PLAINFIELD — When Les Lawrence was first hired as Lebanon High’s cross country ski coach, it was as on a temporary, fill-in basis. Forty-one years later, the Raiders are in need of another replacement, because Lawrence is stepping down after the current campaign.

“It will be hard, but it has to change at some point, and now is a really good time because we have so many volunteers who help the program run,” said the 66-year old retired teacher. “I’ve been very lucky over the years to have people give of themselves and I know it will continue as a strong program.”

Lawrence inherited fewer than 20 skiers on the boys and girls teams combined when he arrived in 1981. He was teaching physical education at Thetford Elementary School during the day and was embarking on a football coaching career that would see him run gridiron programs at Hanover, Lebanon, Stevens and Mascoma and assist at Kimball Union Academy and with the Dartmouth College freshman squad.

These days, Lebanon’s cross country ski team regularly includes 50 or more participants, some deeply competitive and pushing for high finishes in the state meet and others more interested in the program’s welcoming culture. This is a sport that severely taxes the lungs and the legs, but Lawrence’s supportive, low-key and cheerful style has drawn increasing numbers of teenagers who want to test themselves in a bracing, outdoor setting.

“There’s a cost to become good at anything,” Lawrence said. “In our world, it’s fatigue, but it’s also that you may be skiing when it’s 5 degrees out. You have to be someone who’s willing to work and be uncomfortable and maybe not get any accolades for it.”

That pretty much weeds out anyone who’s there to goof around. Increasingly, many of the high school’s best athletes are to be found during practices at the Plainfield School, zooming over 20 kilometers of carefully cut and maintained trails created by Lawerence and a host of volunteers.

Countless hours are spent grooming the paths with a large snowmobile towing an attachment specific to the job. Marking race courses, arranging for volunteer scorers and handling paperwork also consume time, but during the roughly two hours of practice, the labor becomes worthwhile for Lawrence and his crew.

On a recent afternoon at the Plainfield School parking lot, vehicles pulled up regularly from 2-3 p.m., disgorging older teens jangling their car keys and younger peers who’d carpooled or ridden with their parents. Stalking across the gritty mud towards the snow, they wore what looked like hardened hiking boots and carried long, black bags holding their pricey skis and poles.

There are no whistles to start the workout, no one barking orders or hurrying the kids along. Getting something out of practice is somewhat on the honor system. The coaches trust their troops will put in the effort needed to make themselves better.

“You can build the type of skier you want to be and level of competitiveness you want to have,” said senior and four-year skier Francis Calandrella, a soccer and baseball player who quit basketball after the eighth grade. “We have kids who will be here and log 5 kilometers before practice starts and people staying late. The responsibility is on you to show up and put in the work.”

Although Lebanon is regularly one of the state’s top-scoring teams, the program’s best feature might be that it attracts so many newcomers to the sport. A freshman overhears two friends in art class enthusiastically discussing race tactics or the annual, three-day trip to ski up north and comes to check out a practice.

“For a lot of kids, this team’s social aspect has them switching from other sports,” Calandrella said. “They leave super competitive basketball where only five kids are on the court, for skiing where everybody can participate.”

The sport’s culture leans to the collaborative, with rival teams lending each other gear and coaches sharing tips and trading form evaluations. Does my guy coming down the hill here need more bend at the waist? How about her, is her arm extension sufficient? It’s how Lawrence honed his knowledge after only a couple of years of cross country skiing while growing up in Brattleboro.

“Everyone was willing to offer insight to the new guy on the block,” recalled Lawrence, who credits the late Robin Ellison, who coached cross country skiing at Lebanon, Woodstock and Hanover, for often helping him. Ellison also aided Lebanon’s program by arranging for access to trails near Oak Hill and Storrs Pond when the Raiders didn’t have their own course, Lawrence said.

About 20 years ago, Lawrence and longtime lieutenant Bill Knight convinced the town of Plainfield to allow them to carve out the current trails, at first using shovels and chainsaws and then with a donated excavator. The paths are all open to the public and used for mountain biking during warmer months. It’s not uncommon for Lebanon High’s skiers to practice alongside older community members and their romping dogs.

Lebanon’s soccer players have joined Lawrence’s program in higher numbers during recent years, seeing it as a way to continue outdoor exercise and knowing it heightens their conditioning. Girls soccer coach Breck Taber is a cross country skier himself and the co-owner of downtown biking and ski merchant Omer and Bob’s, so that connection is strong.

Lebanon’s middle school program practices right after the high school kids and the youngsters benefit from the same coaching. The smaller folks often become disciplined racers within a few years, drawing on the example set for them by their elders. Lawrence also has a gift for breaking down the sports’s basics, introducing beginners to it in a way that makes sense and encourages them to focus only on self-improvement.

“He has a certain, simple methodology because he has to make it appealing to all ages,” Calandrella said. “That’s why we try and have a good culture on the ski team and make sure everyone has fun.”

Hundreds of hours are needed on skis to become truly comfortable, but they don’t all need to be at race pace. Therefore, the Raiders often spend an hour cruising in packs, talking and laughing and smiling. When Lawrence indicates it’s time for hill sprints or all-outs on the flats, he trusts the social aspect will be turned down.

“I just love being on the snow with the kids and watching them get better,” said Lawrence, who has coached the children of some of his previous team members. “I like seeing where they end up in the world and when they come back to our workouts.”

Lawrence plans to spend coming winters in Florida, but also said he’s pretty sure he’ll have the itch to fly back to New England and to drop in on the Raiders.

“It’s been rewarding,” Lawrence said. “It’s never been a job.”

Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com.

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