The wind blows into her face as junior and nordic skier Rachael Strock speeds along the trail, and a blur of color is all that’s left in the spectator’s perception. Her offseason practices pay off as her confident motions take her swiftly across the snow, winning tenth place in the 7.5k at the 2024 States Championships and a 90-place jump from the previous year.
Strock joined the Nordic Ski team in her freshman year with no prior experience in the sport, but since then has become an integral member of the team. She became captain for her junior year and has not only achieved impressive results on the trail, but also has worked to create a welcoming and productive team environment, according to her teammates.
After joining the team based on her friend, junior and co-captain Hannah Petersen’s suggestion, Strock said she has been training hard during both the on and off seasons to improve.
“I think consistency is key, because you build that muscle memory and that body memory. Once you get stronger, you can start worrying about the other components. To learn, you have to go every day and just get out there,” Strock said.
This mindset has won Strock third place overall in the Mass Bay League East and qualification for the Massachusetts Youth-16 Team. At the start of this year, Strock placed second in the Youth-18 Gunstock Freestyle 10k, where she competed alongside Petersen.
“She’s so supportive and competing with her is so much fun. No matter how her race goes, she’s always happy after and nice to everyone, and she’s always cheering other kids on,” Petersen said.
Junior and co-captain Daniel Leary said Strock is responsible and gives helpful advice to her teammates.
“She takes care of a lot of stuff that isn’t necessarily so fun as co-captain, but she’s also really good at teaching kids. She actually helps teach kids at the Weston Ski Track apart from the team, so she helps beginners all the time with their technique work,” Leary said.
Strock was a competitive dancer up until high school but transitioned to Nordic skiing to try something new and outdoors. Strock said she ended up falling in love with skiing, which she finds similar to dance in certain ways.
“There is that overlap with the awareness of where your body is, the tensions and technique and particularly the balance and the strength. I feel like it has really translated for me from one to the other,” Strock said.
Strock said she has made close bonds because of the shared experiences within the Nordic ski community. As Strock’s friendship with Petersen has grown, they have developed a tradition of putting glitter on their faces on race days.
“We always do glitter, and it’s a way to remind ourselves that even though racing can be stressful–and, obviously, if you get really into the sport, races could have a lot of importance– you’re always out there doing it for fun. That’s why you started,” Strock said.
Apart from excelling in skiing, Petersen said that Strock is a supportive teammate and always brings a great mindset.
“It has been so much fun seeing her improvement over the years,” Petersen said. “She’s not only an amazing skier, but she’s also a great person. I’ve been so proud of her, and she’s such a great teammate to have.”
