The slopes at Pine Knob have seen many great skiers, and a group of eight Lake Orion seniors might be one of the best high school classes to grace the hill.
The five boys and three girls led their respective teams to strong second place finishes in their recent divisional competition, and they have their sights set on much more in the coming weeks.
‘Divisionals went really well with both teams finishing second,? said coach Erica Schulze. ‘If we ski the same way at regionals, we’re definitely in contention to go to states.?
Reaching the state competition has been the goal of each team from day one.
On the boys side, a 9-0 league record made that goal seem like an apparent reality.
On top of that, the team hung together at divisionals when things began to fall apart.
‘We easily could have finished first, but our first day wasn’t that strong,? Mike Birach said of divisionals.
‘The first day they did struggle,? Schulze agreed, noting that some of the team’s top skiers needed a boost from their teammates.
‘Marty (Tarr) and Brian and Scott (Arsen) pulled through and managed a top three finish.?
‘The team really pulled it together,? said Kevin Bowen of their second day rally. Bowen said second place out of ten teams is still pretty good.
Scott Arsen agreed that the team concept is what pulled LO through the tough first day.
‘The talent that we have this year is just crazy,? he said. ‘James Hubbard is the impenetrable force and all the racers contribute equally to the team, which is why we have been so successful.?
The girls agreed that having a close knit group does help contribute to success.
‘Everyone has improved significantly and we support each other as a team,? said Camille Seybert.
‘The senior girls have been together for four years and we want to finish with a successful season and pass that on to the next class,? she added.
‘Our goal the rest of the season is to place well at regionals so we can qualify for states,? said Jackie Jabczenski.
Kristin Fleming, the team’s top individual contributor, said the success of the squad has exceeded her expectations.
‘It’d be nice if we took top four or five (at states),? she said, noting that her personal goal is a top ten finish.
Weather-wise, things haven’t exactly been ideal for the team, forcing alternate methods of preparation.
‘I thought that we trained real hard off the snow,? said Tarr. ‘We’ve spent a lot of time together as a result.?
Now that there’s significant snow on the ground, the team’s schedule is reaching its peak.
Regionals take place on Feb. 16 at Mt. Holly.
‘We definitely expect to qualify for states at regionals,? Tarr said, echoing the thoughts of Jabczenski.
If they qualify, the state competition is slated for Feb. 27.
‘First is always the top goal, but top three would be pretty sweet,? Birach said of the ultimate goal.
No matter what happens in the coming days and weeks, the two teams and their seniors all agree with the simple goal stated by Bowen.
‘Hopefully we’ll just finish the season strong,? he said.