The Bernards High School ski team’s season is just starting to begin, and they are getting a fresh start, with a new coach. The practices have already started, with races starting after the winter break at Mountain Creek.
The team was a brand new coach, Taylor Kahl. “While I’m not a stranger to coaching ski racing, I’m a relative newcomer when it comes to coaching a high school ski team,” Taylor said. “I couldn’t be more excited.”
He continued, saying that the thing he would like to focus on the most is not how many wins or losses the team has, but the make all of the skiers on the team the greatest student athletes they could be. “My focus this season is to create a program that is known for its hard work, enthusiasm, and character. My goals and expectations for this season are not quantified by wins and losses. All of the best coaches and mentors I have had throughout my life, regardless of the sport, have never concentrated on results.”
Avery Bolton, a Senior on the ski team, agrees. “Some things the ski team needs to do to have a great season is listen to our new coach and take practice seriously,” she said.
One of the opponents that the team struggled with last year was Blair. “The toughest opponent last year was Blair,” Avery said. “Since they are boarding school, they can recruit girls and boys to ski for them, so every year, both their girls and boys teams do consistently well.” This year, the team will not be facing Blair, but the lessons learned from facing Blair last year can be applied this season.
Taylor Kahl has a positive outlook for the season. “I want our ski team to set the standard for everyone else,” he said. “A team of leaders, both on the mountain and in the classroom.” Also, Taylor believes that even though coaches saying that one of the focuses on any sports team is having fun, Taylor considers this essential. “My goals and expectations for this season are not quantified by wins and losses. All of the best coaches and mentors I have had throughout my life, regardless of the sport, have never concentrated on results.” Talking about the team, he said, “they seem like a great group of student athletes that are both eager and motivated to show me what they can do on the ski slope.”
The team is currently going through dryland training, with practices at Mountain Creek starting after the winter break. All of the team’s races take place at Mountain Creek, and their opponents are Ridge, Don Bosco, High Point, Seton Hall Prep, Vernon, Mountain Lakes, Wayne Valley, Mo Beard, and Bergen Catholic. The first race will be on January 7, 2016.
