Second Annual Nordic Ski Expo
April 30, 2010MSHSNSCA and Vasaloppet Nordic Center will host the second annual Nordic Ski Expo on Oct 23rd as part of the fall coaches meeting. Vendors are encouraged to register, space is limited.
August Endurance Camp
April 23, 2010Jeremy Frost, St.Cloud State, and Dave Beeksma, Northland College, will again be hosting a week long Endurance Camp for high school cross-country runners and skiers, August 8-13. This year Garrott Kuzzy will be a special guest.
MSHSCA Nordic Awards
April 20, 2010Dave Johnson reports: At the spring meeting of the Minnesota State High School Nordic Ski Coaches meeting held last Saturday, April 17th, plaques were presented to the 2009-2010 Coaches Award Winners. Present to receive their awards were Paula Anderson (Ely) Coach of the Year and Joe Manns (Roseville) volunteer of the year.
MSHSCA Spring Coaches Meeting
April 14, 2010The MSHSCA Spring Coaches Meeting is this Saturday, April 17th, at the Vasaloppet Center in Mora.
2010 Collegiate Tally Board
April 8, 2010A lot of top skiers will be graduating this spring with many planning to continue skiing and racing in college. We've started up the 2010 edition of the collegiate tally board and will be updating it regularly.
Sisu Juniors Program Price Hike
March 28, 2010Sisu Juniors program introduces a couple of new additions to their program series this summer. Registered before Thursday, April 1st, and save $50.
Victor C Dunder Deadline Approaching
March 24, 2010The application deadline for the Victor C. Dunder awards is Wednesday, March 31st. The annual Victor C. Dunder Ski Equipment Awards help support first year high school skiers with equipment awards.
Junior Nationals: Classical Races
March 10, 2010The Midwest division picked up the pace on Wednesday, scoring a couple of podium places at Junior Nationals classical races in Presque Isle, Maine. Annie Hart, J1, was 2nd by 7.8 seconds and Matthew Nichols, J2, finished 3rd, less than 3 seconds out of first. Other top results: Paige Schember 5th J1, Eleanor Magnuson 4th OJ, Corrine Malcolm 6th OJ, Sarah Daniels 10th OJ, Adam Martin 9th J2.
Marshall Nordic Skiers Go the Distance
March 10, 2010Three Marshall skiers capped a great season by going for an epic 100K classic skiing day at the Korkki Nordic in Duluth.
Michigan State High School Championships: Pursuit
February 21, 2010Dan Wiitala reports: Day two of the Michigan State High School Championships in were held in Marquette under perfect race day weather conditions on Saturday. The days event featured exciting pursuit format racing. Starting in fourth place and 17 seconds back following the morning’s freestyle individual start race the defending girls champion, Marquette Sophomore Ellen Wiitala, quickly caught then broke the leaders pack at the 1.5 kilometer mark in the classic race and defended her pursuit championship title with a 19 second overall time gap on Ruth Oppliger of Copper Country. Oppliger’s teammate Kai Sharp came from third place in the boy’s freestyle race to win the pursuit championship with a 22 second overall time lead over Traverse City Central’s Ross Williams. Copper Country Ski Tigers were the elite team at this years competition, winning both the boys and girls team titles.
Michigan State High School Championships: Sprints
February 19, 2010Dan Wiitala reports: Classic sprint racing kicked off the Michigan State High School Championships in Marquette on Friday. Race day featured perfectly clear skies and 30 degree temperatures on excellent trail conditions at NTN’s Forestville Trailhead. In the girls division, Traverse City Central's and Norwegian exchange student Hilde Gronvold took the girls A final heat and when the smoke cleared in the Boys Division it was Gogebic's Ben Noren on top. The Copper Country Ski Tigers were very strong in the competition getting two boys and two girls each into the A finals. Racing continues tomorrow with more sunny skies forecasted for the pursuit title to name the overall state champions.
Wisconsin State High School Championships Coverage
February 14, 2010John Burke reports: The Wisconsin State High School Nordic Ski Championship was held Saturday in Rib Mountain on the Nine Mile Forest Trails. The meet had almost 400 participants in the one day/two race pursuit style format. The host Wausau East/West program took full advantage of the home course advantage by taking four of the top 10 places on their way to taking the Boys title. Matt Nichols led the way for Wausau East/West by winning the event by 8 seconds over Kevin Bolger of Lakeland who took second. Adam Martin and Chris Nichols rounded out the team scoring for the Wausau team by taking 3rd and 7th. Ashwaubenon took second followed by Hayward in third for the podium in the team standings. On the girls side, Deedra Irwin used a strong a strong performance in the classic race to win the overall title. Following her across the line was the freshman standout from the Madison team, Nicole Bathe and defending state champ, Brook Adams in third. Hayward however continued to display their depth by taking the team title over runner-up Peak Nordic. Lakeland, tied in points with the Peak Nordic squad, ended up third based on tie-breaker criteria. Hayward was led by their standout senior, Elizabeht Simak who took 4th, followed by Chelsa Tremblay (9th) and Jenny Parr (14th) to wrap up the scoring for their team title. Photos from Scott Nesvold added.
State Meet Girls Finish Video
February 13, 2010A wonderful collage and video mix of the Minnesota High School State Meet girls race between Jessie Diggins and Annie Hart, including video of the final stretch finish has been added to the high school results.
Videos from the boys and girls freestyle races added.
Minnesota State Meet Coverage
February 11, 2010Bright sunshine and calm winds warmed things up quickly on Thursday morning for the Minnesota State Meet. Racing action opened with the individual start skate races on the hilly Silver trail. CEC's Raleigh Goessling took off flying, starting in a position just behind all the favorites and hammered to a 4 second lead over Apple Valley's Andy Dodds. Jessie Diggins appeared to be on top form as she moved to the front of the girls field in strong fashion. In the afternoon, it was all Goessling in the boys pursuit as he broke away from the field to win with a healthy margin. The girls pursuit turned into one of the most exciting races of the past five years. After spotting Jessie Diggins a roughly 15 second head-start, Annie Hart chased down Diggins and eventually took the lead. The duo roared into the stadium and down to the finish with Diggins coming from behind in the final meters to pull out the win. The Ely boys team pulled off the surprising upset to win the state title (first in 40 years) by 8 points over Forest Lake. The Stillwater girls took home yet another state title with second place going to Wayzata by 1 point over Ely. Full results plus photosets now online. Photos from Ron Kutsi added.
Charlie Banks Relay Coverage
February 10, 2010The Charlie Banks Relay, held the day before the big State Meet, featured 27 girls and 30 boys teams in some close competition. Coming out on top, Wayzata girls and Mahtomedi boys. Results plus photos from Ron Kutsi.
Minnesota State Meet Preview
February 8, 2010The Minnesota State Meet is just days away, coming up early this season, on Thursday, February 11th. As usual, we've taken our shot at predicting who will be a top of the podium at the end of the day. What's your take?
Wisconsin High School Nordic Skiing Championship Preview
February 8, 2010The Wisconsin State High School Championships are this Saturday, February 13th in Wausau. Ken Schoville provides a complete breakdown on the favorites.
Section 7 Results
February 4, 2010Section 7 wrapped up the week of Sectional meets, and as usual, racing on the State Meet course of Giants Ridge, turned out one exciting finish. Amy Bianco, 9th grader from Ely, took a 22 second lead out of the freestyle race and then held on to win the classical pursuit by a mere three seconds over Kelly Kjorlien, Grand Rapids, and Annie Harvieux, Duluth East. The Ely girls would need every second as they came down to a tie with rival Duluth East with Ely getting the nod based on the tie breaker. Ely will be sending both teams as the boys earned the team title as well. Raleigh Goessling won the boys title. Full results posted.
Section 2 Results
February 4, 2010Camp Ripley hosted its third day of racing with the Section 2 meet on Thursday. Wayzata dominated the section, taking both the boys and girls team titles as well as a sound victory by their own Paige Schember in the girls pursuit. Number one ranked Ben Ohman, Orono, won the boys pursuit, although Wayzata's 10th grade star Alex Meyer nearly snapped up the fastest skate time, finishing just two seconds behind Ohman's posted split. Full results posted.
Section 8 Coverage
February 3, 2010Camp Ripley trails received a second day of racing as Section 8 squared off on Wednesday. Jake Richards, Detroit Lakes, spotted Bemidji's Matt Lee a four second margin after the classic and then moved ahead to win the pursuit title by an eight second margin. Summer Ellefson topped the girls field. Little Falls swept the team titles ahead of northern neighbor Bemidji. Results plus photosets online now.
Section 6 Coverage
February 3, 2010Ari Mahonen reports: The Section 6 meet took place at Baker Park Reserve on Wednesday with excellently groomed trails. Great tracks made classic waxing simple. In the boys race, Jack Hinkens (Hopkins), Connor Benton (Hopkins) and Ted McKlveen (Edina) went 1, 2, 3 in the classic event. They maintained their positions through the skate pursuit with Hinkens becoming the boy's section champion. In the team competition, Eden Prairie and Hopkins tied on points going to the tie breaker. Hopkins boys came out the victor by a 6 second average to become Section 6 team champions. In the girls race, Jen Rolfes (Edina) skied to a 50 second lead after the classic race with Shannon Evans (Eden Prairie) and Sarah Benton (Hopkins) taking the next two spots. In the pursuit race, Rolfes increased her lead to become the section 6 girl's champion. Evans held onto second with Emma Krieter (Edina) skiing her way into third. In the team competition, both Eden Prairie and Minneapolis Southwest put three girls in the top 10. Southwest came out on top by a 7 point margin becoming Section 6 team champions. Full results and photosets posted.
Section 4 Coverage
February 3, 2010The state's powerhouse teams faced off Wednesday at Battle Creek for the Section 4 title. Jessie Diggins, Stillwater, easily handled the girls field, posting top splits in the classic and freestyle races. Steve Coozennoy had similar results in taking the boys pursuit title. The Stillwater girls topped Roseville for the team title by taking places 1, 5, 6, 7. The Forest Lake boys team earned yet another trip to the State Meet. Full results and classical photosets posted.
Mike Weimerskirch adds: Stillwater lead by 9 points after the morning in the girls race. Roseville closed the gap in the afternoon, with Rachel Mason and Zoe Reker picking up a place each, but Stillwater's Annie and Emily Olson held off Roseville's Nikki Reker and Kristina Poss to clinch the four point victory.
Section 1 Coverage
February 2, 2010Brian Abery reports: The Section 1 pursuit meet took place at Valleywood on Tuesday on a soft track that made for a difficult two races for skiers. ISD 196 teammates Andy Dodds (Apple Valley High School) and Chris Parr (Eagan High School) staked themselves to unassailable leads in the morning interval start classic race. After battling it out with each other throughout the freestyle pursuit event, Dodds took first place over Parr by 8 seconds with Lakeville North skier Ben Saxton third. After close morning and afternoon races, the Lakeville North Boys took the Section 1 crown from the Eagan team by 6-points. Racing after the boys, the girls had to deal with extremely tough conditions as the track broke down. Lakeville South senior Jordyn Ross posted herself to a 37 second lead over Kyla Ewert of Winona/Winona Cotter in the morning classic race and stretched that to over a minute by the time the afternoon pursuit was complete. In the battle for 3rd place between Lakeville North’s Michelle Ferguson and Eagan Freshman Sonja Hedblom, the latter turned in one of the best performances of the day with a stellar freestyle ski that netted the 3rd spot on the podium. A close contest between Winona/Winona Cotter and the two Lakeville teams emerged after the morning race, but the Winona Girls broke things open in the afternoon freestyle pursuit placing 4 skiers in the top ten to take the Section 1 Girl’s Championships. Full results plus photos from the classical races.
Section 5 Results
February 2, 2010Racing over a coating of fresh snow at Camp Ripley, Section 5 titles were decided on Tuesday. The Osseo boys secured their spot at the State Meet with a nine point victory over Andover as their top three skiers finishing 3, 4 and 5. Robbinsdale Armstrong girls also denied Andover in collecting the team title. Calvin Mehrhof, Coon Rapids, won the boys pursuit. Alice Flanders, Robbinsdale Cooper, posted the top pursuit time with nearly a minute margin of victory.
Section 3 Coverage
February 2, 2010Beautiful afternoon conditions at Battle Creek West for the Section 3 Meet on Tuesday. Annie Hart took a commanding 2:28 lead from the classic race and stretched it to more than a four and half minute margin of victory in the girls pursuit. The SPA girls turned in a stellar performance, narrowly taking the team title over Minnehaha Academy. A bit of an upset in the boys race as Jake Brown, Minnehaha Academy, and Eric Slater, Henry-Sibley, finished first and second, ahead of favorites Ben Greenwald and Martin Aspholm. Minneapolis South boys took the team title ahead of Minnehaha by just 6 points. Full results linked in plus photos from the pursuit races.
Minnesota High School Rankings
February 1, 2010The weekly rankings for the Minnesota High School Nordic skiing have been posted. There will be a final one next week in advance of the State Meet on February 11th.
ABC Relays Coverage
January 16, 2010ABC Relays were at Theodore Wirth this year, racing on much of the new snowmaking loop and some of the Back 9. The boys featured a close battle as Coon Rapids took the early lead, then Stillwater moved up from third to first, before Minneapolis South took over with Andover chasing hard. South and Andover came down the final stretch together and on the unusual U-turn finish, Andover went for the inside line and got tangled up, going down just short of the line - South took first. The girls race featured two of Minnesota premiere skiers, Annie Hart and Jessie Diggins. Hart got things rocketing taking a 20 second lead in the opening kilometer of the girls relay. But it was Diggins overcoming roughly a minute deficit on the final leg to overtake Armstrong and give Stillwater girls the victory. Full results and photosets up now.
World Junior XC Team Named
January 10, 2010The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association has named 12 skiers to the World Junior Cross Country Team that will compete later this month at the World Junior Nordic Championships in Hinterzarten, Germany. Two midwest skiers made the team: Jessie Diggins and Anne Hart.
Giants Ridge Invite Coverage
January 9, 2010With over 1200 skiers participating, the Giants Ridge Invite is the biggest single day high school Nordic race in the nation and showcases most of the top junior talent in the Midwest. Classical races, delayed an hour due to the cold overnight temps, kicked off the day. Ben Ohman, Orono, posted the fastest classic time by just 6/10s of a second over Raleigh Goessling, CEC. The girls classic race featured the two superstars, Annie Hart (SPA) and Jessie Diggins (Stillwater), with Diggins coming out on top by nine seconds. As temperatures climbed, the afternoon skaters hit the Silver trail. Andy Dodds, Apple Valley, was the top dog in the freestyle with a clear 20 second margin. Jordyn Ross, Lakeville South, had nearly the same margin in her skate victory. Photosets from Jay Richards and Ron Kutsi.
Queen of the Hill: Annie Hart
January 8, 2010On Wednesday, Minneapolis Ski Club's own Annie Hart topped all juniors in a spectacular classical race at US Nationals. The victory qualified her for the 2010 World Junior Team. Kevin Brochman recaps Annie's racing action and looks back at her training.
High School Racing Comes to the Upper Peninsula
December 30, 2009Marquette High School has started an official high school Nordic ski team under the guidance of Matt Weier, Joey Graci and Dan Wiitala. The team will challenge the Minnesota scene at the Giants Ridge Invite on Jan 9th.
Holiday Relays Coverage
December 19, 2009It was an exciting day of racing at Troll Hollow for the storied Holiday Races as some of the perennial powerhouse teams fought for the overall titles. A quick breakdown on the results: Girls Classic - Stillwater, Wayzata, Roseville; Boys Classic - Stillwater, Osseo, Mpls South; Girls Freestyle - Roseville, Stillwater, Wayzata; Boys Freestyle - Wayzata, Stillwater, Roseville. Top times on the day: Girls Classic - Jessie Diggins, Boys classic - Martin Aspholm, Girls Freestyle - Becca Dyson, Boys Freestyle - Alex Meyer. Correction: Wayzata captured Simpson Trophy for the fasted combined time of all four events. Wayzata boys and Roseville girls had the top combined team times. Full results and photos from the skate races now online.
Minnesota High School Coaches Update
December 17, 2009Minnesota High School Nordic Ski Coaches Association President Mike Hecker provides an early season update on a number of topics including the State Meet, travel restrictions, education and rankings.
South High School Wins National Sportsmanship Award
November 13, 2009Minneapolis South High School will be the recipient of a National Sportsmanship Award on November 21st at a ceremony in St. Louis, MO. South was selected for their role in scheduling a last minute race to help Minneapolis Southwest's Libby Ellis qualify for sectionals back in February 2009. South coach Tony Aspholm will be present to accept the award. The event is to be televised in December.
MSHSNCA Fall Meeting Minutes
November 9, 2009Susan Waananen has compiled and published the full minutes of the 2009 Minnesota State High School Nordic Ski Coaches Association Meeting held in October at the Mora Vasaloppet Nordic Center.
Special High School Deals
November 8, 2009A number of stores offer special high school packages:
- Ski Hut
- Finn Sisu
- Pioneer Midwest
- Hoigaards
- Gear West
Check with your local store for other deals. We also maintain a big list of the Fall Ski Swaps, another great resource for the thrifty. And of course, there is the online classifieds.
Minnesota State High School CC Meet Coverage
November 7, 2009Under beautiful blue sunny skies and temperatures ranging from the mid 50s to the low 60s, 2009 Minnesota State Meet at St. Olaf was a spectators dream. The AA boys event created one of the more exciting state meets in years, with a bunched group of about 15 runners holding tight formation half-way through the race with no clear leader. Finally, Eden Prairie's Aaron Bartnik and Woodbury's Marty Joyce edged away to drive the field to the finish. Bartnik claimed the final meters over Joyce with a winning time of 15:55. Joyce crossed in second place at 15:58, with Kemal Jarso of St. Paul Central rounding out the top 3 at 16:02. The girls AA race was more decisive, with Shakopee's Maria Hauger leading for most of the race. Hauger crossed the line in 1st position in 14:40, with 2nd and 3rd positions going to Emma Bates of Elk River (14:41) and Jamie Piepenburg of Alexandria (14:45). Team titles went to the Eden Prairie boys and the Elk River girls (with the top three teams separated by less than 10 points). In the afternoon, the class A races hit the field. Musa Mubarik of Worthington put in a strong 500 meters to take the boys title over Kaullick Paul, Blake. Perham senior McClellan Maddie collected the girls title over a pack of young stars (seven of the top ten were ninth grade or younger) Perennial star Perham had a tough team day: Plainview-Elgin-Millville boys edged out Perham by just two points for the boys title, while the Waseca girls topped the Perham crew by 11.
Minnesota Nordic Ski Association Coaches Fall Conference Recap
October 25, 2009President Mike Hecker provides a brief recap on Saturdays big Minnesota Nordic Coaches Association Fall Meeting held at the Vasaloppet Center in Mora. Some of the major issues decided: Multi-event proposal did not pass, team/individual scoring state meet: score all team skiers, state meet format: skate first, classic pursuit.
Roy Griak Invite Coverage
September 26, 2009Recent rains made for a soft course as temps soared into 70s for the afternoon high school races for the Roy Griak Invitational at the U of M Golf Course on Saturday. Wayzata boys improved on last year's third place finish, moving to the top of the field in winning the High School Boys Gold race. Downling Catholic took the Gold girls title, just six points ahead of Lee's Summit West. Individual champions were Jake Erschen and Katie Flood (third in a row!). Team titles in the Maroon division went to Anoka and Shorewood, Josh Mulloy and Cassidy Soli were the individual winners.
MSHS Announces High School Nordic Ski Team
June 12, 2009Marquette Senior High School will add a self-funded Nordic Ski program beginning with the 2009-2010 winter sports season. An informational meeting and reception for the new team will be held at Marquette Senior High School on Monday June 15th.
Summer Junior Programs Start Next Week
June 5, 2009The big summer training programs for juniors kickoff on Monday, June 15th. There are still some openings available if you act quickly.
Gustavus Ski Camp
June 3, 2009Gustavus will be hosting their annual high school Nordic Ski Camp June 14-18 on the campus in St. Peter, MN. Multiple workout sessions each daily plus evening guest speakers.
From 80th to 1st: Annie Hart's Story
May 23, 2009Minneapolis Ski Club highlights Annie Hart's journey from 80th in 2007 to 1st in 2009 at the Minnesota State Meet.
2008-09 Season Highlights
May 1, 2009Catch highlights plus full results and photos from the 2008-2009 high school racing season.