WINTHROP -- The Winthrop High School boys Nordic ski team set a couple lofty goals at the beginning of the season. A plan was set in place to put the Ramblers into a position of contention if they worked long and hard at accomplishing their dreams.

Two-hour training sessions, a trip to Aroostook County for competition and workouts and the never-ending presence of achieving goals that appeared lofty but quite possibly attainable.

At the heart of their efforts, the Ramblers were looking to win the Mountain Valley Conference title and to at least finish second at the Class C state meet.

On both accounts the Ramblers were successful, blowing away the competition in the MVC and nearly winning a state title.

Winthrop -- paced by the strong leadership of Dan Soltan and his senior teammates -- worked extremely hard throughout the season to reach their goals. Soltan set the standard, claiming first place in the classical and freestyle races at the MVC meet, followed by a second and third at the Class C meet.

"From day one, Danny set and kept expectations high," Winthrop Nordic coach Ed Van Tassel said. "All of the kids put in tons of training and Danny did a great job of setting the tone."

For his efforts Soltan has been named the Kennebec Journal Boys Skier of the Year. Also considered were teammate Justin Carpenter and Sam Whittemore of Maranacook.

As freshmen, the Ramblers were spirited but inexperienced. During its four-year career, the team turned itself into one of the state's top Nordic combines, posing a serious threat to those at the top. Joined by the ever-present Carpenter, who most often would finish just seconds behind Soltan, the pair helped transform the Winthrop Nordic program.

"Justin and I tried to lead by example," Soltan said. "Our team knew we were fired up this season and wanted to do well. Looking back we all knew we had a great season.

"I am really happy with what we did as a team this season."

When the team talked with coach Van Tassel during the preseason about its expectations, he immediately went to work, putting together a program that would set the Ramblers in the right direction. As the hours on the trails piled up, so did the results, giving way to a tremendous feeling of accomplishment and pride.

"Any future successes of the Winthrop Nordic team can be credited to Danny and the other seniors that were on this team," Van Tassel said. "They have changed the atmosphere of the program, success is now expected and the underclassmen got to see first hand how much training it takes to be successful."

Added Soltan: "We all worked a lot harder than previous years. We saw improvement in races and, because of the increased results, we worked even harder."

Dan Soltan, Winthrop, KJ Nordic Boy Skier of the Year

MVC -- 1st C, 1st F

Class C -- 2nd C, 3rd F