MN Coaches Spring Meeting Follow Up
May 5, 2012
The original 3x5 proposal from last fall's MN Coaches Meeting has been modified a couple of times, and now will need to be voted on again by the coaches before moving back to MSHSL for final approval.

2012 Collegiate Tally Board
April 26, 2012
Find out where the Midwest high school seniors are planning to ski next season with our annual collegiate tally board. Send us your plans, we'll update it regularly.

J2 National Talent Camp Invitations Announced
April 14, 2012
Sisu Skiers qualified four Midwest J2 skiers for the National J2 Talent Camp, held this August in Craftsbury, VT. Invitees include Alayna Sonnesyn, Rocci Wolhk, Mattie Watts and Steve Hokanson.

Alpine: Minnesota State Champ Turns in Medal
April 13, 2012
Star Tribune: Minnehaha Academy junior Bjorn Halvorson forfeited his State championship medal to the Minnesota High School League last week, after admitting he should have been ineligible for the state meet.
Related:
Bjorn Halvorson of Minnehaha Academy overcomes history of falls to win boys Alpine ski title

Coaches Meetings
April 9, 2012
Two important spring meetings coming up for Midwest high school/junior coaches (unfortunately on the same date)...
Apr 21 MSHSNSCA Spring Meeting - MN high school coaches spring meeting will be at the Vasaloppet Center in Mora.  Major topic will be the latest proposal for changing the State Meet qualification.
Apr 21 Midwest Juniors Coaches Meeting - Midwest junior coaches will gather in Eau Claire, WI.  Topics include review of the 2012 Junior Nationals trip and a look at the upcoming season schedule.
Related:
MSHSCA Nordic Skiing Coaches Meeting Agenda

Victor C. Dunder Award Nominations Due by March 31st
March 23, 2012
The deadline for submitting applications for the Victor C Dunder Award is next Saturday, March 31st. The award is designed to help first year skiers with a financial need get equipment they would ordinarily not be able to afford.

Minnesota High School 3x5 Proposal
March 21, 2012
Outgoing president Pete Tremaine is requesting final comments on the 3 x 5 State Meet qualifying proposal that was voted on at the Coaches Meeting last fall in Mora.

Junior Nationals Coverage
March 12, 2012
We've posted the complete collection of out 2012 Junior Nationals coverage from Soldier Hollow.

MSHSNSCA Awards
March 2, 2012
The Minnesota High School Nordic Coaches Association has announced their coach, assistant coach, and volunteers of the year awards.

Minnesota State Meet Recap
February 21, 2012
The big Minnesota State Meet was last Thursday at Giants Ridge. Great weather combined with some incredible performances made for one of the better State Meets in recent memory. Read a full recap including some individual highlights and check out a couple of alternative team scorings.
Related:
Photoset: Top Picks (high res)
Coaches Association State Meet Review, Spring Meeting

Michigan State High School Championships Results
February 20, 2012
Two days of racing on the Michigan Tech trail system decided the Michigan State High School Championships, Feb 17-18th. Blake Murray and Ellen Wiitala, both of Marquette high school, won the pursuit titles. Wiitala also snared the sprint championship, with Andrew Twohey, also from Marquette, won the boys sprints. Perhaps not surprisingly, Marquette high school won the overall team title.
Related:
Michigan State High School Championships Recap

Minnesota State Meet Coverage
February 16, 2012
Giants Ridge was hopping Thursday morning as the Minnesota High School Nordic State Championships got underway with the freestyle races. As expected, Ben Saxton stormed out to an early lead in the boys field. However, it was Jake Richards that put in the race of the morning to finish second. The boys afternoon classical pursuit began as a tight race, but Ben Saxton pulled away to repeat as the boys champion. Jake Richards battled Jan Ketterson and Ryan Davis, gliding away on the Gold descent to take 2nd, Davis 3rd. In the girls race, Annie Harvieux posted the top freestyle time of the morning, with Alayna Sonnesyn positioned second. The afternoon's classic pursuit provided huge excitement as Nora Gilbertson moved up from 3rd place with a rocket descent to claim the girls title! Sonnesyn held on to 2nd place with Forest Lake's Rocci Wohlk rising to 3rd. Roseville boys made good on their number 1 ranking with a victory over Hopkins. The Duluth East girls narrowly edged out Wayzata to claim the girls team title by a single point. Results, photos are up now, video coming late tonight.

Charlie Banks Relays Coverage
February 15, 2012
Near perfect weather greeted skiers for the Charlie Banks Relays Wednesday at Giants Ridge. Temperatures in the mid-20s and morning clouds gave way to afternoon sunshine for the races. Minneapolis Southwest boys and Wayzata girls won the relays. Full results posted, along with photosets.

Minnesota State Meet Preview
February 14, 2012
We roll out our annual look at the Minnesota State High School Nordic Skiing Championships -- the State Meet. We review the top contenders and make our own predictions on who'll be standing on the top of the podium. The big dance is Thursday, don't miss it!
Related:
MN HS Nordic Coaches Association Section Award Candidates

Mt. Borah Drops Nordic Prices, Adds To Efficiencies
February 13, 2012
Mt Borah has announced price reductions on their 2012-2013 ski season prices due to increases in efficiency in their operations. Mt. Borah rep John Dyste will be at the Minnesota State Meet Wednesday and Thursday.

Skinnyski.com High School Rankings - Week 12
February 12, 2012
With sections completed, the final rankings of the Minnesota high school season are posted. Number ones all stay the same, but almost everything else gets stirred one last time.
Related:
Minnesota State Meet: Boys Start List
Minnesota State Meet: Girls Start List

Wisconsin High School Championships Results
February 11, 2012
John Burke reports: The Wisconsin State XC Championship were held Saturday at Minocqua Winter Park. It was a day of sweeps. Nichole Bathe, Vernona, and Adam Martin, Wausau East/West, captured the Freestyle, Classic and Pursuit titles in the Girls and Boys competitions, respectively. For the teams, both Boys and Girls trophies went to Hayward.

Section 2 Coverage
February 9, 2012
Completing three days of section meets at Theodore Wirth, Section 2 state meet qualifiers were decided Thursday. The Minnetonka boys pulled off an upset, knocking off Eden Prairie for the team title in a hard fought race. Even more exciting, the Wayzata and Eden Prairie girls appeared to tie for the team title, with Alayna Sonnesyn's dominating individual victory providing the tie-breaking winning margin for Wayzata. Zach Goldberg topped the boys field. Eden Prairie advances seven boys and six girls to State! Results posted, along with photos and video recaps.

Section 7 Coverage
February 9, 2012
Racing on the State Meet trails at Giants Ridge, the Section 7 titles were decided on Thursday. Duluth East swept the team titles over runner up Ely, as well as taking the individual titles. Ryan Davis posted big numbers to crush the boys field, Annie Harvieux looked strong in topping the girls results. Ely boys qualified five for the State Meet. Results posted, along with some photos.

Section 4 Coverage
February 8, 2012
Stillwater and Forest Lake battled for the Section 4titles as the dominating duo racing at Troll Hollow Wednesday. Forest Lake's Rocci Wolhk won the girls race, but Nora Gilbertson, Stillwater, continues to improve, losing out by only 22 seconds. Joe Jackson, Forest Lake, took a strong boys victory with teammate Alex Kelley just holding off Stillwater's Sean Bjork for second. Stillwater girls won the team title by 8 points, Forest Lake boys by 3. Stillwater boys qualified five for the State Meet. Results are up along with some photos.

Section 6 Results
February 8, 2012
Using Elm Creek's man-made snowmaking loop, Section 6 held their championship on Wednesday and provided some dramatic racing. Harris Dirnberger, Hopkins, overtook Jan Ketterson, Bloomington Jefferson, in the classical pursuit to nab the boys win. Minneapolis Southwest's Claire Galvin, recovering from a broken foot earlier in the season, stretched it at the line to just nip Sarah Benton, Hopkins, for the victory. The underrated Hopkins boys won the team title, and with the Minneapolis Southwest and Hopkins girls needing a total time tiebreaker to decide the team in favor of Hopkins! Mpls Southwest girls qualified five for the State Meet. Results are posted.

Section 5 Coverage
February 8, 2012
The second day of racing on Theodore Wirth man-made snow loop featured the skiers of section 5. Powerhouse Roseville proved up to the challenge as they swept the events, taking both the boys and girls team titles, as well as Kyle Marshall and Nikki Reker pulling off the mild upsets to take the individual victories. Results, photos and video recaps are posted.

Section 1 Coverage
February 7, 2012
Brian Abery reports: Section 1 held its championships at Troll Hollow on Tuesday and the top skiers delivered as advertised. In the Boys race, Lakeville North senior Ben Saxton skied to a commanding lead in the morning classic race and extended the gap in the freestyle portion of competition to win the pursuit title by almost 2 minutes over teammate Lewis Kunink. Nick Acton of Eagan took 3rd leading the Eagan Boys to the team title. On the Girl's side, Eagan Junior Sonja Hedblom bested Lakeville North's Amy Ferguson by 1:11 with Winona Senior Erin Keane another 53 seconds back in 3rd position. The Winona Girls took 3rd, 5th, 6th and 18th to earn the team title. Results and photos posted.

Section 3 Coverage
February 7, 2012
Section 3 was the first to test out the snowmaking loop for high school sections with their meet Tuesday. Eric Slater, Henry-Sibley, won the boys race in front of Minnehaha Academy's Luke Brown. Vivian Hett, Burnsville, dominated the girls race, winning by 2:30! A number of disqualifications in the classical race made for an interesting freestyle pursuit as St. Paul Central boys topped Minneahaha Academy while the Burnsville girls defeated Minneapolis South for the team crowns. Results and video recaps are posted.

Section 8 Coverage
February 7, 2012
Jay Richards reports: Sunny skies, mid teens and calm wind greeted racers for the Section 8 Nordic Ski Championships at Maplelag Resort. Overnight temps in the single digits set the course hard for fast racing. Jake Richards defended his title, capturing his third straight crown. Maria Huber won the battle of sophmores, capturing the title as second place came down to a narrow finish between Berit Ramstad-Skoyles and Callie Smith with Skoyles just holding off Smith in the classic pursuit. Team titles went to Brainerd boys and Little Falls girls. Results and photos posted.

State Meet, Charile Banks Relays, Banquet Info
February 3, 2012
Information on the awards, meetings, banquets and slideshows associated with the Minnesota State Meet.
Related:
Victor C Dunder Nordic Ski Award Reminder

Tour de Twin Cities Freestyle Coverage
January 29, 2012
The Tour de Twin Cities wrapped up Sunday with another set of six races, this time featuring a freestyle pursuit format based off the classical finishes on Saturday. Matt Liebsch put in strong race, skiing with a lead pack for roughly half the race before breaking away on the final laps to take the victory (Brenton Knight posted the top skate time). Caitlin Gregg moved into the lead of the womens race early on and cruised in for the womens title. In the boys OJ/J1 race, Jan Ketterson stormed to the victory ahead of Chris Parr. The girls OJ/J1 race saw Hanne Guthrie move up to take the girls title just in front of Nikki Reker. Mattie Watts held off challengers to take the girls J2 race (Alayna Sonnesyn posted the top skate time). Sean Cork overtook Steve Hokanson for the J2 boys race (Zak Ketterson had the top skate time).
Related:
Photoset: SuperTour Women 15K - 118 photos, SuperTour Men 20K - 175 photos, Girls OJ/J1 10K - 80 photos, Boys OJ/J1 10K - 106 photos, Girls J2 5K - 70 photos, Boys J2 5K - 81 photos
Photoset from David Owen: Tour de Twin Cities Freestyle
Photoset from Todd Bauer: Girls OJ/J1, Boys OJ/J1
Results: 5K, 10K, 15K, 20K freestyle
Matt Liebsch Wins Tour de Twin Cities
CCSA: Irwin, Hecker capture first CCSA wins at Green Acres skate events

Tour de Twin Cities Classical Coverage
January 28, 2012
An incredibly exciting Saturday for racing at Green Acres for the Tour de Twin Cities classical races. The events all featured a mass start format and the flow of the Green Acres trail system made for fantastic spectator viewing. Matt Liebsch provided the biggest excitement of the day, breaking a pole at the start then storming back to lose by a hair in a photo finish for the mens 10K SuperTour race. Jennie Bender went off the front early and posted a nice margin in her victory in the womens 5K. J1 titles went to Chris Parr and Annie Harvieux, J2 crowns for Steve Hokanson and Mattie Watts. (Photo: Sean Gavigan) Note: Citizen racers will start with SuperTour fields on Sunday.
Related:
Photoset from Todd Bauer: Boys OJ/J1
Video: SuperTour Mens 10K Recap, SuperTour Womens 5K Recap, Boys OJ/J1 10K Recap, Girls OJ/J1 5K Recap, Boys J2 5K Recap, Girls J2 5K Recap
Video from Rosie Curry: Mens SuperTour 10K Start Crash
Results: 5K, 10K classical
Matt Liebsch Race Recap by Greg Bernhardt.
CCSA: Eriksson, Harju claim college wins, lift Michigan Tech at Green Acres SuperTour

Racing Outlook: Sections
January 23, 2012
A first pass at the Minnesota section schedule/locations has been posted. These are not final, please check back again as sections near.

State Meet Info
January 23, 2012
Information on the area high school championships...
Feb 11 Wisconsin State Championships
Feb 16 Minnesota State Meet
Feb 17-18 Michigan State Championships

Mayor's Challenge Freestyle Coverage
January 22, 2012
Sunday brought warmer but damp and cloudy conditions for the Mayor's Challenge freestyle races at Theodore Wirth. The mens 15K race featured a tight battle between Matt Liebsch and Tad Elliot, starting 15 seconds apart, with Liebsch holding on to a narrow victory. Caitlin Gregg topped the womens 10K field.
Related:
Photoset: 10K - 178 photos, 15K - 256 photos, 5K - 146 photos
Photoset: Top Picks (high res)
Photoset from David Owen: Freestyle
Photoset from Todd Bauer: Womens 10K, Mens 15K
Results: 5K, 10K, 15K freestyle
CCSA: Northern Michigan on top again as Markvardsen, Soderman lead CCSA
Matt Liebsch Wins Mayor's Challenge Cross Country Ski Races

Mayor's Challenge Classical Coverage
January 21, 2012
Sunny skies, crisp temperatures and light winds combined for some good classical conditions Saturday morning for the Mayor's Challenge events. Matt Liebsch continues to show improved classical form, topping the mens 10K field by just .4 seconds over Sylvan Ellefson! Jennie Bender posted the fastest womens time with a winning margin of 10 seconds.
Related:
Photoset: 5K - 235 photos, 10K - 225 photos
Photoset: Top Picks (high res)
Photoset from Todd Bauer: Men, Women
Results: 5K, 10K classical
CCSA: Markset, Markvardsen propel Wildcats to lead at Mayor's XC Challenge