By Fiona Bolzan

  The ski team’s season is coming to an end and the athletes and coaches are reflecting on their success. 

  The ski team is led by girls’ captains seniors Charlotte Hill, Haley Serafino, and Liv Bettencourt, and boys’ senior captains Lars Kovamees, Andrew Mitchell, and Evan Zeltsar. 

  The beginning of the season posed some challenges because of the weather. 

  “It was a super difficult start when there was no snow and constant schedule changes. Everyone was able to adapt really well,” said Serafino. 

  While the team waited for nature to let them race, they focused on training and team bonding. 

  “We really made a very conscious effort to make it a team atmosphere and we put team results before individual results. The captains have really done an outstanding job on emphasizing that from the beginning during our dryland training,” said ski team coach Ryan Quinn. 

  When the season finally picked up, the Masco ski team had great success. The girls’ ski team had an undefeated regular season and the boys’ team only lost to St. John’s Prep. The girls have won five league titles in the North Shore Ski League; a league separate from the Northeastern Conference for ski teams. 

  “I am so impressed and proud of how much everyone really worked for it,” said Serafino. 

  In the postseason, racers competed in the Interscholastics Race and States. The girls’ team won Interscholastics and the boys finished in second. 

  Six girls and two boys then moved on to the state championship, but faced some challenges on race day. 

  “Everyone tried super hard and at the end of the day it’s about putting it all out there and having fun with it. I genuinely think that’s the most important thing,” said Serafino. 

  Despite a difficult race, the girls’ team finished fifth in the state.  

  “We put sportsmanship and a really strong work ethic at the forefront, I would say we are the hardest working team in the league by far,” said Quinn. 

  While every member of the team contributes to their success, there have been a few standout athletes, including freshman David Palmer and sophomore Amanda Schnieder, who both qualified for States. 

  Junior Maura Smith also helped the team throughout their season, on and off the slopes. 

  “She has awesome sportsmanship and she really wanted it this year. She tried her best and improved a lot,” said Serafino. 

  The captains have reflected on their time with the ski team and the impact it has made on their four years of high school. 

  “The team came together this year like I’ve never seen before. I have so many fond memories,” said Zeltsar. 

  After the successful season, the team has a lot to look forward to in the year to come.