The nordic ski team will be kicking off the season on Saturday, Dec. 1 at the Wildcat Open, which will be held at Al Quaal recreation area in Ishpeming.

The team has spent the offseason preparing for the upcoming meet by running, roller skiing and strength training. Junior Rosie Frankowski said the team has been training since Tuesday, May 1 for the 2012-13 season.

“We focus on volume, meaning a lot of hours spent running or skiing easy,” Frankowski said. “In the summer and towards the season we gradually add more intensity and intervals into the training each week. We also spend a lot of time going over skiing technique because the more efficient technique you have the more energy you can put into going fast.”

Sophomore Kyle Bratrud and junior George Cartwright spend the first half of their summer out west, training in the mountains.

“The rest of the summer I spent at home in the Twin Cities doing a lot of running, lifting and rollerskiing,” Bratrud said.

Last season the ’Cats had a good showing at the NCAA Championship with three All-Americans, including junior champion Erik Soderman taking first place in the 10K freestyle.

“Last year was a solid year,” Bratrud said. “It feels really great to be a part of something special like that.”

Frankowski said she also enjoyed last season and the experience she gained that will help her in the coming season.

“I improved in technique last season and managed to ski a lot of races with some of my teammates who are strong competitors in our region which was awesome,” Frankowski said.

Bratrud said he is looking forward to the upcoming season and the opportunities for success it has in store.

“Last year I was a freshman so the whole year was basically a learning experience,” Bratrud said. “This year I look forward to going out there and really competing with everyone.”

Head coach Sten Fjeldheim said he is looking forward to seeing how the freshmen adjust to the new level of competition and has high hopes for their success.

“I think the freshmen are doing great and it looks good for the future,” Fjeldheim said. “The upperclassmen are very strong and I think we have one of the best men’s team we have ever had.”

Frankowski said the team will be traveling to many new places this season, including Utah for the U.S. National tournament in January.

“I am looking forward to being able to go ski in Utah,” Frankowski said. “I have never been to Utah. I am also just excited to be able to be skiing and racing with my team. We push each other in races and workouts but overall have a lot of fun together and get some great stories and experiences.”

This season the team has taken on four new female skiers: freshmen Hannah Boyer, Mary Kate Cirelli, Megan Edic and Malin Eriksson and one new male skier, freshman Sam Elfstrom.

Frankowski is optimistic about the new talent on the team and what they will bring to the season.

“I think we are going to have a good season because everyone brings something new and individual to the table and everyone has been working really hard this fall,” Frankowski said. “We have a great group of girls who are supportive and always bring a lot of energy to practice each day.”

Fjeldheim said the season goal for the Wildcats is to win the region.

“We also hope to better our 13th-place finish at the NCAA championships,” Fjeldheim said.

Frankowski is very positive about the upcoming season as a whole and is happy about the amount of effort each athlete has put into the offseason training.

“The outcome of our season is going to be determined by the effort put in by each and every girl on the team,” Frankowski said. “It is really the things you learn from your teammates that make you into a better skier.”

Fjeldheim said he has particularly high hopes for Cartwright this season.

“George Cartwright is in the best shape he has ever been in so I expect him to light up the ski course,” Fjeldheim said. “We still could use some more snow though.”