Glad that those dreadful snowy days have held off so far this winter?
Well the Lake Orion High School ski teams sure would like to see some snow.
Under new coach Derek Delzer, the team has practiced every day as normal, though instead of heading to the slopes at Pine Knob, they’ve headed to the LOHS weightroom and track.
‘As a team, we haven’t even set gates yet,? Delzer said, noting that a few team members have through various camps.
‘We’ve been doing a lot of dry-land training,? Delzer added, saying the team has already had an extra two weeks, or double the amount of time that was previously scheduled for dry-land activities. ‘It gets the kids a little out of rhythm.?
For the first-year head coach, it also severely cuts into the amount of time he will get to see his skiers on the slopes before meet season begins.
‘We know that we’re going to be racing once we get on the snow,? Delzer said.
He added that the schedule has been altered because of the weather conditions and the coaches are still trying to finalize things.
‘That’s what being a high school coach is all about, being adaptable,? he said.
Delzer is a recent graduate of Albion College and assisted the Dragons in the past, though this is his first gig as a head coach.
He said the team has responded very well to the adverse conditions of not being on the slopes. But in terms of how they stack up on the snow, Delzer is taking a wait and see approach.
‘It’s hard to judge,? he said. ‘We’re looking consistent and team spirit is high.?
The team lost top-10 skiers at the state level on both the boys and girls sides, with James Hubbard (slalom state champion last year) and Kristen Fleming both graduated (Fleming returns, however, as an assistant coach).
Both teams are coming off of top-five finishes at the state and expectations remain high.
‘We’ve lost the top of our order, but where our strength is going to be is in the middle of the order,? Delzer said.
The coach said that depth in the lineup is the key to winning meets.
‘It also created more of a team atmosphere,? Delzer said, noting that there is no one skier on the roster to depend on.
Senior Jake Phillips and junior Julia Jabczenski will serve as team captains, as elected by their peers.
Delzer hopes their dedication, and that of the rest of the team, will translate to big results on the slopes, if and when the team gets there.