We continue our state champion spotlights with senior Nora McCourt of Mt. Blue. She was the 2025 Class A Classical, Freestyle, and
Pursuit state champion. She also won the KVAC Nordic titles. We asked her about her success and her plans for next year:
1) What were your preparations leading up to the state meet?
I had a lot of intense racing leading up to states so I tried to reduce my training intensity and let my body recover so that I would have enough energy for the two days of racing in a row.
2) How did you deal with the pressure and emotions that come along with competing in a state meet?
I spent a lot of time focusing on how fun it was going to be for me and my team, and I reminded myself that I would be happy with any result as long as I felt like I pushed myself as much as I could.
3) What was going through your mind at the start?
I was focusing on the countdown clock and telling myself that I was perfectly prepared to have an amazing race!
4) What do you contribute your success to?
My teammates helped my success by making practice everyday so fun and exciting. My coaches also had a huge impact on my success, by planning great workouts, supporting the team, and always giving us incredibly fast skis for races!
5) What are your goals/plans for next year?
I am going to Bates College next year and continue skiing on their team, which I am very excited for!
6) What surprised you the most about this season?
I was surprised (and grateful) for the amount of skiing time on snow that my team got this year.
7) What moment/event will you remember the most from the season?
I will remember the Leavitt duathlon because of how fun the energy was there and how awesome everyone’s costumes were!
8) What do you like most about Nordic Skiing?
I love that skiing gets me outside every day in the winter and I also love how supportive and friendly the ski community is.
