by Ted Ryan 

Adam Terko is still waiting for that day when everything comes together mentally and physically. So is his cross country ski coach at St. Lawrence University, Ethan Townsend. "I'm not sure why it hasn't clicked for him yet," Townsend said earlier this winter of the Nordic skier from Shelburne. It's not because of a lack of effort or drive, Townsend said. "He's pretty devoted to what he's doing. He continues to train hard and he's quite focused, but as yet, he hasn't had that breakthrough race," said Townsend, who said a year ago that Terko had "kind of a disappointing season." Terko, named Champlain Valley Union's most valuable skier during his junior and senior years, is a sophomore at the upstate New York college and he, too, sounds a little baffled by his results.

"I had a really good senior year in high school and certain expectations (at SLU) and it didn't play out the way I wanted it to," Terko said. "Even though I wasn't quite as successful, I still have gained so much here," he said, pointing out that at the collegiate level, training is a year-round process. "Our coaches devote 100 percent of their time to coaching. They spend a lot more time one-on-one and a lot more personal time to develop skiers," Terko said. "We work with the coaches and talk a lot about it in the off-season. Training is such a big part of skiing. Someone said that it's 99 percent training and one percent racing." In collegiate Nordic skiing, races are held for each technique, classic and freestyle (or skating). Generally, races vary in length from 10 to 20 kilometers with some Winter Carnivals holding relays. The distance of a race doesn't matter much, Terko said, "If I have good fitness and I'm in good shape."

Terko conceded he favors freestyle, but he said, "One thing I worked for in the offseason was to try to train for weakness and build on strength. I did a lot of time in the gym working the muscles to help my classic. The results have been more consistent this year." As a freshman, he had his best races at the UVM Winter Carnival, placing 53rd in the 15K classic and 54th in the 10K freestyle. This year, his top performance came with a 45th in the 20K freestyle at Dartmouth last weekend. "I would like to be in the top 30 pretty consistently and I think at this level, I can be there," said Terko, who said it was more a matter of "getting my head screwed on right" for races.

An English major, Terko said he selected St. Lawrence for its liberal arts education, proximity to Shelburne - close but not too close - its ski program, and its endorsement from various sources, including his high school ski coach and several former CVU students currently enrolled at SLU. He has little spare time at any point of the year, but especially during the ski season. He said he and his teammates often engage in outdoor activities, including lengthy bike rides, hiking, camping, and swimming that also serve as training aids. He's also joined a buddy, Ben Ogden, in developing a two-hour music show on the campus radio. Meanwhile, Terko will continue to chase that elusive breakthrough, be it this season or next.

If you know of a Shelburne student-athlete competing in college or of a Shelburne athlete who is excelling, please contact me at TedRyanVT@aol.com