By Justin Pelletier,Staff Writer

TURNER – More than 30 skiers huddled in the corner of a small, wooden building across a narrow street from Leavitt Area High School.

Among them, two coaches handed out team skier of the week awards, one to a male athlete and one to a female.

Both of them, on a team full of state champions, went to freshmen who had yet to officially prove themselves at the highest level.

“Nobody gets cut, nobody sits on the bench at a race and the stopwatch doesn’t lie,” said coach Jason Leavitt. “We’re going to take the best six kids every week who are going to give us a chance to win a race, and they’ll race varsity. It doesn’t matter what year they’re in.”

That attitude, along with a wealth of talent and solid coaching has allowed the Hornets’ Nordic ski team to flourish in recent years, despite a lack of veteran leadership.

Last year, in particular, saw the Hornets win the girls’ and boys’ state Nordic crown with just two seniors – both girls.

“It just helps the team in general, it gives the team a lot of depth to have as much talent as we get from the middle school,” said Leavitt sophomore Ryan Fitzsimons, who finished 22nd overall in last year’s classical race and 17th in the freestyle as a freshman. And the news just got better for the Hornets, who welcomed more than 10 members of last year’s middle school team to the high school squad this season, giving Leavitt unprecedented depth.

“Being a successful team at this level helps, too,” said coach Dustin Williamson. “It’s probably not the driving force behind why we’ve grown so much, but it helps to get the name out there. The kids see that we won a state title, and they see that they might be able to be a part of a state championship team.”

Starting early

Even before the skiers get to Leavitt, middle school coach Liam Cassidy already has a chance to scout them out. On most days, Cassidy and his middle school team train with the high school’s team in the field and woods behind the high school.

“I’m always impressed when a young person is willing to work at a sport where the progress is so gradual,” said Cassidy. “The connection we have with the high school skiers, who will help us out and share their time, that also makes a big difference.”

“The middle school program allowed to expand in learning, helped me to ski better,” said Leavitt freshman Natasha Varney. “As an eighth-grader, they make it all like one big family, and we all know each other. It helps us fit in in high school, too.”

For the high school coaches, what Cassidy does fits perfectly into the gradual progression of the team, and has helped some of the better younger skiers, like Justin Fereshetian, Varney, KayAnna Beeckel, Lauren Turner and L.T. Sierra, make an impact at the state level immediately.

“He makes it fun,” said Williamson. “He adds a little technique in and when they get here, they’re ready to go with our training.”

Sibling network

It also doesn’t hurt the program to have younger siblings constantly feeding through the system, following in their older relatives’ shoes. This year alone, Beeckel, Fereshetian and Melissa Kelson will ski on the same team with their older siblings, and several others have younger siblings working their way through the youth program and middle school.

“A lot of what we do comes from some great families,” said Cassidy. “One of the kids gets into it, and then the next skier gets to use the hand-me-down skis and the know-how passes down. It really helps the program out. Plus, as parents, who doesn’t want their kids to be happy and healthy, which is what the sport offers them.”

Reaping the benefits

Last year’s state championship was a surprise for many people, including some of the members of the Hornets’ squad. This year, with only two graduating girls, the expectations are mounting, but not from where most people would think.

The motivation is largely coming from within.

“Once you win, it’s easy to get carried away with the victory, with the gossip and the bragging,” admitted Fitzsimons. “That’s what can make teams fall out of focus.”

The remedy, in part, is the constant influx of new talent – upwards of 12 new skiers this season – who constantly push the top athletes.

“We have great leadership from skiers like Lauren Fereshetian and Mike Lessard who are really good examples for the underclassmen,” said Leavitt. “Plus, when you get high-caliber freshmen coming up from the middle school (Justin Fereshetian won the individual middle school state title two years ago and the girls team won the middle school team title last year), that alone makes everybody better.”

Cassidy was quick to point out that, as with everything else, this trend has its ebbs, as well – only three seventh-graders currently ski for Cassidy, but that could well change.

“One of the great things last year was that the whole high school team came to our state race,” said Cassidy, “and we went to theirs. When you get that kind of teamwork from both ends, it really snowballs. The kids have fun, word gets out and that’s how the program grows. The success we’ve had at the state level is a result of that, but the most important thing is that kids are getting involved and enjoying themselves. Success takes care of itself.”