Andover Nordic Co-Captain Sean Burkitt ’14 pushed through adverse conditions to race his way to sixth overall placement in the Lakes Regional Championship. Andover Nordic wrapped up its season this past Wednesday. The race was a skiatholon, meaning the first three kilometers are skied in classic gear, then during the race ski type is switched to skate style for the last two kilometers of the five kilometer race. The Girls placed fourth of eight teams, while the Boys placed eighth of eleven teams. On the day, Andover’s Co-Captains had the greatest impacts on the team’s performance. Burkitt and Elana King-Nakaoka ’14 finished first for the Andover Boys and Girls, respectively. In her last race for Andover Nordic, Nakaoka inspired the team with an overall eighth place finish. “The team did awesome” said King-Nakaoka, “It was our last race and I think it was our best.” A tough course with even tougher conditions proved for some slower times. “It was really snowy,” said Harshita Gaba ’14, “You would go down the hills and you couldn’t see anything.” King-Nakaoka said “We got to the race relatively early, and then it started dumping snow. It was very cold, wet and snowy. People were racing in baseball caps because the visibility was so bad. But there were great conditions once we got into the race, and we had really good ski wax. [Wax] can be hit or miss, especially when the weather changes quickly.” Olivia LaMarche ’16 finished second for Andover Girls and 13th overall, followed by Hallie Bletzer ’15 and Charlotte Berry ’15. For the Boys, Paxton Hyde ’15 finished second for Andover and 20th overall, with Seniors Liam Fortin ’14 and Greer Sallick ’14 close behind. As the last race of the season, it was also the last race of the Seniors’ Andover Nordic careers. Burkitt has been a member of the team for four years. “[Nordic] has been a home away from home. I like skiing and the people are awesome. It’s sad departing from this, but I have one more term with the people and it will be a great time” said Burkitt, “ I was about six inches shorter and 50 pounds lighter freshman year. It’s a place to escape the Andover grind, have fun and be happy.” Gaba added, “It was definitely bittersweet. The chemistry within the team is very special. It’s this happy cycle, where as soon as one person starts laughing, everyone starts laughing.” With the season over, Andover Nordic is hopeful for its future prospects despite graduating multiple Seniors. “I’m really proud of all the progress everyone has made and I’m excited to see next year with progress from the skiers. We have a lot of really strong skiers who will put in a lot of work this season that will I’m sure pay off next season.” said King-Nakaoka.
