Working hard, Malin Anderson powers through the poling phase as she attempts to gain speed in the cross country ski race held at Procter on January 2. The Vikings have teamed up with Two Harbors to form a cross country ski team this season, and many of the participants are new to the sport.
After a bone-chilling December Nordic ski meet, the Nordic team was hoping for better conditions in 2018. Instead, the first Nordic ski meet of 2018 was held during an arctic cold blast. The Two Harbors/ Cook County Nordic Ski Team showed up at Spirit Mountain for the Proctor Invite on January 2, 2018, with temperatures at about -4 degrees and a strong wind blowing. Temperatures only made it into the single digits as the day progressed.
On arriving, four racers from Cook County along with 12 racers from Two Harbors put on their skis to check out the race course and “warm-up” before the race start. The race course was rock solid from compacted snow and extreme temperatures.
Nordic ski venues in the region are struggling with enough snow this year to make a smooth skiing surface, and Spirit Mountain was no exception. The course was rough with plenty of orange paint, marking sticks, rocks and other obstacles poking through the groomed surface to challenge skiers.
Junior Leif Anderson was first the Two Harbors/Cook County skier out in the 5-kilometer varsity boys’ race. He faced some of the coldest temperatures and hardest race course conditions yet finished in 20:08 minutes, the fastest time for a Two Harbors/Cook County racer. Although Leif has raced in many cross-country running races, this was his first Nordic ski race. The solid finish as a new ski racer under tough conditions indicates his strong athletic abilities.
The next race, the 5-kilometer junior varsity girls’ race, had the largest field, with 64 skiers. Freshman Malin Anderson was joined by six other teammates. This was her first Nordic ski race as well, and she has spent less time on skis. Nonetheless, she finished in the middle of the field at 25:29 minutes (36th out of 64). Her teammates also posted strong finishes including freshman Cedar Gordon, 22:06; junior Leah Christensen, 24:52; junior Brooklyn Smith, 25:14; eighth-grader Aspen Huddleson, 25:16; eighth-grader Autumn Smith, 26:38; and freshman Sidni Hendren, 35:50.
The junior varsity boys faced a bitter wind in their 5-kilometer race, but they were up to the challenge. Over weeks of practice, junior Josh Prom has gained considerable confidence skiing and has continually improved his technique. His hard work is paying off, finishing 17th out of 47 racers in 20:28 minutes. Skiing behind him was junior Lance Bartol at 24:07. While at a disadvantage endurance-wise because he was not in a fall sport, Lance has been making up for it by skiing over 250 kilometers thus far this season. All his training should start paying off for future races.
Two Harbors/Cook County junior high racers skied 3 kilometers. Their times included: Amanda Haveri, 23:35; Janie Suomi, 26:47; Ian Thorpe, 19:57; Cyrus Keithly-Meyer, 20:43; Tae Kosmo, 21:39; Noah Eastman, 22:29; and Ethan Maas, 32:27.
Assistant coach Dave Bartol is pleased with the new team’s progress and results. “It is good to see our new skiers and racers test their skills and abilities. Each race and every practice adds to each skier’s experience and offers them opportunities to improve and grow,” said Dave.
Over the holidays Cook County hosted a ski camp with Two Harbors teammates at Pincushion Trails. It was a great chance for kids from both schools to get to know each other. Cook County teammates skied with Two Harbors teammates to show them the trail system and practice skiing techniques on the challenging hills of Pincushion Trails.
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