Though Micah Bruner hit the scholastic slopes for the first time this year as a seventh grader for Amherst Regional, his nordic skiing journey has been a long one.
And one rooted in a little healthy family competition.
Bruner began skiing in Montana around the age of 5 with tutelage from his dad and coach at Amherst Regional, Steve Bruner. But, a couple years ago, his motivation soared.
“(Micah) really had the fire lit under him about two years ago when he went to watch his cousin ski at the Junior Nationals,” Steve Bruner said. “He came back from that, and he just had a determination that we hadn’t seen before. He decided right there that that was something he wanted to achieve.”
Entering seventh grade and his first crack at high school competition, Micah was excited, but admittedly intimidated by the big pond he found himself in.
“At the beginning of the year I was pretty nervous about racing against high schoolers and older kids,” Micah Bruner said. “But I think as the season went on I got more comfortable getting to know people and just getting more comfortable in the racing scene.”
And with those improvements, Micah quickly became a young leader for the Hurricanes. While Steve expected big things out of his son and player heading into the season, even he ended up underestimating what Micah was able to accomplish.
“I expected him to become a top skier for Amherst,” Steve Bruner said. “But at the beginning of the season, I wouldn’t have expected that he would’ve finished as he did. As the season went on, though, he got stronger and developed a great tactical sense.”
And after a season of work, Micah put up the highlight many skiers aim for: top five at the MIAA state championship. For that accomplishment and a season of ski excellence, Micah Bruner has been named the Gazette Boys Nordic Skiing Player of the Year.
Micah led the way for the Hurricanes, finishing the state race at Prospect Mountain in 23 minutes, 56 seconds. That result was good enough for a fifth-place finish, and helped propel Amherst to 13th overall at the competition.
Micah rounded out his season the next week with another great finish, grabbing second place at a Berkshire Nordic Ski League race at Notchview Reservation. A satisfying end to a satisfying season.
“I was really psyched about that (result),” Micah Bruner said of his final race. “It was the end of the year, so there was a party with a bunch of snacks, and it was just a great race day. It was an awesome memory.”
Though Micah is unsure what his next step is in the world of skiing, whether it be at the high school or club level, he knows that the sport has done a lot for him and will always be a part of his life.
“It’s kind of a lifestyle for me,” Micah Bruner said. “There’s so much more to it than just the skiing part. I feel like all skiers kind of have a connection, because they go through the same stuff on race day and just know what it feels like. I think it’s a great community to be a part of.”
Jesse Barker-Plotkin, senior, Amherst Regional
Micah Bruner, seventh grade, Amherst Regional
Vincent Gauthier, eighth grade, Mohawk Trail
Henry Geffert, senior, Amherst Regional
Geir Hartl, sophomore, Amherst Regional
Daniel Tetreault, freshman, Mohawk Trail
West Williams, sophomore, Mohawk Trail
Ryan Yanko, sophomore, Amherst Regional
Nor Young, senior, Amherst Regional