The Alpine Vikings team has 28 student athletes ready to tackle the slopes. Returning junior skier Collin Berglund is a veteran skier and is ready to race.
Eleven years ago the Alpine Ski Team had four participants and three coaches (three seventh graders and a ninth grader). Each year thereafter, the team grew in the number of participants. And during that time, the Alpine Vikes have delivered seven State Meet individual participants, a girls’ section champion team and a girls’ team state participant.
Fast forward and the 2011-2012 Alpine Team has grown to 28 student athletes, the same three coaches and a cooperative student athlete participation agreement with Silver Bay.
This year’s team is flush with seventh and eighth graders who have emerged from Charles and Jennifer Lamb’s Alpine Junior Development Team. And what a great feeder program the Lambs have developed.
These young kids will come in with race experience that the varsity team has not experienced in the past. As a result, many of these kids will slide right into varsity meets with race experience. These younger kids will be led by 7th graders Will Lamb, Logan Backstrom, Jack Viren, Damian Zimmer, Erik Lawler, Madysen McKeever and Alyssa Martinson. Eighth graders include Roman Schnobrich, Haley Yoki, Morgan Weyrens Welch and Matea Acero.
Senior captain Katie Smedstad is ready for another exciting season.
And the team is also flush with young and experienced veterans as well. This year’s girls’ team will be led by former state participant and senior captain Katie Smedstad (Silver Bay), former state participants Signe Larson (11), Megan Lehto (10) and Ava McMillan (9). The top girls will find support from 9th graders Danielle Hansen, Melanie Stoddard, Lauren Thompson and Ashley Berglund and 10th grader Emma Olfson—most who have race experience from the Junior Development Program.
The boys’ team will enter the season with high expectations and a lot of experience, and they are young. The team brings back former state participant and USSA racer stand-out Anders Zimmer, a junior. In addition, the team will be led by veterans Luke Fenwick, Collin Berglund, Dexter Yoki and Kyle Martinson—all juniors. Their flanks will be covered by sophomores Joe Borud (who is ready for a break-out season) and Charlie Lawler.
The first meet of the year is scheduled for Friday, December 9 at Lutsen Mountains. First race begins at 10 a.m. followed by the afternoon race at 1 p.m. Come on out and cheer on your Alpine Vikes!
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