We next spotlight Clara White of Orono. She was the 2024 Class C Classical and Freestyle Nordic state champion. We asked her about her goals for next year, what she was thinking about at the start, and more.
1) What were your preparations leading up to the state meet?
Leading up to the state meet, I was mostly just looking forward to racing with all of the athletes from across the state, and I was excited to see what our team could accomplish.
2) How did you deal with the pressure and emotions that come along with competing in a state meet?
I just tried to keep everything as fun as possible. My family and teammates were very helpful with this, and by just focusing on doing well for the team, it gave me a good goal to work towards.
3) What was going through your mind at the start?
On the start line, I was trying to just remember that I was doing this for my teammates, especially because the other girls on the team are seniors, and it was also their last race.
4) What do you contribute your success to?
I definitely think that my family and my teammates helped me the most. Practices and races were always a lot of fun because I enjoyed spending time with my teammates, and it was always a great environment with other teams as well.
5) What are your goals/plans for next year?
Going into next year, I don’t have any specific goals in mind. I am really excited to see what our team can do because we are going to have some younger kids coming up from middle school, and I think that it will be really fun to ski with them.
6) What surprised you the most about this season?
The lack of snow really surprised me the most this season. We all just kept hoping that it would come, and then when it finally did, we lost it just a few weeks later. This was surprising to me because I can’t remember a winter with this little amount of snow.
7) What moment/event will you remember the most from the season?
I will remember the state meet the most from this season, because it was the last race together. Overall, it was a really fun meet with great conditions, and also a great atmosphere.
8) What do you like most about Nordic Skiing?
I really like the community that Nordic Skiing has. Everyone is always so positive and kind to one another, and it just makes a great atmosphere to compete in.
9) Anything else that you would like to add?
I would like to thank my family for everything they do for me, especially my mom and my sister. I would also like to thank the groomers, at every venue, because I know that sometimes there wasn’t a lot to work with, and they were still able to make races happen, despite difficult conditions.
