Showing great form on the slalom course, Andrew Hallberg blocks a gate at the Cook County Invite on Koo-Koo! Andrew placed 6th in the junior varsity competition. Photos courtesy of Charles/Jenny Lamb
The Cook County Invite was held on Dec. 13th at Lutsen Mountains on Koo-Koo.
One hundred thirty-eight racers skied two runs of Slalom. The weather was overcast with off and on snow flurries and temperatures in the low 20s. Thanks to Lutsen Mountains snowmaking and Mother Nature, Koo-Koo was in great shape for racing!
Seven teams from Section 7, including; Hibbing, Virginia Area, East, Marshall, Hermantown, CEC, Denfeld, plus Brainerd from Section 5, were in attendance with 138 racers in the field.
After missing all of last season due to an injury, senior Masen McKeever threw down two solid runs and finished the day in 5th place! Ray Dresseley pushed a little too hard in his first run, suffering a major bobble, which cost him precious time. Still, he skied a tremendous second run (16th). Cy Oberholtzer also pushed too hard and blew out in both his runs (27th). Ben Obinger skied two great runs (14th), and Silver Bay’s Elijah Blank skied tough as the boys course deteriorated. He ended up taking 23rd place.
Reuben Youngdahl left, just a seventh-grader, is all smiles as he stands on the podium with his second-place medal. Reuben competed in the junior varsity race Photos courtesy of Charles/Jenny Lamb
Senior Halle Lamb skied two clean runs (9th), and fast skiing by Kalina Dimitrova landed her 15th.
Cook County young guns that competed in the junior varsity (JV) field skied hard and posted some good results.
Reuben Youngdahl navigated the varsity course very well, and earned a trip to the podium (2nd), followed by Andrew Hallberg (6th); Cody Lang pushed a little too hard and blew out (16th), and Finn Taylor crashed (DNF).
Silver Bay’s Sophia Blank blew out in her first attempt, but skied a fast second run to place 7th. Allie Duclos suffered an equipment issue but stayed in the game (10th), Gennevieve Silence had a great run going but pushed too hard on the lower headwall (DNF). Liv Hedstrom skied two strong runs and also earned a trip to the podium with an impressive second (2nd) place finish!
Bren Elleson from Duluth East won 1st place, and the Brainerd boys took home the first-place plaque. The Cook County boys’ team finished in 3rd place.
Maddie Kalenberg, Brainerd took 1st place, and the Brainerd girls’ team won the day.
“We have been training on good snow since Nov. 16th this season, attendance has been great, and the team was really excited for this first race,” said head coach Charles Lamb.
“The team has trained in all conditions this year, including mild weather, blizzards, and brutal subzero temperatures.
“I was really proud of our team, especially the good sportsmanship demonstrated by the racers that blew out and crashed in this first race.”
“All our kids were pushing hard, which is what it takes to win at this sport,” said coach Lamb, adding, “It’s been really fun working with an eager, hard-working group of new 7th graders this year.”
“We would like to thank all 25 parent and community volunteers, including CCHS Alpine alumni, Will Surbaugh, and Reilly Wahlers for all their help in hosting another great ski race at Lutsen Mountains!”
The next race for Cook County Alpine is Friday, Dec. 20 at Giants Ridge.
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