Above: Three up and coming Cook County High School Nordic skiers are, from left, Malin Anderson, Danny Berka and Trent Spry. Left: Poling hard to the finish is Claire LaVigne.
In what seems to be a theme for the Nordic team, weather conditions at the February 1 Ely Invite were frigid. The race start was delayed until the afternoon when temperatures were above the minimum -4 degrees required to race. Two Harbors/Cook County skiers, along with 275 skiers from other teams, added extra layers and donned facemasks or put tape on their faces to prevent frostbite in the subzero conditions.
As preparation for Sections, varsity racing was ratcheted up a notch in distance and skill through the pursuit format. In the pursuit format, varsity skiers raced 5 kilometers using skate technique, had two hours to recover, then raced 5 kilometers using the classic technique. In the classic race, skiers start in the order and time they finished the skate race, so they are “pursuing” their competitors. The combined time of both races determines the overall placement.
Juniors Josh Prom and Lance Bartol raced the varsity boys’ pursuit race. Prom, who is stronger in the skate technique, came in 39th in the skate division, 43rd in the classic division, and 43 overall in the pursuit race. In his first varsity race this season, Lance Bartol placed 59th in the skate division, 56th in the classic division and 56th overall, highlighting his strongest technique is classic.
Girls completing the varsity pursuit race included Cedar Gordon (48th), Aspen Huddleston (63rd), Leah Christensen (64th), Autumn Smith (68th), and Brooklyn Smith (69th).
Robin Henrikson took third place in the 5.1-kilometer junior varsity girls’ race. “Robin’s excellent finish is a result of all the kilometers she has skied this season and her consistent, hard work at practices,” said coach Dave Bartol. “She is definitely ready to move up to the varsity level for sections.” Claire Lavigne and Lucy Callender also skied the junior varsity girls’ race, placing 17th and 20th respectively.
Andy Kern skied to a strong 5th-place finish in the 5.1-kilometer junior varsity boys’ race. New to cross country skiing/racing this year, Lynden Blomberg placed 28th in the 3.4-kilometer junior high boys’ race. Other teammates included Noah Hanel (13th), Cyrus Keithly-Meyer (32nd), Tae Kosmo (33rd), Ethan Maas (38th), and Janie Suomi (45th).
Section/ JV/JH Championships recap
Three boys and one girl from Cook County joined five girls from Two Harbors and headed to Giants Ridge for Nordic Sections on February 6. Sections are a demanding pursuit race of 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) skating and 5 kilometers classic on a highly technical course.
Josh Prom skied strong in both skate and classic divisions, finishing 39th overall.
Leif Anderson placed 49th overall, and Lance Bartol placed 59th overall. Both Leif and Lance placed higher in the classic division but were slowed down in the tough skating conditions. “Josh is an incredible athlete, and I am impressed with how well he has picked up both skiing techniques in just one short season,” said coach Dave Bartol. “Both Leif and Lance missed some practices and races earlier in the season because of sickness, and they are just coming back to full strength. They showed determination racing under the tough conditions.”
In the girls’ pursuit, Cedar Gordon placed 45th, Robin Henrikson 48th, Autumn Smith 50th, Aspen Huddleston 56th, Leah Christensen 58th, and Brooklyn Smith 60th.
“Between Cook County and Two Harbors we have a younger girls’ team, and they all raced hard, showing much improvement over the season,” said Bartol.
The junior varsity and junior high championships at Spirit Mountain Feb. 10 gave more Cook County skiers a chance to compete in one last race. Race conditions were faster with warmer air temperatures and well-compacted skating trails. Skiing her fastest per kilometer time this season, Malin Anderson came in 10th place in the 5.1 kilometer junior varsity girls’ race. Trent Spry came in 30th in the junior varsity boys’ race. In the 7th-grade boys’ race, Danny Berka came in 14th.
Sections and the championships were a challenging end to the 2017-2018 Nordic season. Much learning and growing occurred this first year back as a Nordic team and first year as a cooperative with Two Harbors. Thanks to the mentors who consistently coached the kids: Mike Crook, Kurt Farchmin, Peter Henrikson, Mike Kobelinski, John Praxmarer and Jeanne Wright.
Extra thanks must go to the Lions Club for providing funds to help purchase equipment and the North Superior Ski and Run Club for sponsoring the team.
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