Nicole Zaino Found The Improvement She Was Looking For In Her First Year In Bozeman

Nicole Zaino set a lofty goal for herself prior to the start of this past Para Nordic skiing season, and she admitted she was stunned when she actually reached it.

Zaino, a sit skier originally from Brookfield, Connecticut, wanted to qualify for her first career world cup event. It would show her that she was making progress only two years after trying cross-country skiing for the first time.

The good news came in late February.

A U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing coach informed Zaino that she had earned a spot at the world cup season finale in Prince George, British Columbia. She would get to compete on an international stage and see how well she stacked up against other sit skiers who were more experienced than her.

“I was definitely working really hard for it, but I didn’t know if I made it or not. At first, it didn’t hit me immediately,” Zaino said of receiving the news that she had qualified for a world cup. “And then the next day and those next few days, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I qualified. I’m going to a world cup.’”

Two weeks later, Zaino was in Prince George, enjoying the results of all her hard work. This was her first season training full-time at Crosscut Mountain Sports Center in Bozeman, Montana, where U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing is based, and it was ending as she had hoped.

Zaino admitted she was initially nervous in Prince George, but she got over it and competed in three races over four days at the world cup season finale. She finished fourth in the middle-distance biathlon on March 13, sixth in the middle-distance cross-country race the following day and fifth in the cross-country sprint on March 16 to wrap up her trip.

“It was definitely (a situation where) all the many, many hours I’ve put into it, to see it pay off and then also to see it pay off when I was there. I’m really happy and proud of my performances that I had in Prince George,” Zaino said. “I had some pretty good races, and so I think that was also really validating for all the work I put in and also just boosted my confidence a little bit more because I was able to see all of the work show up well.

“There were a lot of things that worked together, things came together, and my energy levels were good and all those important things that are sometimes out of your control.”

After graduating with a PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington last summer, Zaino was able to go all-in on her training this past season. She said she focused much of this past season on trying to execute her race plan and ski well enough during the winter to see that she was making progress in the sport. She particularly wanted to work on improving her ski technique and maneuvering in her sit ski.

Zaino trained regularly with Paralympic hopeful Ty Wiberg and promising teenager Michael Kneeland at Crosscut. She said it helped watching Wiberg maneuver his way around the course in practice, and she also had one training session a week that was devoted to working on her technique and maneuvering.

“A lot of it (comes with) time on snow, just playing around and having more time on snow but (also) watching video, watching my teammates, skiing right behind my teammates to see exactly their body position and what they’re doing,” Zaino said. “A lot of it feels like time on snow, but also just trying a lot of different things, and to be honest, falling a lot until I figured it out.”

At the same time, Zaino had the opportunity to practice alongside Paralympic gold medalists Oksana Masters and Kendall Gretsch when several members of the U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing national team trained in Bozeman this past January and February.

“I got to have practices where I could watch Kendall and Oksana and (six-time Paralympian) Aaron Pike all ski and shoot, and so I think that was also really helpful,” Zaino said. “They all have very different poling techniques, but they’re also very similar.

“But when you look at it, there’s definitely differences, and seeing how they maneuver was really helpful, too, just so I could see how different people ski because we all have different disabilities. I can’t just try to mimic one person because we have different disabilities, and so I think that was also really helpful for this season.”

Zaino said she wanted to ski until all the snow on the ground melted, and then she planned to take a short break in the spring to get some rest and let her body recover following the grind of the season. She said she expected to resume her offseason training in May.

In addition, she planned to participate in a U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing training camp in Bend, Oregon.

“One of the things I know I definitely need to keep working on is maneuvering, which is a little harder to do in the offseason, but really focusing on my strengths. You can work on a lot of poling technique and climbing (in the summer),” Zaino said. “There’s a few really good roads in Bozeman. I’m at a really good (place) for long climbing practice, and I’m excited to go back to those on my mountain board or roller skis and just building that base up again.”

And after ending her season on a high note in Prince George, Zaino said she’s excited to keep working and progressing in Para Nordic skiing.

“I’m not going anywhere for a while. I still love it, and I love the process,” Zaino said. “But I also just love the sport and the community.”

Alex Abrams has written about Olympic and Paralympic sports for more than 15 years, including as a reporter for major newspapers in Florida, Arkansas and Oklahoma. He is a freelance contributor to USParaNordic.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.