Left: Andy Kern (65) displays nice form in his first cross country ski meet of the year. The combined Two Harbors/ Silver Bay team is new, with many first-time skiers, but enthusiasm is high as the kids learn technique and get fitter through their practices. Below L-R: Lance Bartol, Linnea Henrikson, and Robin Henrikson.
In a chilly first Nordic ski meet of the season, the newly formed Two Harbors/Cook County Nordic Ski Team traveled to Mt. Itasca near Grand Rapids. Temperatures barely got above single digits, making the hilly course slow for skate skiing. The Two Harbors/Cook County Nordic ski team was joined by 11 other high school ski teams, with over 300 skiers, including some of the best in the state.
The fastest pace Two Harbors/Cook County girl racer was sophomore Robin Henrikson at 3:59 m/km (minutes per kilometer) in the highly completive girls’ varsity race. It was a reasonable pace given the cold conditions, and by the end of the five-kilometer race, her eyes were about frozen. Expect her pace to pick up under more favorable weather conditions.
Junior varsity girls also skied a five-kilometer race. Senior Linnea Henrikson was still recovering from a cold, so she set her own pace the first lap and then picked it up on the second lap for an overall 4:27 m/km pace. Junior Brooklyn Smith skied a 4:41 pace, sophomore Leah Christensen skied a 4:55 pace and senior Lucy Callender skied a 5:17 pace.
In the three-kilometer junior high girls’ race, eighth-graders Autumn Smith and Aspin Huddleson skied 4:42 and 4:45 paces respectively.
Senior Andy Kern skied at a 3:55 per kilometer pace in the boys’ varsity 5-kilometer race.
First-time junior skier Josh Prom also skied a 3:55 pace in the junior varsity. Satisfied with the time given, he just joined the team this year; this is his first individual sport (you may recognize him as quarterback for the Cook County Vikings).
Junior Lance Bartol skied a 4:26 pace. He had hoped for a better pace but caught his ski on a branch on the side of the hill causing him to fall and lose time. This race was Lance’s first competition since he was in the Youth Ski League in elementary school.
The team cheered on Danny Berka, the last skier of the day, and he skied a 5:17 per kilometer pace in his first junior high race.
Assistant ski coach Dave Bartol expressed satisfaction with how the new team skied. “Given the circumstances, a new team, colder than expected weather conditions, some skiers new to the sport, and young skiers – the team put in great effort and rallied to the end.
“Our Two Harbors teammates have only had snow to ski on in the last week, so they were also at a disadvantage. With the first race under our belt, we can focus our training. Nordic skiing is natural for Two Harbors/Cook County, so we are glad to see the kids working hard. We have had great support from mentors (parents and community members).”
There are a total of 37 skiers on the team, 16 from Cook County and 21 from Two Harbors. Some did not participate because of illness, and some of the younger skiers are still learning.
The next meet is scheduled for Jan. 2, 2018, at Spirit Mountain.
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