While the ideal temperature for winter sports is seen as being below freezing, the weather this winter—regularly hitting the 50 and 60-degree range—made for a more challenging ski season for the girls Nordic, but ended with a successful result at the state meet for individual qualifiers.

Sophomore Maren Overgaard, who joined the team in 7th grade, did not enjoy the conditions.

“It’s been kind of tricky navigating how much time we get on snow. We’ve done a lot of extra dry land [workouts] and running,” she said.

Freshman Eleanor Mody reflected on the difficulty of finding a place to practice and the weather that persisted throughout most of the season. “At some points, we weren’t even sure if we were going to have a state meet or even sections, that’s how little snow there was,” Mody said.

At the section meet, the girls’ Nordic team did not qualify for state after losing the tiebreak, but six people were able to qualify individually. Freshman Paloma Good called the journey to state “fun and challenging,” noting how tight-knit the team felt throughout the entire experience. “Our team is very supportive and I enjoyed the time we spent together between races,” she said.

Overgaard said the warmer weather also means unpredictability for snow making, as the temperature has to be under 30 degrees for the machines to create snow overnight. “We’re really limited on where we can go to ski because there’s very few places that make snow, and those places can’t control the temperature,” she said.

Meanwhile, Good found that preparing for races was much easier due to the lack of protection from cold that needed to be added to her uniform.

“Most years, I wear multiple layers of clothing under my uniform and have to worry about using hand and toe warmers. This year, the cold was not a problem so preparing for races was simpler,” Good said.

Even through the unprecedented heat, the team performed well at the competitive events. After taking all of the individual qualifying spots, Mody, alongside captain Inga Wing, placed second in the state meet held Feb. 14-15.

“We had so much fun, and it made me happy to see the season finally come together,” Mody said. “Overall, I think we were able to make the season work pretty well despite the weather.”
In the event of higher temperatures or no snow, the skiers suggest practicing other ways to stay fit, like roller skiing or strength training.

Mody said, “If snow isn’t available, build your endurance …biking or running, or some other sport.”