En Route to Canada!

By Lucy Hochschartner '20

Hi Everyone!

We’re on our way to Canada! The past couple weeks since Gabby wrote about our first time on snow have been a dream. A couple weeks ago we had our first full week of skiing at Higley. Our first interval day were very competitive relay races. A shock to the system for sure, but we obviously had to go hard for the most important race of the year. We went to Lake Placid last weekend to pick up a new test ski fleet and get some good hilly intervals in. Innerloopen (the first half of Ladies 5k) definitely hurt the legs. Other notable workouts include strength room circuits that were probably the hardest we’ve done this year and double pole speeds with some single stick. Needless to say, I was sore by Sunday.

Sunny & Speeeeeedy Lake Placid intervals!

This week, we’ve been able to get on snow at Higley basically every day. It’s been amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever had early season skiing this good. We did some skate level three intervals and double pole 30/30s, but for the most part, we’ve been taking it easy before our biggest week of the year. Friday was, of course, water polo! A chance for us Nordic skiers to show off our speed, grace, and coordination (or doggy paddle). Then... we went to Cactus for dinner and Wal-Mart to stock up on snacks. We’re so excited to get up to Forêt. The snow looks awesome, so stay tuned!

Here's a sneak peak into the beginning of our week here!

Nice views

First run in Stoneham!

Snow!

3 Week Recap and Snow!
By Gabby Wangler '21

To recap on the past three weeks, we’ve had a moderate rest week, and then two moderate volume weeks with L3/L4 intensity thrown in. All of which included some hill bounding at Seven Springs and Higley, rollerskiing in the pouring rain, skate agility, participating in Trail Work Day at Higley, and continuing with morning circuits and strength. We are continuing to get on top of these gritty intervals, despite the typical sicknesses going around campus.

Emily '20 and ETown cranking at Seven Springs!

Agility time at Higley

Ian '22, Graham '22, Charlie '23 and Ben '21 crushing bounding intervals at Higley!

Lucy '20, Cam '23, and Steph '22 looking fast!

Meg '22 cruising by!

However, this past week put a little pep in every nordie’s step because it snowed!! (And as I write this now, it is currently snowing the 7-12 inches we’re expected to get by Tuesday morning). Thursday, November 7^th, 2019, was the first day we were able to get on snow. The soccer fields were a little wet and grabby, so we moved to the turf field to play speedball and ski relays. ETown and Dana joined in too! I think everyone wiped out at least once, but it was so fun to be able to get on skis again.

We got lucky and were able to ski at Higley on Friday as well! Some people had to switch over to running halfway through due to their skis being super duper old, but the glide wasn’t half bad for the other people who kept skiing. We stuck to grass strips next to the main road and trails due to limited coverage on the road. (And kudos to the team and everyone who participated with Trail Day at Higley on November 2th; we all worked hard to make the trails look great!)

On Saturday, we got a beautiful sunny morning for arguably my favorite workout I’ve done with the team. We drove down to Mt. Arab for the infamous running intervals starting at the base, climbing to the summit, descending to the base and repeating 3-4 times. It was cold enough to hold the snow from the past couple of days, so footing was a little slick at times. Each interval was supposed to get progressively faster and it was awesome to see everyone digging deep and really going after it. Legendary Coach Herb Brooks could sum it up pretty well with the quote, “The Legs Feed the Wolf”. The legs did, indeed, feed the wolf.

The crew after some hard intervals up Mt. Arab!

On Sunday, half of us stayed near campus and had a solid over distance classic rollerski on Plains and Selleck roads. The other half drove down to Whiteface and skied up the toll road! Wax was tricky since the snow varied from powdery and thick, to windblown and icy. Fishscales were the way to go for sure; the wax didn’t stick as well as we hoped. Nevertheless, we climbed and were presented with an awesome view at the top, and a really fun day overall! 

Spectacular views from the top of Whiteface!

More snow!

Lucy '20, Coach Hatton '18 and Gabby '21 at the top!

Cam '23!

Ian '22!

Tim '21!

With all of the incoming snow, we’ll (hopefully) be skiing on snow at Higley this week. (Update: We were able to ski at Higley, today Tuesday 11/12. It was very soft, but there was lots of it!) T-minus less than two weeks until Thanksgiving camp in Canada! Not that we’re counting or anything…

Also, thank you to Brian ’22, Lucy ’20, and Coach Hatton '18 for the photos!

-Gabby ‘21

Hey from Kai!

Hey There!

My name is Kai, Over the top, Oakley. I am from Huntington Vermont (just south of Burlington) and graduated high school at Seven Summits Center for Learning in Rossland, British Columbia. I started ski racing in first grade with Mansfield Nordic club in Jericho Vermont. Ski training and racing had always been my favorite part of the day, and in middle school I started to travel and train year-round. Skiing became my primary sport after 8^th grade year and a legendary j2(u16) trip to Fort Kent Maine. I don’t remember how I did individually; all I remember is having a blast with my ski friends, and VT kicking everyone’s butt. The friends I have made through skiing are undoubtedly more important to me than anything else involved with skiing.

Smiling even though I single handedly screwed the team over

Through high school I raced for my school’s team Mount Mansfield Union, as well as Mansfield Nordic club. In high school, we won states my freshman and junior year and did not win my sophomore year due to me thinking I could double pole a classic race and not skate corners too hard, sorry Barker. With Mansfield Nordic Club I raced the Eastern Cup circuit and some of the Super Tour races. The best position I ever ended up for JN’s Q was alternative for NE, of course. For senior year, I decided to take my chances out west and joined Blackjack Club in Rossland, BC. I lived on a ski mountain, went to a school with only 9 graduates in my class, and had the time of my life. After Saint Lawrence I hope to be an engineer in Western Canada.

Until last year, I ran cross-country in the fall, skied in the winter, and played lacrosse in the spring. I am so happy to be focused on skiing here at Saint Lawrence. The team has made me feel like part of a family in only a few short months. The entire Saint Lawrence community also has made me feel so welcomed and given me the opportunity to strive in athletics and academics. This year I hope to score for the team in some carnivals and have a strong performance at Junior World Trials of Canada.

My talents outside of skiing include being a horrible dancer, an even worse singer, not being able to talk to girls, and hurting myself a lot. I have had to recover from a damaged vertebra in my back, two concussions, and compartment syndrome. My best friend in the world is my dog Auggie Lee. He only weighs 11 pounds, but he has the biggest heart in the world. If you come to any of our races this year you can find Auggie Lee with my mom Lisa Lee cheering.

 SO grateful to be skiing for Saint Lawrence this season and hope to stay healthy and reach that next level in my skiing.  

-Kai Oakley