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KEEPING PACE — Lydia Streniz, a senior, keeps her pace during one of the high school ski meets this season.
By Gloria Austin
Two sisters and their brother have made a mark on the Eastern Maine high school ski trails this season.
The Streinz siblings — Lydia, Hannah and Daniel — have posted high results in each of their races this season, with times varying depending on the snow conditions.
At the County Free Style Championship Meet hosted by Caribou, Daniel and Hannah Streinz finished first in their respective divisions with times of 12:58 and 15:09, respectively, while sister Lydia was second in a time of 15:22.
At the County Classical Championship Meet hosted by Fort Kent, Lydia took the lone first-place finish in the family with a time of 22:01, while Hannah and Daniel placed second in their divisions with times of 22:08 and 18:53, respectively.
At the Maine Class C state meet, Lydia was first in the 5K Classical championship on Feb. 18 with a time of 18:55.6, while Hannah was second in 19:19.3 and Daniel finished second for the boys in a time of 15:59.0. The next day, Hannah took first, 16:02.6 and Lydia, second, 16:16.9, with Daniel the top finisher, 13:07.9 in the boys division of the 5K Freestyle Championship.
Last Saturday, all three qualified for the New England championships to be held at the Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle this weekend. A total of 24 high school boys and 24 high school girls make the Maine team.
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KICKS OFF — Hannah Streinz, a junior, kicks off as she starts a race. The Streinz family is homeschooled, but ski under Katahdin High School, as independants, with the Caribou ski team.
The Eastern High School selection meet was held at Sugarloaf Outdoor Center.
Daniel, 15, finished fifth in the Boys Classic with a time of 13:53.8 and in the Boys Freestyle pursuit, he took top honors with a time of 13:23.9. The tallies of the two races put Daniel in second place in the Eastern High School qualifier with a total time of 27:16.9 behind two-time defending champion Silas Eastman of Fryeburg, who had a winning time of 27:04.5.
On the girl’s side, Hannah, 17, posted a time of 16:39.4 for a fourth-place finish in the Girls Classic, with her sister, Lydia, 18, coming in at 16:56.1 for sixth place. In the Girls Freestyle pursuit, Hannah was first with a time of 15:22.2 and Lydia was third with a time of 15:44.2. With both times tallied, Hannah finished first at 32:01.2 and Lydia fourth at 32:40.2.
High school Nordic ski races are typically 5 kilometers or 3.1 miles with two disciplines, classical — traditional parallel stride (like running with poles) and freestyle (skating with poles). Each meet consists of two races, a girls race and a boys race for each one of the disciplines. State and county championships include four races (boys and girls for each of the disciplines).
The Streinz family is home-schooled, but they live in SAD 25, now part of RSU 50, so they ski under Katahdin High School. They are the children of Kyli and Chris Streinz of Hersey.
“We have been Nordic skiing as a family for nine years,” said the Streinz mother, Kyli. “They used to ski with the Benedicta Elementary Ski Club before the school closed.”
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PUSHING OFF — Freshman Daniel Streinz pushes off from starting line during one of the high school ski races.
The Streinz trio started their competitive skiing a year ago, along with their brother Caleb, 13.
“Lydia and Hannah were invited to ski for Ashland High School and Daniel and Caleb were invited to ski for Ashland Middle School,” explained their mother. “This season, Ashland did not have a high school team so Lydia, Hannah and Daniel skied cooperatively with Caribou, scoring points for Katahdin. We are grateful for the support we’ve received from both Katahdin and Caribou without whom the kids wouldn’t be able to ski competitively.”
As a freshman, Daniel already qualified for the Maine J2 team and competed in the New England Junior 2 (ages 14-15) championships in New Hampshire on March 8-10 at which he won the 5K classical race.
“Even though we are far away, coach Gorneault has made us feel like we’re part of the team,” said Lydia, a senior. “When we can’t attend practice in Caribou, he e-mails the workout to us and we ski at home.”
Hannah, a junior, added, “We practice and race with Caribou, so we do have a team. Even though we score for Katahdin, the Caribou team is like our team. We’ve made friends with the other Caribou skiers and we all cheer for each other at the County meets.”
Daniel recalled his first time on skis around the age of 6.
“My great-grandfather bought our first skis as a thank-you gift,” he said. “We’ve been hooked ever since.”
The Streinzs have a daily training routine involving about two hours a day of skiing.
“We typically practice before lunch and before dark,” said Daniel.
And while alone on the trails, Daniel said he thinks about “pretty much anything,” but mostly “about whether or not I have good technique,” he said.
For these three, commitment and dedication cannot be questioned and it is a difficult task.
“Traveling to northern Aroostook County for practices and races [is not easy],” said Hannah. “Our shortest drive is 65 miles!” And Lydia noted staying healthy is challenging. “Getting sick can really set you back and skiing with a cold can make it a lot worse.”
Like any sport, these athletes have goals.
“My big goals for this season were to podium [top three] in one of the events at States and to make the Maine team again,” said Lydia. “Winning a state championship was way beyond my expectations!”
Hannah added, “I was hoping to win the freestyle state championship this season. Last year, I finished fourth. One of our coaches told us that ski races are won in the summer, so I trained hard all summer and fall. I was glad that the work paid off!”
The Streinzes participate on the trails for two reasons, according to Daniel, “We love skiing and racing.”
Through the season, high school skiers have a chance to visit several race courses in the County. And each course offers its own unique characteristics, just like each of the Streinz children.
“I like the steep hills and sharp corners at Nordic Heritage Center in Presque Isle,” said Daniel. “My favorite course is at Four Seasons in Madawaska,” added Hannah. And, Lydia noted her favorite was 10th Mountain Center in Fort Kent.
Even through competition, the Streinzes have a common thread.
“One of the best things about skiing is that we do it as a family,” said Lydia.
Other family skiers are Caleb, 13, grade 7; Abigail, 11, grade 5 and Luke, 7, grade 2.
