HANOVER — If all was normal in the world, Kiran Park would’ve gone out for the Hanover High girls basketball team this winter. But knowing the risks associated with indoor sports during the COVID-19 pandemic, she decided to look elsewhere.
Only a freshman, Park decided to join Hanover’s new developmental Nordic skiing program. In its first year, the program is aimed help students learn a new sport with oversight from coaches in a non-competitive environment.
Possibly the biggest plus of the new team is the opportunity it provides for students to socialize outside, socially distanced, beyond the confines of school. Park said so much of her life has shifted to spending days inside on her laptop, whether it be Zoom meetings or schoolwork.
“It’s just so great to get outside,” she said after the skiers wrapped up practice on Thursday afternoon at Hanover Country Club. “I’m not sure I would be doing this if there wasn’t a pandemic; I would probably be playing basketball or indoor soccer.
“In a normal winter, I would go (Alpine) skiing with my family on the weekends. Now I get to learn a new sport.”
The new program was the brainchild of Hanover athletic director Megan Sobel. Numbers for the varsity and junior varsity Nordic teams at the school have always been high; longtime coach Tom Masterson has built a juggernaut as the boys and girls have combined for eight state championships since 2010.
But some participants on the teams over the years haven’t always needed the competition aspect; they just want to venture about on their skis. This year, some teams at the school had a cutoff number for participation due to COVID-19 protocols.
“My thought was now, because of COVID, is a great time to create something different,” Sobel said. “Kids are really looking for opportunities, and with how competitive some of our sports programs are, if you didn’t start young then you’re not going to get a chance to play. Nordic is one of those sports where you can develop in later.
“Hopefully, even after COVID, it can be something that continues because it is a great opportunity for these kids, and in an area with so much snow and great Nordic skiing.”
Sobel was also able to hire an experienced coach in Ian Caldwell, a 2016 Hanover grad and a recent graduate of Westminster College in Salt Lake City. He now works at Hanover in a support staff role and coached the second junior varsity boys soccer team this past fall.
Growing up in Lyme, Caldwell said he’s been on skis since an early age. He’s also receiving help from former Marion Cross School principal Bill Hammond, who is using his old pair of cross country skis from the late 1970s.
Erik McEwen has been integral in the program’s foundation as well. An assistant with the varsity teams, he was at Thursday’s practice, teaching the group of roughly 20 students how to skate ski and navigate their way down a hill.
“I’ve never done it competitively — just for fun,” said Sofia Cosentino, a sophomore who learned to ski with her grandparents. “It was so isolating to be in quarantine, so just being able to form a community feels great. The coaches are great; Erik set 25 minutes aside last practice just to help with my technique.”
Thursday’s practice provided an example of how the Nordic developmental program operates differently than a varsity setting. Coaches had the students run from the high school to the golf course, but there wasn’t a forced structure for practice.
Students were also allowed to free ski at the beginning and end of practice, and coaches provided one-on-one assistance if wanted. And when McEwen was giving direction, students paid attention but also were allowed to joke with friends.
Depending on the weather, the hope is to continue the program until early March. The team initially skied around Merriman-Branch Field but is now working to get off of the school property. Practices are held three times a week, making it something team members look forward to attending.
“I certainly don’t think we would have 25 kids on the team if it was a non-pandemic year,” Caldwell said. “I think kids are really eager to have some sort of rigidness in their schedule, something to do. And they like having a team environment as well; kids just want some normalcy in their lives and to do something active.
“I think they’re excited to get outside. We wear masks, but because we’re outside we can spend as much time as we want and we’re not clumped into a little court or building.”
Pete Nakos can be reached at pnakos@vnews.com.