to enjoy the snow and the outdoors.” Key returners for Andover include Dewdney, Mimi Tanski ’11 and Ben Ho ’11. Tanski had a breakout race at Interschols last year. She led a veteran girls team to a top-five finish. Dewdney, the most experienced skier on the team, scored consistently last year. She will try to improve that record and to integrate the new members of the team smoothly. Dewdney commented on this year’s key skiers, “Tanski is a rising star on the girls team, while Ho and Cal Brooks ’11 should step up for the boys. If these skiers can raise their performances quickly, we should have a great season.” The situation on the boys squad is a little different from that of the girls squad. Ho is the only returning varsity skier from last year’s team. However, new skiers to the program including B.J. Garry ’10, Cal Brooks ’11 and Scott Fleming ’10 look to complement him as the season progresses. Despite being new to Andover, Brooks is by far the most experienced skier on the boys squad, and with the loss of last season’s vital skiers like Dave Holliday ’08, Brooks will look to have a critical role in the team’s success. This year is a rebuilding year for the team, but this does not mean that it will be an unsuccessful season. Throughout preseason training, the team has been running hard and integrating strength workouts at the end of most practices. Many skiers will ski over the winter vacation as they look to prepare for competitions that start right after the break ends. Andover’s first race is against Holderness on January 7.
