When Courtney Martin '09 arrived at Bowdoin four years ago she never expected to be talking about her endeavors on the slopes. She was, at least at the time, a cross-country runner.
Former Bowdoin Nordic skiing coach, Marty Hall, had other ideas. Martin, a native of Hermon, Maine, had skied competitively her senior year of high school, but "just to keep in shape for track season."
After strong encouragement from Hall, Martin decided to give the Nordic ski team at Bowdoin a shot.
"I didn't want to run during the track offseason, so I just kind of fell into skiing," she said.
Martin, also a captain of the cross-country team, is now one of the Nordic ski team's key members and has seen the program "grow up" during her time at Bowdoin. The team has more members than it ever has before and is also having more success. Martin noted that the team is becoming much more competitive.
"It's getting to the point where there might have to be cuts in the future—that's never happened before," she said.
The current coach, Nathan Alsobrook '97, has brought what Martin termed "an enthusiastic vibe" to the burgeoning program.
"I think he's definitely going to be able to take this team to the next level," Martin said.
Nordic skiing has given Martin and her teammates the chance to be part of what Martin called a "tight-knit" support group. Between the countless hours of training, preparation, and traveling, the team has become one of the closest units on campus.
As a team that has to travel a significant amount of time just to reach its training site, spend hours preparing its equipment, and compete for almost three days at each meet, the Nordic ski team might be one of the most demanding organizations at Bowdoin.
"It can be frustrating because it's harder to get involved in other things, but I don't regret it," said Martin.
But the skiers do get the satisfaction of an enjoyable few days on the beautiful slopes of New England's mountains after a long week's preparation. Each meet—in skiing terms, "carnival"—brings all the teams together in what becomes, quite literally, "a carnival-type atmosphere."
In Martin's opinion, Nordic skiing is great because "it gets you outdoors during winter. It's much more enjoyable than running in an indoor gym."
It's also helped her in the classroom.
"It's really good for time-management, my grades generally seem to go up [during Nordic ski season]."
According to Martin, because Nordic skiing involves so many different mental components to go along with the physical aspects, it has helped her learn how to mentally prepare for challenges she faces in many different areas of her life.
As Martin prepares for life after Bowdoin, she admitted that "just being a part of organized sports teams and having the support of a community like Bowdoin" are the hardest things that she will have to give up after graduation.
Next year, Martin plans on working with a veterinarian before she applies to veterinarian schools in 2010.
Despite the heavy workload she expects to take on in preparing for her new career, Martin still expects skiing to be a part of her future, but perhaps not quite to the extent that it is part of her life now.