Nordic skiing season preview

As the Fall sports season at HHS  has come to a close, the winter sports season is rolling in quickly.

Hopkins Nordic Ski team has a very successful history at the state level. The Boys Nordic team won the state meet during the 2006-2007 season. Following the teams amazing showing at the state meet they went on to place top eight or higher in state each year until the 2013-2014 season.

They have not placed top eight in state since then.

“I would love to see our team qualify for the state meet. Based on our standing and what I’ve seen from our team at practice, we have a pretty good chance. We have a hardworking and driven group of guys who want to compete at a high level,” said James Miller, Boys Senior Captain. “Provided that we continue our dedication, we should be able to make it.”

Miller said there isn’t a lot that needs to be changed to take HHS boys nordic to the next level. He said working on the skier’s forms and keeping skiers motivated and enjoying skiing is what is most important to the team’s success.

Although Miller is optimistic about this nordic season he said there will be a few challenges the team will need to overcome in order to reach their goals.

Wayzata High School, a team in the same conference as HHS, has been strong contenders in the state meet for the past few years and won the state meet last year.

“One of the biggest challenges when racing against these teams is that it is just really tough competition. A lot of the top skiers on the other teams train year round. We have to match their dedication,” Miller said. “The best way to prepare for this kind of stiff competition is to keep training hard and to know that we are holding our own against some of the best teams in Minnesota.”

Elena Munger, Girls Junior Captain, said that the biggest challenge when competing against strong teams like Wayzata is staying motivated.

“We have to remind ourselves that we have a shot against them, that we’re a strong a team as well,” Munger said.

Munger also said that the real sense of community between the athletes is something that separates HHS nordic from other nordic teams in the state.

From singing the moose song (a silly camp song) on bus rides, doing spirit before races, and pasta parties before races, the HHS nordic ski team has formed a special community with lots of camaraderie.