The Bronxville ski season ended this past Wednesday with our final race at NWAC’s ski facility located in Vernon Township, NJ. A select few will represent Bronxville in the Sectional meets next week (February 13th-14th) and depending on the results of those meets, they will be heading to States after our winter break (February 25th-26th).

This year, Bronxville’s ski team had a very successful season with high levels of participation and enthusiasm from all of its members. I was so impressed with how every teammate supported one another, despite the fact that ski racing is more of an individual sport. I never sensed any competition between Bronxville racers, and there was a greater emphasis on the team being successful, rather than any specific person. Moreover, while Bronxville exhibited a healthy drive to try our best, it was not a team in which the happiness of the sport came from the results of the race. At my old school, I remember how stressful races were as coaches calculated everyone’s places and people were scared to fall or let down their team. While Bronxville still prides itself on having great talent, I never sensed that same level of pressure on athletes which allowed skiing to be much more enjoyable. Students with all levels of experience participated on the team and no one was embarrassed if they fell or did poorly in a race. I admire how Bronxville students found such joy in the sport and it became an infectious mindset to try your very best without worry of judgment or failure.

My new friend, Kunzang Namgyal ‘19, had only skied a handful of times, and yet, was ambitious enough to join ski team in hopes of improving her skills, regardless of if she got to race or not. I distinctly remember on our last day of practice when we were contemplating whether or not to retire to the lodge, and Kunzang advocated for skiing a few more runs because she valued her time on the mountain so much. Later, she told me about how joining ski team made her value the sport more and how she hopes to continue improving as she sees it as a valuable life skill. I was also surprised that seniors, like Bridget Sands ‘19, were open to trying new sports in their last year as high schoolers. I had always held the traditional belief that you are expected to pick your main sports freshman year and stick with them. While consistency is valuable and there are many dedicated members of the ski team, it was great to see that they are open to newcomers and that students here take the opportunity to try new sports. Finally, the Bronxville ski team welcomed two skiers from New Rochelle, Jack and Jessica, who practiced and raced with us because their school did not offer ski racing. Their efforts to integrate into our team and attend each obligation did not go unnoticed. Often times when we got back to school late from races around 10 pm, I realized that my two teammates had to get back in the car and continue to commute back to their home. They had to be responsible and make sure their equipment was brought onto the bus by a Bronxville student, and they had to either leave straight from school to meet us or travel separately to our races and practices. They brought a lot of talent to our team and certainly made a commendable effort to participate in the sport.

Overall, I had a really positive experience on Bronxville’s Ski Team this winter. I’m so glad I made the decision to join the team because the coaches, captains, and teammates helped me transition on to the team seamlessly. I touched on this topic slightly in my first article, but I wanted to further emphasize how grateful I am to have formed strong friendships and to have met new people, and I’m so looking forward to next season!