The student news site of Westford Academy

WA Ghostwriter

The student news site of Westford Academy

WA Ghostwriter

The student news site of Westford Academy

WA Ghostwriter

Skahen glides way through competition

 Screen Shot 2014-11-29 at 10.09.21 AMBy Elizabeth Gillis
Staff Writer

When Skahen first started skiing freshman year, Coach Andrew Norander already knew what great potential she would have as a skier. Now a senior and second year captain, she has shown to be a determined person with a great work ethic.

The support from her older brother Sean Skahen eventually lead her to make the decision to join the Nordic Ski Team.

“I started skiing my freshman year mostly because my brother did it, and he basically just encouraged me to do it,” said Skahen.

Over the years Norander has noticed improvement from the first time he saw her ski during her freshman year. She is a unique skier with a variety of different assets.

“She has great form and incredible technique,” said Norander.

Her skills and hard work has enabled Skahen to accomplish two of her greatest achievements. She came in seventh place in the state during her junior year, and qualified for the Massachusetts team two years in a row.

“I think my greatest achievement would be either […] last year I came in seventh in the state which I was pretty proud of, and then qualifying for the Massachusetts team for two years,” said Skahen.

Even though she has already progressed in many of her skills, Skahen continues to grow as a skier.

“There are two different techniques of skiing, one’s Classic and one’s Ski. I’m a little bit shaky on the Classic, so I would like to work on that,” said Skahen.

Throughout her hard work, her family, especially her brother Sean Skahen, has been a great source of support for her.

“Definitely my brother; he is the one who started skiing. My parents have never skied before, so he encouraged me the most, I think,” said Skahen.

Skahen would like to continue skiing in college, but it is not a priority for her. Her main focus is on school and where she would like to go academically.
With the upcoming season approaching, Skahen is excited to get back to skiing and working to improve her skills.

“I’m really excited for this season,” said Skahen.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

All WA Ghostwriter Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *