Congratulations on a great season to the Lutsen Junior Alpine Club, pictured here at home. The skiers are (L-R, front) Noah Haussner, Tristan Surbaugh, Weston Heeren, Ray Dressely, Solstice Nies, Carson Buttweiler, Kalina Dimitrova, Ella Sporn, Molly LaVigne, Anna Heeren, RaeAnne Silence, Carter Silence, AnnaBelle Silence, Amy Carpenter, Riley Goettl, Genevieve Silence (L-R, second row) Kylie Viren, Natassja Sheils, Kate Peck, Cayden Zimmer, Riley Tarver, Isak Terrill, Lucas Sheils, Reilly Wahlers, Kevin Viren, Elsa Lunde, Bianca Zimmer, Sophie Robinson, Penny Robinson, Peter Robinson. (L-R, third row) Melanie Stoddard, Lane Greer, Chase Jasperson, Santina McMillan, Madysen McKeever, Hanna Borson, Halle Lamb, True Nies, Claire LaVigne, Sela Backstrom, Damian Zimmer, Erik Lawler, Ezra Lunde, Masen McKeever, Will Surbaugh, Lynden Blomberg, Coaches Molly Wickwire and Megan O’Neill. (L-R, back row) Caleb Phillips, Alex Robinson, Will Lamb, Luke Fenwick, Megan Lehto, Lauren Thompson, Jack Viren, Logan Backstrom, Coaches Rick Backstrom, Jim Kalb and Charles Lamb. (Team members not pictured – Arlo Christensen, Allesandra Duclos, Ian Kurschner, Kyle Martinson, Livi Nesgoda-Works, Cy Oberholtzer, Louise Ramberg, Amelia Roth, Ole Sorenson, Lexi Surbaugh.)
The much anticipated and final race of the Northland Junior Race Series was hosted by the Duluth Superior Alpine Club and held at Spirit Mountain March 3, 2013. Forty-one Lutsen racers competed in a field of 161 skiers from Team Duluth, Mont-Du-Lac and Ski Gull Alpine Clubs, all gunning for the championship victory.
Racers eight years old and over skied one run of giant slalom and one run of slalom; racers under eight skied two runs of giant slalom. In order to qualify and score team points for the championship, skiers must have attended three races of the six race series. After a long season of training and competing in cold, winter conditions, mild temperatures, blue skies and no wind prevailed at this event helping all the athletes perform their best.
Coach Rick Backstrom eased tensions on the start ramp helping each racer focus on throwing down a great run. Spirit Mountain is always a challenging race hill that usually favors Team Duluth. That was not the case at this important race for the 41 skiers from Lutsen who did not collapse under championship pressure, they rallied with 15 podiums and an additional four 4th and 5th place finishes!
Above left: A special congratulations to the top finishing racers who brought home the championship trophy from the final Northland Junior Race Series at Spirit Mountain on March 3. (L-R, front) Sela Backstrom, Reilly Wahlers, Elsa Lunde, Claire LaVigne. (L-R, back) Caleb Phillips, Ezra Lunde, Will lamb, Damian Zimmer, Alyssa Martinson, Madysen McKeever, Santina McMillan. Above right: On the podium, Riley Tarver and Peter Robinson celebrate first and second place!
Top three finishers in their categories were Carson Buttweiler (3rd), Kate Peck (2nd), Penny Robinson (1st), Riley Tarver (1st), Peter Robinson (2nd), Reilly Wahlers (1st), Sela Backstrom (2nd), Sophie Robinson (3rd), Masen McKeever (1st), Will Surbaugh (2nd), Madysen McKeever (3rd), Logan Backstrom (1st), Damian Zimmer (2nd), Ezra Lunde (3rd), Alex Robinson (1st) and Luke Fenwick (1st).
At the end of the awards ceremony the team score was tabulated and for the first time in NJRS history, on this greatest of days, the Lutsen Junior Alpine Club won first place! Coach Molly Wickwire breathed a sigh of relief after the second run and later said, “We had our fingers crossed all day and tried not to be overly optimistic, but so many of our kids skied stellar runs we were pretty sure victory belonged to Lutsen.”
Coach Jim Kalb said, “What’s most rewarding about coaching these kids is watching their overall improvement throughout the season which gave them the confidence required to pull off this win.” The team trophy was awarded to a fantastic group of young athletes and will be on display in Cook County throughout the spring, rotated between Cook County Schools, Great Expectations and Birch Grove Community School.
The Lutsen Junior Alpine Club (LJAC) provides local young people the opportunity to learn the sport of alpine skiing. Time spent together on the slopes is fun, fosters a love of the outdoors and provides kids the necessary skills for a lifetime of skiing.
This season, as a result of the program and the generosity of Lutsen Mountains; LJAC won the NJRS Championships; seven local racers competed in The United States Ski and Snowboard Association; the Cook County High School Alpine Team is 28 members strong, the boys’ high school team qualified for state (the first time since 1999) and two racers qualified again this year for the USSA Junior Championships in Colorado. We are already very excited for next season as 10 skiers from LJAC will advance to the CCHS Alpine ski team!
The racers, coaches and parents of Team Lutsen would like to thank the following for their support this season: Swanson & Heeren Law, Cook County Community Fund, Arrowhead Electric’s Operation Roundup, Stephen Surbaugh, the Sporn Family, Lutsen Real Estate Group, Kelly Brush Foundation, Douglas Robinson Insurance, Sawtooth Outfitters, the Cook County News-Herald, club secretary/grant writer Jennifer Backstrom and last but not least the owners and employees of Lutsen Mountains who make this all possible for the kids.
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