Joe Sathe Interview

Joe Sathe’s commitment to the Hopkins Nordic Ski program has made him a leader on the team.

Joe is involved in a variety of activities including music, basketball, and baseball all year round, but he started to focus on Nordic skiing four years ago and last year realized a personal goal he set as a sophomore and became a team captain. We sat down with Joe this week and asked him to share some of his experiences.

HN: How did you choose to participate in High School Nordic skiing?

Joe: I actually joined the team half-way through my 8th grade season. I had heard that there was a team and I had attended MYSL ski school and thought it would be fun to try again. The reason that I was late joining the team is because I had been playing basketball at North but when the season ended I decided to end my basketball career with Hopkins for good. It was a good decision.

HN: How do you prepare for a new season of Nordic skiing?

Joe: Unfortunately, for the past two seasons I have come in somewhat unprepared because instead of training and staying in good shape I participated in the musical theater program at the High School. In the summer however I cross train for Nordic by being on a rowing team.

HN: Have you met the goals you set for this season…how about… for your high school career?

Joe: This year I have most definitely met my goals. They were to teach new skiers how to ski and make the team a more fun and welcoming place where kids would want to go. I shouldn’t say I have met the goals because the season isn’t quite over we still have a week left.

HN: What are the biggest challenges facing a new Hopkins Nordic team member?

Joe: I think the hardest thing for a new skier is getting used to the happenings of the team, from pasta parties to what types of skis to have and also what type of wax to use. (I don’t even know waxing stuff all the time.)

HN: What’s the biggest surprise you’ve encountered as a team captain?

Joe: The biggest surprise that I have encountered as a captain is the amount of respect that comes with the title. I felt like everyone knew who I was, parents and skiers alike, and I thought it was really great, it made the job almost completely stress free.

HN: What are the best and worst parts of being a team captain?


Joe: Honestly there are not a lot of hard things about being captain, as long as you work hard, are a good leader, and set a positive example it really is just a lot of fun to do. I guess if I had to pick the worst part it would have to be not being able to give all the skiers everything they wanted, like spots on team, different types of uniforms, and stuff like that. But I knew that that would be the case coming into the position so it wasn’t a surprise but it was still hard sometimes. The best part for me was seeing everyone finish races. As times got lower, morale got higher and it was so much fun to see kids that I had taught how to ski achieve so much this year.

HN: What will Joe Sathe be doing next year?

Joe: Next year I will be attending Hamline University in St. Paul. Although they don’t have a ski team I will continue with the sport in my free time as much as I can.