The boy’s ski team had a great season overall, placing fourth, third, third, fourth and fourth at their races this year, respectively. For the boys’ team, junior Michael Desio advanced onto the State competition at Wachusett on Tuesday, March 1.

Senior Captain Ben Guggina

Overall, how did the season go?

“I think for the boys’ team, it actually went pretty well. Michael Desio made States, and there are a few juniors, Aiden Johnson and Sam Baevsky, who both pulled out some good finishes toward the end of the season too. We finished third overall, so that’s also an improvement from past years, which is exciting.”

How do you feel the team performed and worked together overall?

“I feel like the team dynamic was pretty strong this year. There weren’t as many boys on the team, which sort of worked towards our advantage because we all got pretty close by the end of the season.”

How do you feel you did individually?

“I did not do that great, to be honest. I dislocated my shoulder right before our first race, and that sort of sent the season on a downhill spiral.”

Has this season been different from past seasons?

“Not really, this season was pretty normal. The only thing was that there were no pasta parties. I guess it was a lot different than last season; last season was sort of wild.”

What was a standout moment/race from this season?

“Generally, the standout part of the season was the team bond we had.”

What does it mean to you to be the captain for this season?

“It’s really exciting. I’ve been grinding. I wasn’t very good when I started, and I got better and had a good season last year, so being picked for the captain spot was a pretty big deal.”

What are your hopes for the ski team for next season and beyond?

“Next season, I definitely think we can send more people to States. I think the three juniors [Desio, Baevsky, Johnson] definitely have a chance at making States, and I hope more people start doing it. There were not very many underclassmen this year, so I hope that the team grows a little bit.”

The girls’ ski team had an undefeated season, placing first in all of their races this year. For the girls’ team, senior captain Mina Utzschneider, junior Alexa Butterfield, junior Jula Utzschneider and junior Elly Beauchesne (and senior Lucy Postizzi is an alternate) advanced onto the State competition at Wachusett on Tuesday, March 1.

Senior Captain Mina Utzschneider

Overall, how did the season go?

“Overall, the season went extremely well. We didn’t have a lot of newcomers onto the team. Usually our team is around 40 people, and this year, it was around 27. The girls remained undefeated for the whole season, winning the league, and the boys did very well of staying around 4th overall. The season went very well. Everyone really pushed themselves, and we had a lot of girls and boys placing, which was great.”

How do you feel the team performed and worked together overall?

“Last year, it was weird with COVID where we had to split the team in half, and only half the team practiced one day and half the other. Compared to that, it was very nice to have cohesive practices where everyone was together this year. We could improve ourselves but also boost each other to do better.”

How do you feel you did individually?

“I’ve definitely done better, but I had a great season. I ended up finishing sixth overall in the league. I’m going to States, which I’m very happy about, but I definitely could’ve done better, could’ve had some better starts. I’m just happy with how the team did overall.”

Has this season been different from past seasons?

“It’s different from last season in the regard of no masks, and we’re all practicing together. We’re back in one league instead of two divided pods for race nights. It feels back to normal to the previous seasons.”

What was a standout moment/race from this season?

“For me, it was probably our last race because it was Senior Night. It’s my senior year, so that race really stood out: we all got to be with our families, and friends could come to the race. We had signs and gift bags, so that really stood out, and it was kind of emotional as it was my last race.”

What does it mean to you to be the captain for this season?

“Being a captain, I just want to be there for the team in whatever aspect, whether it be as competition, a friend, someone to look up to or someone to ask for help. I just want to be there to boost everybody but also encourage them to improve themselves and teach them different techniques that I may have learned over the years.”

What are your hopes for the ski team for next season and beyond?

“I hope people stay with the sport. It has kind of dwindled away and less people recognize ski racing, so I hope more people join and are encouraged to keep at it. It’s a hard sport, but once you get going, you’ll realize how much you’ll fall in love with it and how amazing of a sport it is. I just want everyone to keep pushing themselves and keep doing well in the league.”