Skinnyski.com High School Rankings - Week 10
January 31, 2012
Week 10 of the high school rankings brings more juggling in the top ten individuals. With so many talented skiers on par with each other, almost every race puts a new twist on the overall standings. Ben Saxton and Annie Harvieux remain number one, as do the Wayzata girls and Roseville boys.

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

ABC Relays Results
January 14, 2012
Fielding over 30 relay teams, the ABC Relays showcased some tough competition on the snowmaking loop at Theodore Wirth Saturday. The Roseville boys and Stillwater girls took top honors, as Eric Slater, Henry-Sibley, and Kristen Bourne, MPA had the fastest classical times, Zach Goldberg, Minnetonka, and Kim Bourne, the top freestyle splits.

Mesabi East Invite Coverage
January 7, 2012
Giants Ridge put together a fast but challenging course for the Mesabi East Invite Saturday. While mostly running along the downhill basin on man-made snow, the course did take a sharp climb up one of the downhills, and a second sustained climb up another downhill to provide some real chances for skiers to get some separation. In the morning classical races, Sam Elfstrom, Roseville and Nora Gilbertson, Stillwater, strided to the classical victories. In the afternoon skate races, Jan Ketterson, Bloomington, and Alayna Sonnesyn posted the top times. Team titles went to the Roseville boys and Wayzata girls. Results linked in and over 800 photos posted.

Greenwood Hills Classic Sprints JOQ Coverage
December 18, 2011
Sunday in Wausau had the juniors flying in the classical sprints on the man-made snow at Greenwood Hills. And once again, Ben Saxton dominated the junior men, posting the fastest qualifying time by a full seven seconds and going on to win the sprint final. While Elizabeth Simak had the top qualifying time, it was Nichole Bathe taking the victory in the girls sprint final. J2 sprint winners were Colin Touhey and Vivian Hett.
Related:
Photoset from Todd Bauer: Qualifying, Heats
Photoset from Tom Jackson: Greenwood Hills JOQ
Results: Qualifying, Heats

Holiday Relays Coverage
December 17, 2011
Troll Hollow in Dresser, Wisconsin, featured some fast flying (and sometimes crashing) skiers in the 2011 edition of the Holiday Relays. Over 750 skiers completed from 30 teams. Opening the day was the girls classical relay which featured a nice dual between Stillwater and Wayzata, with the Wayzata girls winning by 30 seconds. In the boys classical, Irondale moved up to seize the victory in the final leg. The afternoon skates had to deal with a course softened up from the classical traffic, but still retaining very fast descents. The girls freestyle showcased of the top skiers in the state, including a match up of Alayna Sonnesyn and Mattie Matts in the final leg. Once again, the Wayzata girls flexed their team depth by winning by nearly two minutes (but with Watts posting the topping Sonnesyn by 14 seconds). Mirroring the Wayzata girls, the Irondale boys also swept the team titles with another come from behind win in the boys skate. Results along with nearly 800 photos and video recaps from all four races.

Greenwood Hills Freestyle Sprints JOQ Coverage
December 17, 2011
Enduring warm temperatures and even rain, the organizers pulled off a good race course for the Greenwood Hills JOQ in Wausau Saturday. In the qualifying rounds, Ben Saxton edged out Kyle Marshall by 2/10 of a second to post the fastest time. Elizabeth Simak had the top girls time by over two seconds. In OJ/J1 sprint finals, Saxton came out on top with Kyle Bratrud second and Marshall third. The girls OJ/J1 final saw Simak top the field with Nichole Bathe second, Deedra Irwin third. J2 titles went to Sean Cork and Vivian Hett.
Related:
Photoset from Larry Mishkar: Greenwood Hills JOQ Freestyle
Photoset from Todd Bauer: Qualifying, Heats
Results: Qualifying, Heats

Wolverine Challenge Classical JOQ Coverage
December 11, 2011
Day 2 of the Wolverine Challenge featured classical skiing with interval starts. Even with the lower than normal snow conditions, organizers were able to set a decent classical track throughout most of the course. Matt Liebsch posted an impressive classical performance, topping the mens 10K field by nearly 50 seconds. Monica Markvardsen had the fastest womens 10K time.
Related:
Photoset: Classical - 97 photos
Photoset: Top Picks (high res)
Photoset from Jay Richards: Wolverine JOQ Classical
Photoset from Linda Slining: Wolverine JOQ Classical
Photoset from Todd Bauer: Mens 10K classical, Womens 10K classical
Photoset from Tom Jackson: Wolverine JOQ
Results: 5K, 10K classical

Peter Westra Sprints Results
December 10, 2011
Racing under the lights of a fully opened Troll Hollow, over 168 high school skiers cranked out their best fast twitch in the Peter Westra springs on Friday evening. Chris Hecker, Anoka, and Toni St. Martin, Mahtomedi, captured the titles (and the big cookies)!

Wolverine Challenge Freestyle JOQ Coverage
December 10, 2011
The Junior Olympic qualifying season got underway Saturday morning in Ironwood with the freestyle races at Wolverine Nordic. Matt Liebsch, Senior, posted the top 10K time, coming in at 22:20. Elizabeth Simak, OJ, topped the 5K womens field posting a blister 13:33 time. Skiers reported fast snow but bumpy terrain, making it tricky to ride a stable ski.
Related:
Photoset: Freestyle - 106 photos
Photoset: Top Picks (high res)
Photoset from Linda Slining : Wolverine JOQ Freestyle
Photoset from Todd Bauer: Mens 10K
Video from Eve Stein: Mens 10K clips
Results: 5K, 10K freestyle

Minnesota State CC Meet Coverage
November 5, 2011
The Minnesota high school cross-country season crowned their champions Saturday on the traditional courses at St. Olaf in Northfield. The girls class AA was a thrilling battle as Alexandria's Jamie Piepenburg gave defending camp Maria Hauger, Shakopee, a major challenge. Piepenburg and Hauser formed the leading duo at the halfway point and then Piepenberg took the lead in the final kilometer. But Hauger kept her in sight and with a strong finishing stretch passed Piepenberg in the final 20 meters to take her third championship. Bemidji's Jenna Truedson finished third. The boys class AA was also a tight affair through the first half with nearly a dozen runners in the lead pack. In the end, it was number one ranked Josh Thorson, Wayzata, pulling away to take a narrow victory. Second and third went to Riley Macon, Rochester Mayo, and Troy Koivisto, Dassel-Cokato. Class AA team titles went to the Monticello girls and Stillwater boys. In the afternoon races, the class A competition squared off. The girls race saw Blake's Clare Flanagan crowned the new class A champion as she pulled away from Emi Trost, Cannon Falls. Last year's winner, Maris Shady of Esko, finished third. Senior Bryon Schuldt, Nevis, surged ahead of the field to win the boys A event. Brandon Clark, Blake, and Charlie Lawrence, Foley, rounded out the top three. Team A titles were swept by St. Cloud Cathedral as the boys narrowly defeated powerhouse Perham by a single point.
Related:
Photoset: Class AA Girls - 143 photos, Class AA Boys - 132 photos
Photoset: Top Picks (high res)
Video: Class A Girls Recap, Class A Boys Recap
Results: Class AA - Girls, Class AA - Boys, Class A - Girls, Class A - Boys

Fall Coaches Meeting Recap
October 29, 2011
The Vasaloppet Center in Mora hosted the annual Fall Coaches Meeting on Saturday, combined with a vendor expo. The biggest topic on the day was discussion and voting on two proposed changes to State Meet qualifying and scoring.

Minnesota State Meet Scoring Proposals
October 17, 2011
Pete Tremaine, President MN Nordic Ski Coaches Association, has posted a couple of new proposals for State Meet qualifying and scoring. These will be discussed at the Fall Coaches Meeting, October 29th in Mora.

2010-11 Season Highlights
May 1, 2011
Catch highlights plus full results and photos from the 2010-2011 high school racing season.