Rhinelander Nordic Ski Team Head Coach John Gillen sends off three skiers at a time as they work on sprint training.
Many of the high school and middle school athletes are in thin sweatshirts or even t-shirts as the temperature hit the mid-40s last Thursday.
Despite the warm temps, Gillen says the trails at C.A.V.O.C. are holding up well.
“We've had enough to practice on, but just not enough to race on,” said Gillen.
Still, it’s an improvement from earlier in the season and far superior to last year.
“We always start our Nordic season that first week in November with dry land training and just getting back into the rhythm of getting some cardio and getting the right body position for Nordic skiing,” said Gillen. “But man, that dry land season just kept on and on and on last year.”
This past December, the ski team was traveling to ABR Trails in Ironwood just so they could practice on snow.
Several race meets have been canceled across the state, including their home meet, the Northwoods Nordic Hodag Challenge.
For skiers like Garrett Bormann who joined the team last year, it’s been a bit disappointing.
“I have never raced. I was going to do the Hodag Challenge this year, and then there was one at Minocqua, but they both got canceled,” said Bormann.
Ninth grader Douglas Hartmann has been skiing on the team for five seasons now. He shares Borman’s disappointment.
“The ones that got canceled are ones that I really wanted to do, but there's not much you can do about it,” said Hartmann.
They’re hopeful good snow will return next year, but for some athletes there is no next year on the team.
This is senior Iain Rumney’s 7th year on the team.
“It's a little disappointing ending on a note like this, but it's been a good run. It was fun while it lasted,” said Rumney. “I'm looking to continue skiing in the future.”
One off snow years like this one aren’t unheard of, but Coach Gillen says having back to back low snow years is tough.
It’s also making a lot of skiers think about the future of the sport.
“I think it's a reality that we, not only the Wisconsin Nordic Ski League that supports all the middle school and high school athletes in the state, but right on up through the collegiate level and the professional level, is that cross country skiing, Nordic ski racing, is relying more and more on venues that can produce artificial snow,” said Gillen. “We're seeing this type of situation happen too frequently, and it's just too difficult to be able to schedule big, big events without having snow making equipment.”
Even among their disappointment for the last two seasons and their canceled races, there’s still a lot of optimism and passion for the sport.
“It hasn't affected the culture at all,” said Kayla Skubal. Skubal is a junior who’s been competing for four years now.
She and others on the team have been able to compete in a few races this year. They also got on the snow a lot more this year than last.
“The environment in ski compared to gymnastics and other sports I've been in, the culture is, I don't know, it's fun to be a part of. We all get along really well,” said Skubal.
The middle school girls placed third at the Northern Conference Race in Cable last month.
Eighth grader Noelle Mayo was one of those racers.
“I like how supportive the team is. It's just a nice atmosphere, and it's just fun to get out on the snow and just have a good time,” said Mayo.
At the end of the day, it’s that joy of getting out in the winter with their friends that drives them to find whatever snow they can.
“It's very freeing, just getting outside and exercising, just going for it, going fast, going slow, really, doing whatever you want. It's just fun,” said Rumney.
Though this weekend will wrap up the middle and high school athlete’s seasons, snow conditions have improved enough to hold competitions locally.
The Northwoods Nordic Ski Club will host the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association on February 15th and 16th at C.A.V.O.C.
Skiers from around the Midwest will be competing.
Gillen says people can support the race by coming out to watch or by signing up to volunteer.