It is never easy when a team transitions from one head coach to another.
It usually takes a while for the team to get used the coach and vice versa.
It was no different for this year’s ski team from Oxford, who combined their talents with the athletes from Holly.
Once they got going, the teams had stellar seasons under first year Head Coach Dave Stanley.
The Varsity Boys ski team finished second with a record of 3-1 in the Central Southeast Michigan Ski League, while the girls finished third at 2-2.
At Divisionals, the Boys came in second and the Girls came in third.
‘It was a period of adjustment for the Oxford athletes,? said Stanley, referring to the different coaching styles between him and the previous coach from last years team.
Once the adjustment period was over, both the boys and girls grew in their skiing ability. By the end of the season, Stanley could not stop praising their efforts in how far they came.
The Boys were led by Senior Anthony Sottile, who made the All-Division and finished fifth in the slalom and ninth in the giant slalom at divisional.
Junior Devon Clark was also included in the All-Division team with his seventh place finishes in both the slalom and giant slalom. Freshman Alex Schultz broke through in the second week of the season and stayed on the Varsity team.
The coach was impressed with his technical skills, calling them ‘the pure best technical skills on the team.?
Other members of the ski team were Sophomore Shane Kerbelis and Freshmen Doug Kimball and Daniel Sottile.
Senior Captain Caroline Kerbelis led the way for the Varsity Girls.
‘She was the most consistent, always standing in every race? said Coach Stanley. She made the All-Divisional team with her ninth place finish in the slalom and eighth place performance in the giant slalom.
One of the biggest stories to come out of this season was the improvement of Senior Julie Kish.
After struggling early in the season, she was sent down to the JV squad. Quitting never crossed her mind after the demotion.
‘She gritted her teeth and hung in there,? Stanley said. ‘She worked hard and worked her way back onto Varsity.?
Senior Olivia Tyler and Junior Tabitha Wrobel rounded out the Oxford girls, always finishing with consistent results in the dual meets.
Heading into next season, Coach Stanley is optimistic about the future of the program because of the way both the guys and girls improved.
He is looking to push the kids harder next season, taking them from a technical background and pushing them to be better.
He is also looking to add some more skiers to the girls side because three out of the four girls will be graduating in the spring.