As each skier on the cross country team crossed the finish line at the recent state championships in Vermont, they were met with cheers and encouragement from their teammates, pushing them across the finish line. The team has grown into a strong and special community, but a warming planet is now threatening their progress.
When coach and high school alumnus Linden Niedeck was a member of the team, it looked very different from today. When Niedeck was on the team, if six people joined, it was a good year. Today, there are over 20 people on the team.
“Now it is a bona fide team with a culture, a nice lineage of seniors showing juniors how to do things, juniors showing the underclassmen, and kids who have seen the program all the way through,” Niedeck said.
Senior Daniel Leary, who has been captain of the team for the last two years, said that this season there were a lot of new freshmen, most of whom had never skied before. Leary spent a lot of time with them, showing them the ropes and helping prepare them for race day.
“This year we had a lot of new freshmen,” Leary said. “That meant spending time with them, just trying to get them ready to race and become varsity-level skiers.”
Senior Rachael Strock is an example of how far the program has come. Just like most of the team, Strock picked up cross country skiing when she arrived at the high school, and just a few weeks ago, she placed second in the individual race at the Massachusetts Division I State Championships.
“I was looking for a new sport after quitting dance,” Strock said. “My friend encouraged me to come out and try the high school team, which at the time was very small, and I instantly loved it.”
The program is becoming bigger each year, and Niedeck said the spirit of the team must stay the same in order to maintain its success.
“I think evolving is just really fostering the culture,” Niedeck said. “I was very proud to see my skiers making sure that we’re cheering for every teammate until everyone has finished, even putting glitter on our faces.”
According to Strock, this very culture is what has made her experience with the team so special. Strock said that starting a new sport in high school is tough, but the team’s camaraderie allowed her to fall in love with the sport.
“I think there’s something really special about the community,” Strock said. “I have met some of the nicest people. Everyone is so supportive, and that just makes the experience so much more enjoyable.”
However, along with the rapid growth of the program comes the growing presence of climate change in winter sports. Although this year was an outlier, snow totals have generally been declining. Leary said this is bad news for the team, which could ultimately see their sport disappear.
“Generally, snow totals have fallen a lot. Last year, I don’t think we were on snow until after Christmas break,” Leary said.
According to Niedeck, adaptability will be essential for the team to continue to thrive and exist amidst this crisis.
“You can have good snow years, you can have bad snow years,” Niedeck said. “It’s really just about being adaptable and rolling with the punches as they come.”
