Minnesota State High School 2001-2002 Season Preview
November 12, 2001
Bjorn Batdorf skating to second place
finish at last year's State Meet.
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Last season climaxed with a very cold and long day at Giants
Ridge. Anders Osthus put a final stamp on his long reign as
the boy's champion, taking the classical and pursuit titles.
The long awaited match up of Liz Harrington, Lindsay Williams
and Lindsey Weier lived up to all expectations as Lindsay
Williams put in a strong classical race then held off Weier
and Harrington to take the pursuit title. Rated number three
in the state going into the meet, the Duluth East boys used
some timely peaking from Bjorn Batdorf as well as other team
members to capture the team title. Hopkins took the girls
title with a tight battle for second place between eventual
winner Roseville, Duluth East, and Stillwater.
Part of the excitement of high school sports from year to
year is the continual evolution of teams, as seniors graduate
and new stars rise. With the graduation of Anders Osthus last
year, the boys title is up for grabs. Perhaps leading the
list of candidates is Bjorn Batdorf, who went into the state
meet last season ranked 15th overall, and came out second
in both freestyle and pursuit events. However, there is a
long list of challengers, including Hopkins skiers Dan Skold
and Josh Lewandowski, Dan Whipple from Blaine, Heath Garrett
from Winona, and St. Paul Academy's Evan Ray and Steve Scott.
For the girls title, many of the major players return this
season. Hastings' Lindsay Williams and Mahtomedi's Lindsey
Weier are the leading favorites once again, but there are
many dark horses: Heidi Hittner from White Bear Lake, Stephanie
Howe from Forest Lake, Courtney Dauwalter from Hopkins, Sonne
Nordgren from Stillwater, and Roseville's Katie Somers and
Jessica Salvatore, are just some of the skiers who have a
shot at the title.
Hopkins Courtney Dauwalter (front left),
and Shannon Bergstedt (right) along with
a number of other teammates dryland
training last August.
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In the team events, on paper at least, the top teams remain
about the same. Hopkins girls will be tough to knock off the
podium, with relative newcomer Shannon Bergstedt expected to
improve over last year's 15th place with another off-season
of ski training under her belt. Roseville's triple-threat of
Johanna Winters, Jessica Salvatore, and Katie Somers, all top-16
finishers last season, have the potential to form a major powerhouse
if their teammates continue to improve this season.
The boys team title should be a lot closer race this season.
While Duluth East lost their ace, Bjorn Batdorf appeared ready
to step into that role at the State Meet last season. 2001
Most Improved Skier of the Year, Nathan Holst, has been training
hard this off-season and can be counted on for more improvements
this year, along with returning teammates Adam Van Stratten,
and Kai Salmela. But Hopkins, anchored by Dan Skold and Josh
Lewandowski, brings back nearly its entire second place team
from last season -- and if Garrott Kuzzy is part of the action
this season, then Hopkins has to be the odds-on favorite.
As with each year, especially at the high school level,
huge improvements can be made from season to season. Many
of the skiers mentioned are seniors. There will undoubtedly
be some new hotshots casting upsets this winter. Who they
are and where they'll come from -- that's all part of the
excitement of high school nordic racing!
The season kickoff begans with the opening of official training
on Monday, November 12th. Let's get ready to rruummmbbbbbllee!!
| Many metro area stores offer great high school
packages and pricing. Check out Gear
West, Finn
Sisu, Hoigaards,
and Pioneer Midwest for the latest equipment and details
on special packages/pricing. In addition, Fast
Wax offers a special program for high school teams.
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