Our first race of the season on Wednesday, January 15, hosted by Holderness, was a 5.1K freestyle (skate) technique. A cold and windy day, the skiers had to do an extra thorough job of warming up, staying warm, and getting to the start race ready. Captains Noah and Frances both did a terrific job assisting teammates with this process, and the Proctor teams went to the start line knowing they had their teammate’s support. With 10 teams competing, both the girls' and boys' teams placed second overall, and far ahead of third place teams. For the girls, Niko Cole-Johnson placed sixth, Georgie Nichols and Frances Butterfield took 14th and 15th, respectively, and, in their first high school Nordic race ever, Catherine Vierzen came in 26th, and Abby Melnick came in 31st out of a field of over 50 racers. Holderness girls were the team to beat, and surely will hold that distinction throughout the season. Our girls skied fantastic races, proving themselves to be a tough, strong team. For the boys, the team to beat was Belmont Hill, a school which has often been Proctor’s main competition for Lakes Regions Champs, and has a stronger team than ever this year. Our top four Proctor boys went fast and hard and raced as a pack, with Burke Pekala in 6th place, Elliot Irwin-Pokorny, and Noah Gardner finishing 8th and 9th, respectively, and Max Preuss close behind in 11th. Also racing in their first high school Nordic race, Aiden Jewell and Hayes Thompson had strong finishes, placing 18th and 26th, respectively. The season opener is always a time of wild unpredictability, and the racers skied through clogged up hills after the mass start, a few falls, and lots of reality checks on fitness and strength! It was a race full of lessons and accomplishments.  Terrific start!

On January 22nd, Proctor hosted the second race of the season here on the  Bill Paine Nordic Ski Trails under beautiful blue skies. It was a brisk, sunny day with a strong showing of Proctor parents and students out on the course to support. Racers completed four laps of the 1.3K loop in classic technique, including the wild screaming downhill corner by the T-bar! While it was only our 2nd race, the skiers needed no direction from coaches as they previewed the course, tested wax, did a complete warm up, got race ready, and found their lane at the start looking less like random individuals and more like a team ready to do some damage.  With ten teams competing, Proctor boys came out on top, ahead of Belmont Hill, and the girls came in second. The boys, confident in knowing the course and trusting their wax, went out fast, pushing each other to find new limits. It was quite exciting to see the finishes, with Noah Gardner 2nd overall, Burke Pekala in a close 3rd, Max Preuss not far behind in 6th, and Elliot Irwin-Pokorny coming back strong after a crash and broken binding into 13th place, with Aiden Jewell hot on his heels in 15th and Hayes Thompson in 19th.  The girls all went for broke to defend their 2nd place standing in the league, and push to challenge Holderness, knowing that they did not have Catherine in the mix this week, putting lots of pressure on rookie Abby!  Niko Cole-Johnson fought her way to a 4th place finish, followed close behind by Frances Butterfield in 6th place. Georgie Nichols ran a strong 12th, and Abby Melnick was right on her tail for 13th place! The race photos taken by Erik Cole-Johnson undeniably captured the effort Proctor skiers put in. It was a near perfect day in terms of effort, race strategy, mindset, preparation and team work. A wonderful way to host the league. Thanks to all volunteers and supporters who made it possible and made it better!