NEW GLOUCESTER, Maine -- With a large contingent of 26 skiers on the roster, the Bates Nordic skiing team is looking forward to returning to EISA competition for the first time in nearly two years this Friday and Saturday at the Colby Carnival. 

"It's really fun and the energy is great," head coach Becky Woods '89 said. "There's good talent, but it's a big team. We want to make sure that we're working with everybody and meeting everybody's needs. You can't bring the whole team to all the carnivals and that's a challenge too. So the larger the team gets the harder that is. Those decisions are tough each week but we're really looking forward to it."

The Bobcats are led by senior captains Olivia Skillings (Portland, Maine) and Nathaniel Badger (Edwards, Colo.), both of whom have provided tremendous leadership throughout the pandemic. 

"Olivia is fantastic," Woods said. "She really stepped into this role, one, knowing that we had a really big team and two, I think having really been observant over the course of her three years prior on this team, knowing what she wanted to bring forward and knowing what she wanted to add as a leader. She's done all of that.

"I think the women know that she will be available for them, and she's always making sure they have what they need, but even more importantly, she's been training really well."

A two-time NESCAC All-Academic selection, Skillings placed 38th out of 61 women with a time of 14:40.2 in the 5K freestyle at the NCAA East Regional in 2020.

Badger is also a two-time NESCAC All-Academic selection.

"Natty has been steadfast over the course of the last four years," Woods said. "Our captains really are responsible for a lot of little things. We're on the road a lot and both he and Olivia keep me in check and I really appreciate that."

Skillings is expected to be one of the top performers on the women's team. She's joined at the front of the pack by sophomore Olivia Cuneo (St. George, Vt.), who got a lot of training in last year, taking the year off from Bates and training at altitude in Bozeman, Montana.

First-years Marli Damp (Lake Placid, N.Y.) and Katie Watt (Concord, N.H.) have impressed Woods so far, despite not having much of a season last year. Because of the depth of the women's team, each week's six-person carnival roster could look a little different.

"We're going to have to see how that plays out as the season goes on," Woods said. "You may see a few different people on the carnival team, more so than you have in the past. So we're really excited about that." 

The men's team (nine skiers) is much smaller than the 17-person women's contingent, but the men still have some solid depth. 

Junior Zander Martin (York, Maine) has been training really well according to Woods and has the potential to put up some fast times this season. Senior Henry Raff (Hailey, Idaho) is the most accomplished Nordic racer among the men, having earned All-State honors as a first-year at the Chummy Broomhall Cup. In 2020, he led the Bobcats and placed 34th out of 65 men in the 20K classical technique race at the NCAA East Regional.

Then there's first-year Mathias Boudreau-Golfman (Londonderry, Vt.), who Woods thinks has a lot of upside.

"He's a bit of a wild card," Woods said. "But when he races fast, look out everybody." 

While Martin, Raff and Boudreau-Golfman are potential NCAA qualifiers, the Bobcats want to move up the ranks as a team in the EISA, which requires a strong effort up and down the roster.

"The men's team is really looking to be competitive on the circuit and that means everybody needs to step up," Woods said. "So we might have some people at the front end, but we're really hoping that the full group is delivering good results." 

This weekend's Colby Carnival will feature a 20K skate and a 5K classic for both the women and the men. Woods can't wait to get started.

"We're all really looking forward to getting the Nordic community back together," Woods said. "I think there's a feeling of incredible gratefulness to have a season upon us that we're actually able to compete in. And our athletes are excited about it."