At press time, North Shore Storm was preparing to take to the trails in the first cross country meet of the season at Pincushion Mountain on September 1. It was not only the first meet of the season; it was the first time runners performed under the new team name.
The name change, from the Two Harbors/ Cook County Vikings to North Shore Storm, was approved at a July 2016 meeting of the School District 166 school board. Cross Country Coach April Wahlstrom approached the school board with the request, explaining that the cross country team has been a combined school team with Two Harbors for 15 years. Before it was a cooperative team with Two Harbors, it was a co-op with Silver Bay.
Twelve of the 50 students in grades seven through 12 who came out for cross country are from Two Harbors. Wahlstrom is assisted in coaching by Two Harbors School Counselor Dan Hebel.
Wahlstrom said while many people think of cross country as an individual sport, the coaches stress that it is a team sport. “We really stress ‘pack running,’” she said.
“We really think the name change would gel that together,” Wahlstrom said.
Board Member Sissy Lunde asked how the athletes felt about the change and Wahlstrom said they are enthusiastic about it. “They want it so bad that last year, even though we hadn’t gotten this name change, they went and got sweatshirts that say North Shore Storm.”
School Board Member Jeanne Anderson, a cross country parent, said, “I have one!”
The only question was about costs in changing uniforms and Wahlstrom said she had a generous outside donor who was covering the cost of new uniforms. With that the motion was passed unanimously and the school board wished the North Shore Storm well in its running season.
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