2006-2007 MSHSNSCA Award Winning Coaches
April 24, 2007On Saturday, April 21st, the Minnesota State High School Nordic Ski Coaches Association held its annual spring meeting. During the meeting the award for coach of the year, Assistant Coach of the Year and Volunteer of the Year were handed out. Present to receive their awards were Mark Walters of Bemidji and Bonnie Fuller Kask of Duluth East (Coaches of the Year) and Brad Erickson (Assistant Coach of the Year). The Volunteer of the Year Award was awarded to Jay Richards of Maplelag.
MSHSNSCA Spring Meeting
April 15, 2007The MSHSNSCA will have their annual spring meeting on Saturday, April 21st at the Mora Vasaloppett Nordic Center. All high school coaches are encouraged to attend and anyone interested in the sport of Nordic skiing at the high school level is welcome!
Reception for Roseville Coach John Strand
April 2, 2007One of the area's legendary coaches, John Strand of Roseville, will step down from coaching after 26 years. Come out Sunday afternoon, April 22nd, for a reception in his honor at the Roseville Skating Center ('The Oval'). Please RSVP by April 15th.
Junior Nationals: Relays
March 10, 2007Junior Nationals wrapped up Saturday at Soldier Hollow with the team relays. Kyle Frederickson and Tim Cook handed off the final leg in second place to Ben Fick who turned a 28 second deficit into a 27 second victory in the MOJ race. Libby Ellis, Lynn Duijndam, and Jessie Diggins finished second in the FJ2 relay, just nine seconds back. Other top midwest finishes: MJ1 4th, FOJ 5th, FJ1 6th, MOJ 6th.
Junior Nationals: Classical
March 9, 2007Junior Nationals resumed on Friday at Soldier Hollow with the classical format races. The biggest story of the day was another Midwest victory, but this time it wasn't Stillwater's Jeese Diggins but instead Kyle Frederickson of Hayward taking the boys OJ title, with Forest Lake's Ben Fick coming in second. Other notables: Jessie Diggins 7th FJ2; Libby Ellis 10th FJ2; Katie Bono 9th FOJ; Joe Dubay 6th MJ1; Matt Pierce 8th MJ1.
Junior Nationals: Freestyle
March 7, 2007Junior Olympics Nationals resumed on Wednesday at Soldier Hollow with the freestyle technique races. Jeese Diggins continued her domination in the J2 field, taking the freestyle victory by eight seconds. Other notables: Lynn Duijdam 7th FJ2, Ingrid Fjeldheim 8th FOJ, Christy Nowak 10th FOJ, Joe Dubay 7th MJ1, Ben Fick 4th MOJ. (Photo: Steve Hoffman)
Junior Nationals: Sprints
March 5, 2007Junior Nationals opened Monday at Soldier Hollow in Utah with the 1.3K freestyle sprints. Stillwater sensation Jessie Diggins boosted her profile, taking the girls J2 title! Doug Debold posted the other notable Midwest result, taking 4th in the boys J1 event. Racing action continues on Wednesday with mass start freestyle events.
State Meet Coverage
February 16, 2007Skiers awoke Friday morning to warmer than expected temperatures in Biwabik for the annual State Meet. Fresh snow is lightly falling with about 1/2" on the ground at 10 am and temperatures climbing into the teens above zero.
Half-time update: The morning freestyle races turned out some incredible results with some very tight groups. Joe Dubay, Coon Rapids, holds the edge in the boys race, 11 seconds up over Brainerd's Justin Tyner, with Forest Lake's Leif Nordgren just .8 behind in third. Stillwater's top ranked Jesse Diggins has a little more breathing room in the girls race, up 36 over Lynn Duijndam of Roseville, with Duluth East's Ericka Sell just 3 seconds further back. Team races are too close to call right now.
Finale: The afternoon classical pursuit provided some of the tightest racing action in recent years at the State Meet. Joe Dubay blasted through the course to extend his lead and take the boys overall title with Leif Nordgren coming in a strong second. Stillwater's Jesse Diggins held her commanding lead to capture the girls crown, but Mpls Southwest's Libby Ellis hammered the classic pursuit to take second place. After some tabulation issues, the team titles were announced: Hopkins boys and Duluth East girls on top of the podium. The girls team race was especially close as Stillwater (2nd) and Roseville (3rd) were within seven points of the title. Over 600 photos online now, along with pursuit and team results.
Minnesota State Meet Preview
February 13, 2007The big State Meet is Friday! We provide a full breakdown on our individual and team favorites, and even a peak at some future prospects.
Section 7 Coverage
February 12, 2007The Minnesota high school sectionals finally wrapped up on Monday with the successful running of Section 7 at Giants Ridge. The meet had previously been postponed due to cold weather, but today the racing action was some of the most intense of sectionals. Duluth East boys defeated the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton team by 4 points to earn a trip to State, while the Duluth East girls had a little easier time in their qualifying. Both pursuit races turned out some exciting results. Ely's Nick Peterson spotted Duluth East's Erik Johnson more than 30 seconds in the freestyle race, then roared back in the classical only to lose the pursuit title by just over a second to Johnson. Ericka Sell, Duluth East, had an eight second margin in the freestyle before Carolyn Freeman, Ely, flew by in the classic to win the pursuit title by 30 seconds. Photos from Sheri Boyce and Dave Johnson added.
Racing Outlook
February 13, 2007An even busier week with the Minnesota State Meet on Friday and a big set of weekend races on tap. Latest news: Duluth Wed Night Series is on, Updates on the Minnesota Finlandia and Birkie, Snowflake/Inga-lami at Baker, Erik Judeen Classic is cancelled, Book Across the Bay is a go, Sawtooth is on, HinderBinder is go.
Wisconsin State Meet: Day 2 Results
February 11, 2007The Wisconsin High School Nordic Championships wrapped up on Sunday with the freestyle pursuit events. Ashwaubenon's Melanie Hoffman turned the tables on Sunday, passing Hayward's Molly Burger to take the freestyle and pursuit titles. Lakeland and Hayward girls had another close battle in the team scoring with Hayward edging out Lakeland by a single point. Hayward's Kyle Fredrickson extended his lead to sweep the weekend series of races. The Hayward boys topped their previous day total, missing a perfect score by just two points in taking the team title.
Wisconsin State Meet: Day 1 Results
February 10, 2007Day 1 of the Wisconsin High School Nordic Championships in Rhinelander featured some exciting competition for the overall titles. The biggest nail-biter of the day was the girls team title, which saw Hayward and Lakeland tie with 20 points each. Hayward easily top the boys list with a very low 9 point score. Hayward's Kyle Fredrickson has a slim 9/10s of a second lead of Wausau-Newman's Chris Bowler after the boys classic round today. Molly Burger, Hayward, tops the girls leader board with an eight second margin over Ashwaubenon's Melanie Hoffman.
Section 4 Coverage
February 9, 2007Moving from Giants Ridge to Baker Park, Section 4 went off under slightly warmer conditions on Friday. Little Falls Melissa Kempenich captured the girls pursuit title, but not without a strong challenge from Wayzata's Elizabeth Schmitz. Little Falls also collected the girls team title, holding off Wayzata and Maple Grove by 11 points. The Wayzata boys won the team title as their skiers swept the top three pursuit positions with Mason Bacso leading the way. Full results, plus some photos from the morning classical races.
Section 1 Results
February 8, 2007Another cold morning of racing as Section 1 hit the trails at Mt Itasca Thursday. The boys team title battle was the highlight of the day as Hastings and Lakeville South came down to just a two point difference, in Hastings favor. Burnsville collected the girls team championship. For the individuals, Sarah Daniels, Burnsville, posted the top girls pursuit time as Winona-Cotter's Jens Brabbit coasted in for the boys.
Section 2 Coverage
February 8, 2007Section 2 skiers competed on the familiar Troll Hollow trail system Wednesday for State Meet births. Joe Dubay, Coon Rapids, showed his #1 ranked form in taking the pursuit title by a minute over #4 ranked Leif Nordgren, Forest Lake. Roseville's Lindsey Marshall won the girls pursuit title, with teammate Lynn Duijndam in second and 8th grade sensation Liz Peterson, Forest Lake, third. Team titles went to Roseville girls and defending state champion Forest Lake boys. Full results, plus photos, online now.
Section 6 Coverage
February 7, 2007In stride with the weather as of late, Section 6 held their big meet at Mt. Itasca on the man-made trail system, with some crisp temperatures to boot. After being ranked number 1 or 2 all season, Hopkins' Doug Debold was upset by his own teammate Zach McGill for the Section pursuit title. Hopkins skiers swept the top three positions and took the team to State. Libby Ellis, Mpls Southwest, and Danielle Berndt, Bloomington Kennedy, were tied after the opening classical races. Ellis moved ahead in the freestyle to claim the pursuit championship. Mpls Southwest girls edged out the Hopkins girls by nine points for the team victory. Full results, plus photos from Jim Smith.
Section 8 Coverage
February 7, 2007Maplelag Resort was host to the Section 8 championships on Wednesday. While a bit crisp in the morning, the trails were in top shape especially after a fresh blanket of snow on Tuesday. The girls events featured an epic battle between Grand Rapids' Addie Byrne and Bemidji's Jill Smith. Smith held a four second advantage after the morning classical races, which Byrne was able to recoup in the freestyle pursuit, edging out Smith in a photo finish at the line! Brainerd's Justin Tyner took a big margin into the afternoon freestyle races and held off hard charging Waylon Manske of Bemidji to take the boys pursuit victory. Team titles went out to the Grand Rapids girls and Bemidji boys. Full results posted, plus photos from Jay Richards and Bill Grundy.
Section 5 Coverage
February 6, 2007Section 5 was run out at Baker Park on Tuesday, with fresh snow coming down for the morning classic races and a warm afternoon sun for the freestyle pursuit. Zach Slater, Minnehaha Academy, crushed the boys events, winning the pursuit title by over two minutes. Blake's Claire Richardson had nearly identical results in taking the girls overall. Robbinsdale-Armstrong swept the team titles. Full results, plus photos from the afternoon pursuit races.
Section 3 Results
February 6, 2007Section 3 competed on the trails of Troll Hollow on Tuesday. Stillwater girls powered their way to State as they pinned down six of the top eight positions. Number 1 ranked Jeese Diggins, Stillwater, dominated the field, winning the pursuit race by nearly two minutes. Woodbury's David Jorgensen won the boys pursuit crown as Mahtomedi captured the team title.
Minnesota High School Rankings Released
January 28, 2007No major shakeups in the rankings this week. Sections are coming up fast!
Capitol Square Sprints: Sunday Classical Sprints Coverage
January 14, 2007The Capitol Square Sprints wrapped up on Sunday with classical sprint events. In the Super Tour division, CXC women dominated again, with Lara Valaas and Caitlin Compton taking 1-2. Eric Strabel won the mens title. Junior titles divvied up: OJ Zachary McGill, Kristina Gillis; J1 Doug Debold, Steph Lafrance; J2 Benjamin Hugus, Jessie Diggins. High school winners were Luke Gesior and Robyn Lauritsen. The citizen skiers wrapped up the day with 5K classical races, in which Margie Nelson collected her second title of the weekend, and Santi Ocariz his first.
Capitol Square Sprints: HS Sprint Relays Coverage
January 13, 2007The Capitol Square Sprints continued on Saturday with the high school team relay freestyle sprints. Hayward dominated the Wisconsin division, taking the boys and girls titles. Mounds View boys nabbed the boys open title while Lakeland girls collected the girls crown. Results posted, plus photos from Mike Lundeen.
ABC Relays Coverage
January 13, 2007A "normal" winter day for the ABC Relays as temperatures started out in the single digits for the opening race. Roseville dominated the boys relay to easily capture the relay title. Stillwater won the girls crown with a strong opening leg from top ranked Jessie Diggins. Full results plus nearly 300 photos posted.
Wisconsin High School Season Preview
January 12, 2007Ken Schoville looks over the Wisconsin high school racing season, highlighting the teams and some of the top individuals.
Mesabi East Invite Coverage
January 6, 2007The annual Mesabi East Invite went off on Saturday with over 1100 racers hitting the trails at Giants Ridge. Hayward boys topped the field, as Matt Pierce won the classic race and Kyle Fredrickson captured the freestyle crown. However, the Duluth East boys field the consistent performers, winning the team title. The girls field continues to shape up as one of the most competitive in years as the top three teams were separated by just six points, with Duluth East girls making it a sweep for the northland. The girls classic race was dominated by Roseville's Lindsey Marshall, winning by a 30 second margin. Stillwater's Jesse Diggins won the freestyle race. Full results linked in, along with photos from Ron Kutsi.
NWSC Jamboree Coverage
January 2, 2007The NWSC Conference test drove a possible future State Meet format on Tuesday with their NWSC Jamboree event. The event featured a continuous pursuit, sprints, and team relays. Pursuit crowns went to Hannah Sanborn and Grant Dornfeld, sprint titles to Nicole Carstensen and Spencer Wigmore, and relay victories to the Wayzata girls and boys. The overall scoring titles went to the Maple Grove girls and Elk River boys. Full results, plus some photos from the sprint finals and boys relay online.
Holiday Relays Coverage
December 16, 2006It was a spectator's delight for the Holiday Relays Saturday at Troll Hollow as fans crowded sections of the course to cheer their favorites. Early clouds gave way to afternoon sunshine as temperatures hit the lower 40s. In the morning classical races, Roseville easily captured the girls title with Mounds View just missing the upset of Hopkins in the boys event. The girls freestyle relay was won by Stillwater, as anchor Jessie Diggins took the lead on the final leg. St. Louis Park boys won the freestyle relay with some surprisingly strong performances from their younger skiers. Results posted, along with photos from the freestyle races.
MSHSCA Two-Class Proposal Vote Results
November 22, 2006The Minnesota High School Coaches Associaton (MSHSCA) has wrapped up their voting on the proposal for a two-class nordic skiing program. The proposal was voted down, 74-44. Some interesting numbers in the breakdown.
MSHSNCA State Meet Proposals Update
November 17, 2006Minnesota High School Nordic skiing will see two changes in the State Meet format this winter: a more complete team scoring and pursuit scoring only for state qualification. And two more proposals are under consideration: a multi-event format and a two-class system.
Victor C. Dunder Awards
October 13, 2006The annual Victor C. Dunder Ski Equipment Awards help support needy high school skiers with equipment awards. Help fund this project through donation of funds or equipment.
Ringer Roll Coverage
August 11, 2006The annual Ringer Roll rollerski race at Baker Park featured another strong turnout this year. Conditions were perfect with smooth asphalt and temperatures in the low 70s. Besides the usual large numbers from the metro area junior training programs, there were a number of collegiate and elite level skiers participating on Friday. Danielle Berndt posted the fastest womens time sporting a pair of Skett rollerskis. The top womens Marwe time was notched by Lauren Rantala. Overall, Matt Liebsch logged the fastest time of the day at 22:03 for the 10K course on a pair of Marwe rollerskis. Andy Keller was the top junior male. Full results online now, along with 140 photos.
Brian Olsen: First Pair of Rollerskis
July 31, 2006Brian Olsen closes out July with a look back at those first pair of rollerskis.
Brian Olsen: Establish a good relationship with your coach
June 25, 2006Brian Olsen writes about building an honest relationship with your coach in his monthly column.
Gear West High School Running Series
June 15, 2006Gear West is hosting a six race series geared towards encouraging young runners to continue running in college with $1000 in scholarship money being awarded. The first race in the series is June 24 - The Minnetonka Summer Festival 8K.
MSHSL Advisory Committee Update
June 12, 2006Matt Laue reports on the MSHSL Board of Directors held on Monday which voted on a number of rule changes for Minnesota High School Nordic skiing including scoring, a pursuit only State Meet, and multiple teams advancing.
CXC Regional Development Team
May 17, 2006CXC Skiing has announced the Regional Development Team (RDT) athletes for 2007. The team contains a deep list of former top Minnesota and Wisconsin high school skiers.
Wisconsin High School Nordic Ski Championship Sites Named
May 15, 2006Oneida County will host the next two Wisconsin State Meets, with Northwoods Golf Course the 2007 site, and Minocqua Winter Park in 2008.
Wake Up Call
May 14, 2006Brian Olsen, former Minnesota high school skier and now US Olympic biathlete, begins a series of columns on what it takes to become an elite level athlete. This first article highlights how it all started for him.
MSHSNSCA Spring Meeting Minutes
May 11, 2006The Minutes from the MN High School Nordic Ski Coaches Association highlight some important issues, include a number of rule changes and proposals.