Eighth-grader Danny Berka pushed hard in the skate skiing portion of a recent cross-country skiing event. Berka is a strong skate skier who is improving his classic technique as the season progresses. Photo courtesy of Becky Bartol
The first race for the combined high school Two Harbors/Cook County Nordic ski team was held December 13, 2018, in Ely.
Temperatures in the low 20 F degrees at the start time made for good conditions for the skate race. However, the scant snow cover on the trails was soft and made for challenging curves and downhills, providing an excellent opportunity for the team to test their skills and technique.
Lance Bartol, a CCHS senior, raced the junior varsity boys 5.3k course in 21:52 minutes, placing 30th.
The extra training at the Yellowstone ski camp paid off for Cedar Gordon, sophomore; she had a strong race, finishing 10th in junior varsity girls with a time of 21:16. She was followed by Autumn Smith, freshman, 22:22; Brooklyn Smith, senior, 25:03; Aspen Huddleston, freshman, 25:24.1; and Leah Christensen, sophomore, 26:19.
Completing the 3.3 km junior high boys’ race were Gavin Thorp, 14:01 and Cyrus Keithley-Myers, 15:17.
The second Nordic race was held January 2 at the new state-of-the-art Grand Avenue Nordic Center. The facility, at the base of Spirit Mountain, has snow-making capabilities for cross-country ski trails currently being developed.
The kids competed in another skate race with temperatures in the mid-20s, which made for comfortable skiing, the multiple, one-kilometer laps were grueling for many.
Snow conditions were surprisingly slow, and there were several crashes, including some Two Harbors/Cook County skiers, on the technically tricky downhill.
Lance Bartol raced the junior varsity boys’ 4k course in 17:48 minutes, placing 36th. He has been working on improving his V2 skate skills on uphill climbs and building strength, both of which were needed for this race course.
Cedar Gordon finished 12th in the junior varsity girls’ race with a time of 17:12. She was followed by Autumn Smith, 17:58; Brooklyn Smith, 19:04; and Aspen Huddleston in 20:34.
In his first race of the season, Danny Berka, 8th grade, finished the 2.7 km junior high boys’ race in 13.02 minutes placing
24th. Skate skiing is Danny’s strongest technique, and he was able to pass a couple racers on the course. His warm-up for the race—skiing up and down a trail alongside a downhill slope— turned out to be a good experience for the actual race course. Teammate Chance Hanel finished in 11:28.
In her first Nordic ski race, sophomore Cecelia Chmelik finished in 19:25 minutes placing 51st—a strong showing given the hard course and the fact that she just started learning to skate-ski this season. Teammate Janie Suomi finished in 17:27.
The next Nordic ski race is January 8, at Cloquet.
CCHS Nordic team hosting big high school Nordic ski race this weekend
The Cook County High School Nordic team is hosting the Pincushion Invite at Pincushion Trails on Saturday, January 12, 2019.
Over 200 high school and junior high skiers from nine teams across Section 7 (Arrowhead) are expected to participate.
Activities will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with races occurring from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The community is welcome to come watch and cheer on the local team.
Parking for the Pincushion trails (skiing or fat tire biking) will be along the Gunflint Trail. The ski trails will be open, but access to some sections of the trail system will be limited.
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