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Wearing bib 224, Olya Wright leads a couple of skiers at the state cross country (Nordic) ski meet. Olya placed 17th place in the Pursuit race, a combination of timed skate and classic skiing races. Photo courtesy of Greg Wright
Cook County I.S.D. 166 Sophomore Olya Wright finished a tremendous Nordic ski season by qualifying and competing at the 2022 Minnesota High School Nordic State Championships. She was the lone qualifier from the North Shore Storm team, combining athletes from Two Harbors and Cook County.
The meet was held at Giant’s Ridge in Biwabik, Minnesota, on Wednesday and Thursday, February 16-17.
This year the Nordic Skiing State Championship was held in a new format, with races conducted over two days. The events consisted of skiers competing either in the pursuit race (5K Classic & 5K Skate) or the Team Relay Sprints (a new addition to the Minnesota State competition). On Wednesday afternoon, the Classic 5K individual races were held. And then, on Thursday, frigid temperatures delayed the races, but at noon the Team Relay Sprints began the day.
Olay competed in the pursuit race, a one-timed skate race, and a classic cross-country ski race. An athlete’s place is determined by adding up the times of the two races. The fastest combined time is the champion.
On Wednesday, Olya finished 24th in the Classic race with a time of 18:30. This meant on Thursday that she started the Skate portion of the Pursuit with the goal of chasing down those skiers that finished faster in the classic race. And that’s what she did – passing seven skiers on a very hilly course. She finished 10th in the Skate race and 17th overall in the Pursuit from a field of 110 of the fastest high school girls in our state. An impressive finish for the sophomore skier.
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