The snow on the mountain kept on falling, but at the end of it all, the girls ski team had risen to the top. With the help of many talented seniors as well as very intense practices, the team has worked hard and got the results they deserved. 

The preparation for states is intense. Not only does the ski team train hard all season, they buckle down before states. 

“The two days before states we trained for 3-4 hours that Saturday and Sunday,” Brecken Winkel ‘23 said.

While keeping the intensity of their practices high, and going out of their way to practice up north on very difficult courses, the team tries their best to practice as many times as they can on the hill that they race on, so they can feel comfortable and well prepared.

  “We had worked very hard going into states,” Jenna Wynsma ‘23 said. “We had longer practices and the ability to practice on the hill we raced on, so we were very well prepared.”

During the season, the seniors have done their fair share of support and worked hard. They have been great leaders to the underclassmen athletes, and have been a very good support system to everyone on the team. 

“The seniors have really impacted the team this year by doing really well at states. They also carried on the traditions and have kept the team chemistry going,” Brecken Winkel ‘23 said. 

Their hard work paid off, and the seniors helped the team immensely at the state meet. Not only do they pull their weight by working hard, they also help make the team a fun environment by keeping traditions going, and making the team feel united. 

“Seniors this year have tried their best to make sure everyone on the team felt important and that they had a role on the team.” Maddie Darooge ‘22 said. 

Even though COVID-19 impacted the way many sports seasons played out, the ski team was not one of the heavily affected teams. They were able to practice and compete outside,  while not having any contact with others. This allowed them to have almost two normal seasons, which is much different than what other sports have been able to achieve. This also made the preparation for states as well as practicing and competing in general a lot smoother, and has been helpful toward their goals that they are working towards achieving. 

“States were not very different from last year, since all of the meets and practices are outdoors, COVID-19 has not been a huge concern for these past seasons,” Mary Jane McGovern ‘24 said. 

The expectations going into this season were high, based off of the team’s performance at regionals last year. Even though the team was ranked super low going into this season, they were able to prove everyone wrong, due to their amazing performances placing first at regionals and second at states. 

“I had super high expectations going into this season, I knew that the girls did very well at regionals and I hoped that they would carry the same performance into states. I was so proud of how the girls finished in GS (Giant Slalom).”  McGovern ‘24 said. 

With another great season in their back pocket, the ski team continues to make people proud, and carry on a long lasting tradition of excellence. 

“Having the goal in mind of getting 3rd at states, we ended up getting second, making this season more of a success,” Winkel ‘23 said.