BY GABE BERNSTEIN
While there are many dedicated athletes at MHS, it is often not so easy to pick out the superstars when you see them. In a sport that is content with its reputation as under the radar, juniors Dillon Fields and Emily Allen, avid skiers, both continue to show year after year that hard work, enough practice and dedication can result in amazing achievements.
In the past the team used to be a club and was not considered a varsity sport. The ski team is relatively new, but it is growing in numbers every year. Many people wonder exactly what the team does for practice when there is no snow and the only good mountain is 45 minutes away. Yet the team does manage to get ample practice in frequently, doing what is called dry-land training when not on the mountain. This includes running, using the weight room and any other exercises that can help get the team into shape.
“This year we have definitely stepped it up and are continuing to make ourselves better athletes by really putting a lot of effort into exercising,” Allen said.
Both Fields and Allen started skiing when they were very young, beginning to conquer the mountain around age two. Fields and Allen shared the same competitive desire from the start, one that developed because of a will to stay on par with their ski-hungry families.
Allen’s father skied competitively as a kid and wanted her to do the same. She started skiing every weekend during the winter at Mt. Snow, Vt. when she was six and has been doing so ever since. She started skiing in a development program and began racing competitively when she was nine.
Allen displayed her tremendous abilities as a skier when she earned eighth place in the giant slalom in last year’s sectionals.
“The only way you can improve is getting a lot of time on the mountain, working on the fundamentals and perfecting technique,” Allen said. “It takes a lot of time and patience, especially when attempting to make a little change in technique that could cause everything to get messed up. But the better you get the more fun it gets. I just try to ski as much as I can and learn from my peers and coaches.”
Allen’s work ethic has not gone unnoticed. “Emily works super hard, and she’s very committed and dedicated,” Coach James Zervas said. “She’s a leader without even trying.”
Teammate Mady Despins also lauded Allen’s leadership and athletic abilities. “From playing field hockey with Emily I know that she is a great leader,” Despins said. “Emily is constantly filled with enthusiasm and confidence. I am really looking forward to our ski season this year because I know that with Emily as our captain it will be a great year.”
Fields, who has skied for the varsity team since eighth grade, is also one of the top skiers in the section, and he races for many other prestigious programs in addition to the school team. Fields said that he recognizes that it takes a lot of hard work and practice if one wants to compete at the higher levels, and the kids who do not practice hard get filtered out in the end.
This mentality allows Fields to ascend to such higher levels as the Junior Olympics, while also finishing eighth overall in the section last year. He also won the Most Aggressive Skier award.
During the off-season, Fields travels to such exotic locations as British Columbia and Chile so he can train with his coaches despite the warm weather at home.
“Dillon is a superb skier,” said teammate Tom Lodge, a junior. “The time and effort he puts in is unparalleled by his competitors. Don't be surprised if you see a gold medal hanging around his neck after the 2014 winter Olympics.”
There is no doubt that both these skiers will be on the watch list throughout the rest of their skiing careers, as they are both just juniors in high school and have undeniably bright future in their sports. While you may not get to see their talent on display this winter, Fields and Allen draw attention wherever their skiing takes them.
