For Hampshire Regional’s Katarzyna Wisnauckas, her junior year of nordic skiing for Mohawk Trail Regional’s cooperative meant a step up in intensity, both in competition and in practice.
“Going into the season, I definitely trained a lot more this past summer,” Wisnauckas said. “I quit playing soccer and joined the cross country team so I’d have better cardio training in the fall.”
Her motivations were largely goal-driven, and one of her top goals for the year was to record a top-10 finish in a race.
Wisnauckas’ training paid off quickly, as she punched in a ninth-place finish at the Berkshire Nordic League’s third meet of the season at Prospect Mountain in Vermont. The result pushed Mohawk Trail to third-place overall at the event.
She continued to finish in and around the top 15 in Berkshire League races throughout the rest of the calendar, netting her All-Berkshire League honors at season’s end.
Her success continued into the postseason, as Wisnauckas was one of four Hampshire students on the co-op that qualified for the state race, along with Sylvie Mahon-Moore, Kala Gerrido, and Eleanor Meunier.
With a 28-minute, 54-second finish, Wisnauckas secured 26th place at the competition. Her efforts helped boost Mohawk Trail to a fifth-place finish overall.
“I was definitely proud of our team and of Erika (Looman, a Mohawk student and teammate who finished eighth),” Wisnauckas said. “I wasn’t entirely thrilled with my performance that day, but it helped our team and we were super psyched.”
For her consistently strong finishes throughout the season and top-30 state performance, Wisnauckas has been named the Gazette Girls Nordic Skiing Player of the Year.
As she reflects on her year as a whole, Wisnauckas feels grateful for the team and opportunity she has with the Mohawk Trail co-op.
“When you’re able to have a group that’s accepting and knows what you do every single day at practice — it’s just really nice,” Wisnauckas said. “Our coach is awesome, he’s really motivating and always has tons of energy. He always gives us fun workouts to make sure that we’re all bonding as a team.”
Coach Mark Pollard concurred, attributing a lot of gratitude to Wisnauckas and all of his Hampshire athletes. “I think the best thing we ever did was the co-op with Hampshire,” Pollard said. “The kids have been great, they’re really dedicated, and they work hard. As a coach, I couldn’t really ask for more.”
With one more season of high school skiing left, Wisnauckas knows her competitive playing days are likely numbered. As she heads toward her final campaign, she knows she can stay grounded in the love of the sport itself.
“What often motivates me is when I help coach at the Bill Koch Youth Ski League in Windsor,” Wisnauckas said. “Just being there with some of my old coaches and helping coach a younger generation of skiers … it shows me the enjoyment instead of just the competitiveness of the sport. It’s really enjoyable.”
Anna Burns, eighth grade, Amherst Regional
Jana Murphy, junior, Amherst Regional
Zora Dallman, senior, Amherst Regional
Elena Humbeck, sophomore, Amherst Regional
Zada Forde, senior, Amherst Regional
Violeta Foster, senior, Amherst Regional
Kala Garrido, sophomore, Mohawk Trail
Brooke Looman, sophomore, Mohawk Trail
Erika Looman, senior, Mohawk Trail
Sylvie Mahon-Moore, sophomore, Mohawk Trail
Ellie Meunier, sophomore, Mohawk Trail
Katarzyna Wisnauckas, junior, Mohawk Trail