Nordic Senior veterans Jordan Fields, Jeff Tucker, and Josh Bassette finished their last season together skiing strong at the Junior Nationals competition in Utah and helping to cinch first for the Vermont team at the annual Eastern States Competition back in Vermont a week later.

These boys have been skiing together for four years, and are finally wrapping up their final season as seniors at WUHS. “Nordic has definitely been one of the biggest parts of my high school experience. I couldn’t have had it without my coach and teammates; it’s been amazing,” said Jeff who has been competing in nordic ski racing for eight years.

The “three J’s”, as they’re commonly known among the Woodstock Nordic crowd, recently raced at the Junior Nationals in Utah, where they all had stellar performances. Seven year veteran Jordan Fields took 6th in the 15 kilometer skate race, 18th in the 10K Classic, and 4th in the relay. Fourth year skier Josh Bassette took 20th in the sprint, 62nd in the 15k and 6th in the relay. Jeff, who raced in a 16-17 year-old division (the other two raced in the 18-19 year-old division) placed 30th in the sprint and 18th in the 10K Classic and his team took 7th in the relay.

One would think that a sport based solely around running would begin to get tiring, but once you look deeper you will see the dedication, and perspiration that it takes to truly conquer Track and Field. There is a lot more to track than just running, there are many other categories of throwing, and jumping. In fact, the girls team is hoping to take all and win the Division III state championship title for the third year in a row.

While a majority of the team members are runners, there is a closely bound team of throwers who work with Coach Hank Glass. Dylan Gannon, a senior, is going into his fourth year of track and field. “Hank does a great job of teaching us, getting us in the weight room and getting us in good shape and making sure we’re comfortable in our events and have high standards for our season,” says Dylan.

Glass is the husband of head coach Tracy Rose, and a chiropractor specializing in sports medicine. He works with all of the throwers along with some of the runners. Rose has hopes for both teams to try their hardest in this upcoming season. “My hope for both teams is that they are successful. By successful I don't just mean winning. It means hoping everyone has fun, that they learn something, and all see improvement.”

For the past two years in a row, the girls team has won the title of Vermont Division III State Champions. Would it be nice for the girls to win for the third time in a row? “Absolutely and I think it's entirely possible,” says Rose.

The girls team is lead by Stephanie Ambrose, a senior, who is going into her third year on the track and field team. “The team is really huge this year, so I really hope we can win states and bond as a family and have fun,” says Ambrose.

There are a total of 32 girls and 21 boys joining the team this year. Although the number of girls signing up for track is growing rapidly, and the number of boys is dwindling, Rose would still like to see the boys win their first state title. “The boys winning the State Championships would just be the icing on the cake,” she states.