During the chilly winter months, the Shorewood-Nicolet Ski Team is busy carving out a thrilling season on the slopes. At a local competition on January 9, all four teams clinched spots on the podium. The boys varsity team placed third, with a combined time of 188.81 seconds. The girls varsity team also took third, finishing in 228.08 seconds. The boys JV team had 253.18 seconds, landing them third place. To finish off the night, the girls JV team placed second with a time of 481.34 seconds. 

According to head coach Jack Bourdo, the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) high school format is a strategic and competitive one.

“There are six people on each team, boys varsity, girls varsity, boys JV, and girls JV,” Bourdo said. “Each racer must complete two timed runs on two separate courses. After the first run, they take the four fastest times out of the six on each team and add them all together. Then they do the same thing for the second run and combine the two race run totals.”

However, individual results are determined by the combined times of just two runs alone, placing pressure on the athletes. 

“For individuals, there is no room for error if they want to place well—they cannot fall or miss a gate,” Bourdo said.

The ultimate objective for the team is doing well in competitions to qualify for the most competitive races. Though only varsity is eligible to compete at the state level, there are high-stake opportunities for junior varsity.

“The goal every year is to get both [boys and girls] varsity teams to qualify for state and both [boys and girls] JV teams to qualify for the JV conference,” Bourdo said. 

Bourdo himself brings years of experience to the team, including competitive skiing and nearly a decade’s worth of teaching other young athletes. He is assisted by coaches Matt Oswald and Shorewood alumna Grace Bailey. 

“I have coached for nine years—two years [as an] assistant coach for La Crosse-area high schools, two years [as an] assistant coach for Cedarburg High School—now I’m in my fifth year as head coach for Shorewood-Nicolet High School,” Bourdo said.

 Maya Skoien and Ryan Optekar, juniors, are returning for their third year on the ski team. 

“I initially saw my sister do the ski team her freshman year,” Optekar said. “Then the year after, in seventh grade, I started to ski race with the club. By the time I got to high school, it was the natural thing to join the high school ski team.”

According to Skoien, her time on the ski team has been rewarding.

“I’d only been skiing for a year, and Ryan convinced me to join the team,” Skoien said. “I didn’t really know what I was signing up for, but I’m glad I did it because it’s been super fun every year.”

Training is a vital part of the team’s success, and Wisconsin’s many public ski hills provide the team with accessible places to practice. 

“We have practice twice a week at Sunburst and Kewaskum,” Skoien said. “We do giant slalom and slalom, and we have races once a week, either on Wednesdays or Thursdays.” 

The team normally has about three weeks of preparation before its first race in early January, with practices sometimes occurring at ski hills far from Shorewood. 

“We have great parents and older athletes that carpool and drive each other,” Bourdo said.

Structured and effective practices allow the team to maximize limited time. 

“Practice usually starts with drills to warm up, and then we move into running the course to prepare for upcoming races,” Optekar said.

Skoien states the team traditions help keep morale high. 

“Coach Jack always brings a bunch of candy to every race,” Skoien said. “During race days, it’s a lot of fun just sitting there at the top of the hill, cheering on your teammates and eating candy, waiting to be called.”

According to Bourdo, a close bond between teammates is another important aspect of the team’s success. 

“They are great skiers, but they also are great with cheering on and helping new racers on the team feel welcome and help with any questions they have,” Bourdo said. 

Overall, Bourdo hopes to inspire dedication and love for the sport in team members.

“Because skiing is a lifelong sport, I want to make sure I make it enjoyable and fun for everyone on the team so they continue skiing after being on the race team,” Bourdo said.