Winter can be a dreadfully bleak time, but for some athletes when the first snow falls the excitement begins. The Milford boy and girls border cross teams compete from December to February at Alpine Valley. The sport of boarder cross involves a treacherous course down the mountain with turns and jumps all to help riders increase speed to make it down the hill first.

The border cross team is coached by high school state champions Steve Jesionwski and Andie Mobey. Jesionwski is a Milford alumni and Mobey went to our rival school, Lakeland. With their experience as a high school rider they have the perfect advice to be able to lead an exceptional program. They have coached individual State Champions, to champion teams from the girls and boys side. Boys team was the State Champion last season with the girls placing third. From undefeated seasons to state titles, they have created a competitive program here at Milford High School.

This season should be no different. The boys team has the highest of expectations after winning the State Title last year. ¨I really hope our team is able to repeat that because we have our top five riders returning,” Senior Jack Stander said. The girls team came in third place at States last year. ¨I think we have a good chance at the state championship this year, since it is at our home hill,¨ Senior Meggie Martin said. The girls team is losing some valuable riders, but they have girls ready and eager to take their spots and grow with the program.

Both the boys and girls teams dominated the regular season last year, becoming king and queens of the hill, number one team in the conference, after an undefeated regular season last winter. Their biggest competition and rival is Lakeland, but they can usually handle them too. ¨What makes us different from them is we have a team atmosphere and they are more focused on individual winning,¨, Martin states.

The team environment is definitely a reason the program is so successful. They all work together to be the best team. ¨We have all been involved in the program for a long time, so as we got older, we learned to be great racers and teammates, Stander states. With younger teams these past couple years the riders have been able to create bonds on and off the hill, making their team only that much stronger.

One prominent team bonding activity involves the team waxing their boards at one of the assistant coaches shops. The team gets together before a meet and waxes their boards to prepare them for the race. It also offer a nice time to be with the team off the hill and in a more relaxed setting than practice.

Another factor in the team atmosphere is the bond of snowboarding together. Most of these athletes have been snowboarding at Alpine or together for years. They can share this love with similar people in a competitive environment. The coaches are also very engaged and share similar love. They know what it is like to be in their shoes and want to best prepare for the moment.

The determination and drive of the athletes helps create a winning team as well. They have all learned from falls and get right back up and try it again, with coaches and teammates encouraging and giving advice athletes are able to learn helpful tips to improve skills. ¨I learned to ride with more aggression because other riders are going to do it, so you have to learn how to work with it,¨ Martin says. With a competitive drive they use their knowledge and adrenaline to get them to the line first.

For anyone interested in joining, it is a great opportunity to join something fun and competitive. You don’t have to be an expert, you can learn from coaches and teammates. ¨Don´t be scared about big competition, you can always compete, it doesn’t matter size, it is about drive and technique,¨ Stander said. Join the team if you are looking for a great team orientated and competitive program.  You can check out the Instagram or Facebook for more information, @mhssbx on Instagram and @Milford SBX Boardercross on Facebook.