New Varsity Ski Team at HHS

By Aidan Brookes

The newly formed varsity alpine ski team, made up of skiers from Hopkinton and Ashland high schools now gives students another option for winter sports.

The team, which trains and races at Ward Ski Area in Shrewsbury, will meet for a total of eight races across January and February. These races include both slalom (SL) and giant slalom (GS) events.

Races are held weekly for seven of these events. The team will then participate in one “fun race” before potentially moving on the state championship at Wachusett Mountain.

The new team will have meet for just four practices on the hill before the first GS race on January 12 against ten other high school teams.

While only a few students have racing experience prior to the team, coach Nancy Schlussel is a veteran skier, coming from Colorado where she gained most of her experience.

The varsity team has long been in the making, lead by coach Schlussel. It was possible thanks to HHS’s new Pilot Program, which facilitates the creation of new teams when enough interest is demonstrated.

The Pilot program requires, however, that the team be self funded until it proves itself to be a viable team, at which point it may receive funding from the athletic department. This means the athletic fee for students is double the typical cost, at $220. This is along with another $200 students must spend for a race pass at the hill.

17 Hopkinton students are participating in the team including captains David Antaki and Patrick Murphy along with many Ashland students.