You see them speeding down Ole Avenue on some sort of apparatus that looks like a cross between skis and roller blades. You might even find yourself dodging out of the way in order to avoid being run over and then you wonderŠjust what are they doing?

Those "things" are called roller skis and they belong to the nordic ski team. When the men and women of the St. Olaf nordic ski team are cruising down Ole Avenue on roller skis they are heavily involved in one of the most intense training regimens of any sport, and that hard work pays off.

As NCAA Division III champions last season, the team in combination with Carleton College, consists of about 15 men and nine women. This is the second year the teams have combined and their coaches are Mike Nightingale and Siiri Carver. This years captains are Fred Kueffer and Hillary McCulloh.

It is nearly impossible to not have respect for these athletes. Most of the skiers train year-round. They trained on their own in the summer and September consisted of captains' practices. October 1 marked the first day of dry-land training with the coaches.

The training is structured and intense. The skiers keep individual logs in which they record daily their morning and evening workout. The number of hours spent in training, the number of hours of sleep, and the intensity level is recorded each day. Intensity level ranges on a scale from one to five, one being the easiest. Most skiers are training at an intensity level of 1-2 during the summer, but in the fall they train at level 4.

In addition, the coach regularly checks each skier's lactic acid level by pricking his/her finger. This is to ensure that the level of lactic acid coincides with the level of training. Lactic acid levels are graphed and can be used to determine whether the workout is too easy or too difficult.

In the absence of snow, workouts consist of endless hours of running with and without poles, classic roller skiing, dips, pushups, pull-ups, and ski imitation. Ski imitation consists of imitating the motion of skiing on a hill while running and using roller boards to build upper-body strength. The team trains in the streets of Northfield, most often on the roads behind Carleton, in various areas of Dundas, and at a state park near Savage. Skiers can spend as little as ten hours or as many as 16 or more hours training each week.

The Olaf nordic ski team competes Division I and they are part of the Midwest Central Division. Their biggest competitor is Northern Michigan University. The first race of the season is in late November or early December. NCAA qualifiers take place in January and February.

Last year, the team sent McCulloh to nationals and this year they hope to be one of the top three schools in the nation. The team gives up most of their weekends to travel great distances to compete. One of the Division I qualifiers this year is in Minneapolis, which will be the nearest race.

There is one thing the team is constantly striving for, greater support and recognition. "Everyone must think we are crazy to train as hard as we do," said junior Kevin Hochtl. "We train hard because the sport demands it. When skiing in Division I all the athletes are at a very elite level and to compete with them we must be very focused and train hard."

"Nordic skiers have to love the sport for we do not receive any fame or glory even though we expend a lot of energy to try to be number one," he added. "There is no other feeling like gliding across snow as fast as you can to collapse at the finish line and enjoy an endorphin high."

Already heavily involved in training, the nordic ski team looks forward to a successful season.