Left: Dressed for the cold, Levi Axtell powered his way to an 18th place finish to lead his teammates in the first race of the day at the Pincushion Invitational. Above left: Starting with a smile at the Pincushion Invitational was junior high racer Brenna Hay. Above middle: In her first race ever, Linnea Henrikson had a fine finish at Pincushion. Above right: Skiing with gusto, Lucy Callender seemed to enjoy the first cross country race she has ever competed in.
The Pincushion Mountain Invitational Pursuit Race was delayed by a day because of dangerously cold temperatures. Changing a race date is a tough decision because of all the planning, logistics and travel that goes into a big race. It was the right choice as Saturday was cold but windless and sunny for skiers, volunteers and cheering section alike.
Over 280 skiers from around the region descended on the Pincushion trails in Grand Marais for an exciting day of racing. This is the final race in the regular high school season so the skiers were in top form and the conditions made for a very fast race.
Varsity boys went out first for the skate portion of the pursuit race. Cook County’s top skier Ben Seaton led the race off solo as his starting partner scratched. Some of the best skiers in the state were right behind him. No pressure there! The skiers made two laps around the course along with a final roundhouse loop at the end of the stadium before the finish giving spectators lots of opportunity to see the action and enjoy the competition. Jesse Olson from Ely cruised through the finish first as he has several times this year. Levi Axtell finished this leg of the race fastest for Cook County in 18th place with Ben just a few seconds behind in 19th. Will Seaton finished halfway back in the pack and Sean MacDonell, Joey Chmelik, Pete Summers and Nate Carlson finished well too.
Girls’ Varsity was next up with Audrey Summers smoothly skating to a 24th place finish. She never looks like she is going fast—but looks are deceiving—she’s fast, just smooth. Mara MacDonell rounded out her season respectably in 56th. Amy Bianco of Ely was the top girls finisher overall. Watch for that name next time you watch the Olympics.
Sarah Larsen was our lone JV skier finishing well in her race. Andy Kern was our lone junior high boy finishing halfway up the pack and quite well for a first season skier. He will be fun to watch as he grows.
Junior high girls included three first-time racers with Linnea Henrikson leading our finishers with 14th place. Daphne Lacina and Lucy Callender also survived their first races and placed quite well. Brenna Hey had a great finish and might have been smiling as she crossed the line.
In the skate leg of the pursuit race our varsity skiers had mixed results. Ben was steady at 19th place. Levi dropped back several. Joey climbed from the depths with an awesome performance and Will Seaton picked up 12 places. Audrey and Mara both picked up a few places and the two of them actually beat another team with four scoring varsity skiers.
Overall our skiers had a really fun day and gave all they had. Volunteers and spectators all seemed practically giddy to have good snow and a beautiful day to be at the races.
Thanks go out to Dick Swanson and the North Superior Ski and Run Club for sponsoring the event and all the volunteers who made it possible. Mark Summers also gets a big thank you for coaching, mentoring and helping all our young skiers.
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