The Yarmouth Nordic Team had a great season! Led by head coach Dana Hatton and assistant coaches Ellie Teare and the legendary Bob Morse, Yarmouth skiers had fun, improved their skills, and made memories despite numerous obstacles. (Notably the less-than-desirable snowfall, Freeport, and sickness)
The Yarmouth boys triumphed at the Western Maine Conference Championships with a win in the pursuit, coming from behind after day one of Classic. They racked up six podium efforts that day, crowned by Aksel Yeo winning the pursuit and skate races. The Girl's team, consisting of mainly underclassmen, finished second to Freeport with two top-10 finishes.
The State race was held over February Break at the Fort Kent Outdoor Center where an elite level course (home of the 2004 World Biathlon!) and fast snow almost made up for the seven-hour bus ride. Fueled with luck from an olympian, sunny skies, and fast snow, Yarmouth had a triumphant classic race. Kickwax was on point, allowing Yarmouth skiers to lay it all out on the course. The boy's team had a strong performance with two top 10 Class B finishes–Aksel Yeo in fourth and Owen Redfield in seventh- with the rest of the team following close behind. The girl's team also started out strong with another top-10 finish from junior Sonja Bell in 8th and a solid pack just behind her.
After some debate, the second day of racing went on despite racing temperatures of two and four degrees and an incoming storm. Extra vaseline, hand warmers, and buffs were donned and Yarmouth prevailed with many stand-out performances.
Ultimately, the Freeport boys took the gold by a mere three points (seconds!) leaving Yarmouth in second despite numerous top performances. Three Clipper seniors finished top ten in the Class B Pursuit with Aksel Yeo in 4th with a combined time of 32:32, Owen Redfield in 6th, and Cornelius Welsh in 9th. All Yarmouth Boys finished in the top 30 with Senior Struat Baybutt in 11th, Sophomore Aksel Moon in 15th, Ethan Hoffman in 22nd, Ben Flowerdew in 24th, and Mateo Coury in 26th.
Yarmouth Girls took 3rd to Freeport and Leavitt with a tight pack. Yarmouth was led by Paige Brewer who finished 11th in 43:32 followed closely by Sonja Bell in 12th. Just behind them were Maya Fualstich and Chloe Bibula in 17th and 18th, Sophomore Laila Brewer in 20th, and Juniors Leah Muentener and Katie Thorton in 24th and 29th respectively. And on day one, Senior Josie Nicholas had an impressive performance despite having a cold, finishing 29th in Class B in her final high school race.
Overall the season was a definite success. We will be sad to see our seniors go but we look forward to seeing what the underclassman can do next year.
Courtesy of Nordic
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