Greenwich High ski teams go downhill -- fast

When Greenwich High School ski coach Paul Meyfohrt sits at the bottom of the Mount Southington race course, one thought permeates his consciousness above all others -- pride. With the odds seemingly stacked against them, the Cardinals ski teams, both the boys and the girls, have navigated the slopes of their season and are once again positioned for a pair of runs at state titles.

"It's amazing to watch this year," Meyfohrt said. "They aren't just skiing, they are racing. They are maneuvering around those gates with such speed and finesse that it really opens my eyes."

Equally as eye opening is the fact that both teams are enjoying this run because of an infusion of underclassmen, many of whom have never skied competitively before.

"It was a big question coming into the year over who would do what," said Thomas Newberry, a sophomore and the boys team's No. 1 racer. "We didn't know that much about some of the younger kids but we've had them really step up and the returners who we expected to perform well are stepping up even further."

The boys squad also had the added difficulty of finding someone to replace Newberry's older brother William, who was one of the top-10 racers in the state but went down with a knee injury early in the season.

"The boys came in and the question was `What are we going to do,'" Meyfohrt said. "Now they look to the mountain and say `Look what we are able to do.'"

Crossing the line behind Newberry and senior Jake Crocco is an array of young talent including Francisco Mato, Chris Nolan, Peter Cole, who is a first-year sophomore, Emmet Clarke, Roger Winters and Carl Ackerman. Each of them, Meyfohrt says, is incredibly talented despite inexperience, and are all close to each other in terms of skill level.

The girls team found itself in a similar situation to begin the year with only three returning upperclassmen in senior co-captains Ashley Braunthal and Liz Wolfe and junior Maddie Johnson. Also returning for the girls team, who over the past five seasons are a combined 70-6, was sophomore Mackenzie Nocek, the team's No. 1 competitor. Still the girls needed others to step up to maintain their dominance of the mountain.

"Jess Gorski and Ebba Mark have really surprised me with how well they've stepped up," Braunthal said. "I knew Jess was a good skier but I didn't know much about Ebba -- but everyone has turned out to be really strong."

Meyfohrt elaborated by saying that both Gorski and Mark, previously seen as unknowns, have turned into consistent scorers at the back end of the Cardinals lineup. He added that freshman Kristin Sitarz has worked her way into the top-3 of the lineup and consistently battles Nocek for the top spot.

That friendly competition has also been a leading cause of Greenwich's success in 2010.

"They know that they have to earn their spot for every race," Meyfohrt said. "They push each other because they know that the next person may jump a head of them in the start order because the earlier they go, the less rutted the course is."

In the end though the reason for the team's success does not lie solely with the talent, unexpected or otherwise, but with the way the team has bonded in an otherwise individual sport.

"One of my favorite things is to watch them at team dinners," Meyfohrt said. "They could be in the biggest living room or dining room yet they will all cram together in the tiniest space possible just to be together. And even though we have a unique dynamic with freshmen through seniors on the team and both boys and girls together, everyone cares and supports each other. The upperclass boys look out for the underclass girls and the upperclass girls look out for the underclass boys."

With a few races left before the end of the regular season both teams have all but locked up a birth in the state championship and the clearly stated goal for the girls is to win or at the very least place second. For the boys, the hope is to take the role of Cinderella and finish in the top-4. But, regardless of the final results, the Cardinals will be able to look back on this season fondly and will call the 2010 campaign a success.

"It's been fun to watch," Meyfohrt said. "Their dedication and love of the sport has been able to transcend all the difficulties they have had to face."