Through hard work and a passion for Nordic skiing, Pinedale High School junior Zoe Noble has climbed the proverbial ladder throughout her life to rise as one of the top high school skiers in the nation.
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LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Through hard work and a passion for Nordic skiing, Pinedale High School junior Zoe Noble has climbed the proverbial ladder throughout her life to rise as one of the top high school skiers in the nation.
She started waxing up her skis and hitting the local trails at a young age and hasn’t looked back.
“I started cross country skiing at a young age and started competing when I was in the third grade,” Noble said on Monday of this week. “I got serious when I was in middle school.”
She continued her skiing career when she entered Pinedale High School and began setting goals to work toward becoming a stronger skier. She made it to the Junior National Championships as a freshman in Truckee, Calif., and as a sophomore, she ventured to Cable, Wisc., to compete once again in the premier high school skiing competition.
Following a strong junior season with the PHS Nordic team this year, Noble secured 302.35 overall points in the High Plains Nordic Ski Association, which is the division that Pinedale is part of when it comes to high school Nordic skiing. She ranked eighth overall in the division, which, after signing up to race at nationals, allowed her to travel to the championships for her third consecutive year in a row. Only 10 skiers from each division are allowed to compete at Junior Nationals. High Plains encompasses Wyoming, South Dakota and a portion of Montana.
The junior skier ventured to the championships, which were held in Lake Placid, N.Y. this year, allowing her to ski alongside the top high school skiers in the country for nearly a week. The races started on Monday, March 6, and ran through Saturday, March 11, at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, which is where some events in the 1980 Winter Olympics were held.
“It was really incredible,” Noble said of the venue this year. “It was a lot more secluded than I thought it would be.”
The event featured four days of racing against a field of 95 girls in the U18F group. Athletes from Norway, Canada and Austria were also in attendance this year.
The first day consisted of a 5K race, where she finished 78th overall with a time of 17:22.3. The next day of racing came on Wednesday, where skiers competed in a 1.5K classic sprint in which Noble crossed the line in 83rd place with a time of 6:23.82. After a break in the action, racing returned on Friday for a classic 10K event, where she took 76th overall with a race time of 42:02.7. She joined forces with her fellow High Plains teammates Rylie Garner of the Casper Nordic Club and Emilee Robins of the Lander Nordic Ski Association on Saturday, where they finished 22nd overall with a time of 30:27.7.
Next year’s Junior National Championships will be held in Soldier Hollow in Utah, which is where select events in the 2002 Winter Olympics were held.
As a personal goal, Noble hopes to advance to the Junior Nationals for all four years of her high school career. To get there, she has set out goals she would like to achieve in her senior year of racing.
“My main goal is to be in the top 10 at every race,” she said. “I hope next year I’ll be able to do it, especially in sprints. … I’m terrible in sprints.”
She says it can be daunting to compete at Junior Nationals, as it allows her to see how she stacks up against the top skiers around.
“It’s great to compete against them,” Noble said. “It absolutely pushes me, especially in summer training.”
Summer training consists of roller skiing on wheels to stay in shape for the coming season. She also runs and hikes, but mainly sticks to her roller skis and hiking as running isn’t the most enjoyable activity for her. In the fall, she is also an active member of the high school volleyball team.
Even if Noble doesn’t make it to Junior Nationals in her senior year, the friendships and experiences she’s had as a three-time competitor have made memories that will last a lifetime. She says competing against future Olympians is nothing short of fantastic.
“It’s a great community,” she said. “Everyone is so supportive of each other. We get close and I already know I’ve skied with some of the next Olympians.”
