The Bromfield-North Middlesex Alpine ski teams each claimed second in the final giant slalom event of the season at the Nashoba Valley Ski Area, Jan. 25. Both girls and boys teams are now second in the Mass Bay West Ski League Alpha Division.
The boys scored 452 points, putting them just 3 points out of first, which was claimed by Westford Academy. Junior Noah Bagley led the boys team for the third week, placing first with a combined time of 39.91 seconds. Sophomore Oscar Pride (42.44) was next in sixth, and eighth-grader Cole Maddalone (43.75) was 12th. Freshman Owen Wood came in 15th in his first high school ski race to put up points for the varsity team with his combined time of 42.23. Seventh-grader Jasper Pride wrapped up the team score with 19th place in 44.92.
The girls fell to Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, which stands undefeated after three races. Eighth-grader Libby Bassage had the Trojans’ top time on the girls’ side, skiing to a personal best finish of third with a combined 44.09. “She’s been putting in the work in practice and showing a lot of improvement, and it was great to see things come together for her on race day,” Coach Ray McCarthy wrote in an email to the Press.
Sophomores Imogen Slavin and Maddie Rausch were sixth and 16th, skiing 44.72 and 47.47. Eighth-grader Audrey Slavin (48.2) was 19th, and junior Siena Stanten skied a combined 49.35 to tie her personal best finish of 24th place.
In the division, the boys stand second with a 19-2 record, behind Westford Academy’s 20-1. The girls’ record is 16-5, second to that of Acton-Boxborough, which has gone 21-0. McCarthy said the teams remain “on the hunt for one of the top spots” in the league. “Of course seven other teams are trying to get there as well so it’ll be fun to race and see how it all shakes out,” he wrote.
The team has three regular season races remaining, all of which will be slalom events. In both slalom and giant slalom, skiers maneuver through gates. Giant slalom courses are typically longer and the gates are set farther apart than in regular slalom events. The skiers hit the slopes to compete again Feb. 1 at the Nashoba Valley Ski Area.
