Although many in the region were less than delighted about last week’s snowstorm, skiers, including those on the Boothbay Region High School Nordic teams, hope the early season storm is a harbinger of a snowy winter.

BRHS cross country ski teams began training in earnest Thanksgiving week, although many on the squad are already fit from fall sports programs. Coach Nick Scott said he is optimistic about the upcoming season.

“I’m quite excited about this Nordic season for a number of reasons,” Scott said. “One, this is our fifth year with a varsity program, and so we are now at the point where we have students who have been skiing for multiple years and have some quality experience. This year in particular we have five senior boys on the team, all of which have been skiing since their freshman or sophomore year.”

“Second, we have a great trail system that makes about a 1.25 mile loop around school grounds. When the tennis courts were constructed, a new trail from the elementary school fields to the high school fields was created, enabling us to have a loop course without any two way skiing. Previously we weren’t really able to ski on the XC trail leading up to the elementary school fields because there was no way to get back down without the risk of skiing directly into others traveling in the opposite direction.”

“Third, Fred Best, a friend of the Paolillos and I believe a summer resident, donated his old snow machine so that we can now properly groom our trail. On top of it all, it has been a rather snowy November, so hopefully that holds true for the remainder of the season, and if it does it should be a great winter for the Nordic team.”

The BRHS boys team boast 11 competitors this year, including some strong returning seniors and cross country running standouts. Last year, the Seahawks had their best season to date, finishing third at the Mountain Valley Conference meet and sixth at the state championship meet.

“There are a fair (number) of athletic boys on the Nordic team this year, so if we get real practice time on snow, I believe that the boys’ team can be very competitive. It’ll also be quite interesting to see who ends up making the varsity team, as there are a number of guys who appear ready to take their racing to the next level,” Scott said.

“Kyler Carty and Zach Vise should lead the way for the boys,” Scott said. “They are the top two returning skiers on the team and each have three years of experience under their belts. Both boys appear to be in great shape as well.  I suspect that Joey Paolillo, who had much success during the fall cross country season, should be ready to make a bigger impact than he did a year ago as a freshman.”

The girls team is smaller, with just one more skier than the four finishers needed to score as team, and mostly made up of new recruits. The Nordic girls are unlikely to be competitive as a team this year, but will be focusing on learning technique and gaining experience.

“The only returning skier is Angela Machon, who developed some nice technique a year ago under Coach Emily Higgins,” Scott said.

The racing season officially begins Dec. 20 at Sugarloaf. In the meantime, the BRHS Nordic teams will be focusing on strength and endurance training and keeping their fingers crossed for snow.

BRHS Boys Nordic ski team roster: seniors Kyler Carty, Kyle Alamo, Zach Vise, David Machon and Trystan Mercier; juniors Liam Conlin, Raymond Perry and Shane Johnson; sophomores Joey Paolillo and Sam Betts; and freshman Connor Demmons

BRHS Girls’ Nordic ski team roster: senior Chloe Hoecker; juniors Angela Machon, Anna Baumm and Ellie Demmons; and freshman Haily Greenleaf.