Minnesota Coaches Association Spring Meeting Recap
April 29, 2008Minutes have been posted from the Minnesota Coaches Association Spring Meeting held back on April 19th in Mora. Discussions included uniform markings, State Meet date change, and State Meet team scoring.
MSHSNCA Spring Meeting Update
April 15, 2008The MSHSNCA Spring Meeting is this Saturday, April 19th. Paula Anderson provides details on the uniform rule discussion, a call for new officers, and plea for more members.
MSHSNCA Spring Meeting Agenda
April 4, 2008The Minnesota State High School Nordic Ski Coaches’ Association annual Spring Meeting is April 19th at the Mora Vasaloppet Nordic Center.
Junior Nationals: Relays
March 15, 2008Junior Nationals in Anchorage wrapped up Saturday with the always exciting relay event as the Midwest crew rebounded with some nice results. In the J1 girls race, Jessie Diggins hammered out a dramatic anchor leg that catapulted the strong team of Libby Ellis and Lynn Duijndam from fourth place to first! The J1 boys had a great performance, taking third with the team up of Hans Nygren, Joe Dubay, and Chris Bowler. The boys OJ trio of Zach McGill, Kyle Fredrickson, and Doug Debold just missed the podium, finishing fourth.
Copper Country's Mike Young Named Ski Coach Of The Year
March 14, 2008The Great Lakes Winter Trails Council (formerly The Great Lakes Nordic Ski Council) has named Mike Young of Hancock, Michigan the 2007 Ski Coach of the Year.
Junior Nationals: Classical
March 14, 2008Friday featured the big mass start classical races at Junior Nationals in Anchorage, Alaska and it was a tough day for the Midwest team. Jessie Diggins once again lead the way, taking third place in the girls J1 race. The other other top ten finishes of the day were Chris Bowler 6th MJ1, Leif Nordgren 9th MOJ. Junior Nationals wraps up Saturday with the exciting relay events.
Junior Nationals: Freestyle
March 12, 2008Junior Nationals in Anchorage, Alaska, resumed on Wednesday with skate format racing on a modified race course due to continued warm weather. Minnesota State Champion Jessie Diggins was the far-and-away star of the day, dominating the girls J1 field with nearly a 30 second margin of victory! Other top Midwest results: Chris Bowler 4th MJ1, Hans Nygren 10th MJ1, Matt Pierce 10th MOJ, Sharmila Ahmed 7th FJ2, Jen Rolfes 8th FJ2, Libby Ellis 10th FJ1.
Junior Nationals: Classical Sprints
March 10, 2008The first day of Junior Nationals kicked off with classical sprints. Reaching the top of the podium, Joe Dubay collected the victory in the MJ1 sprint final. Second place finishes were scored by Jessie Diggins, FJ1, and Doug Debold, MOJ. Other top Midwest results: Summer Ellefson, 3rd place B final FJ2; Melanie Hoffman, 1st place B final FOJ; Chris Bowler, 2nd place B final MJ1.
Junior Nationals: First Impressions from Anchorage
March 10, 2008CXC reports on the arrival of the Midwest Junior Olympic Team in Anchorage, Alaska, for the week-long series of races. Snow conditions are a bit sparse, but organizers have been working to prepare the best course possible.
Michigan High School Championships Results
February 19, 2008The Michigan State Meet was held last weekend at Boyne Valley Lodge. Superiorland Ski Club's Tom McFadden dominated the boys races, sweeping the entire set of races. Olivia Orr, Copper Country, won the girls title, taking victories in the freestyle, pursuit and sprint events. Copper Country won the combined team title.
Minnesota State Meet Coverage
February 15, 2008After being delayed an hour and half do to cold temperatures, the State Meet got underway at 11:30 this morning as temperatures just creeped past the -4F threshold.
Half time update: At the half way point, we've got the possible makings for a major upset in the boys division. Lakeville South's Hans Nygren skied the race of his life, finishing one second ahead of favorite Joe Dubay in the freestyle race! Bob Gertin, of St. Thomas-Academy has pulled off an incredible race as well, finishing third. In the girls race, things are going a bit closer to plan as Jessie Diggins, Stillwater, dominated the field, winning the freestyle race by over a minute! Libby Ellis, Minneapolis Southwest, and Grand Rapids Addie Byrne wrap up the top three. In the team race, the Burnsville girls are leading over Stillwater in a race separated by less than 10 points! The Forest Lake boys have a commanding leading going into this afternoon's classical pursuit.
Update 2:20 pm: Joe Dubay passed Hans Nygren in the classical pursuit and skied in with a comfortable margin to repeat as the boys state champion. Nygren finishes second, Ben Brodin, Forest Lake, moved to up to take third.
Update 3:20 pm: Jessie Diggins skis a victory tour to capture the second straight state title of her young career. Libby Ellis and Addie Byrne hold their positions to take second and third. Based on some very rough calculations, it looks like the Forest Lake boys and Stillwater girls have taken the team titles. Full results and early photosets online now. Photosets from David Harrington, Cees Duijndam, Ron Kutsi, Dave Johnson and Bob Dalberg now posted.
State Meet is On!
February 14, 2008As of 9:15 Thursday morning, officials announced they are going forward with the Minnesota State Meet on Friday. Because of cold weather, the start will be delayed to 11:30 am.
Friday update: The races started on time at 11:30 am, with dual interval starts. Paul Anderson was named the Coach of the Year at the State Meeet Banquet on Thursday evening.
Minnesota State Meet Preview
February 12, 2008The huge Minnesota State Meet is this Friday, with the usual cold weather rolling in just in time. Check out our annual breakdown on the favorites along with our predictions for the top of the podium.
State Meet Coaches Meeting Agenda
February 11, 2008The Minnesota State Meet is this Thursday and Friday at Giants Ridge. Thursday night is the Coaches Meet and State Meet Banquet, this year at Giants Ridge.
Final Minnesota High School Rankings
February 10, 2008While Joe Dubay and Jessie Diggins remain the top ranked skiers going into the State Meet, the teams have shuffled up. Forest Lake boys and Stillwater girls are the favorites in the final Coaches Association rankings.
Wisconsin State Meet Results
February 9, 2008Switching to a single day format to avoid Sunday's predicted freeze out, Wisconsin high school skiers competed on the trails of Minocqua Winter Park for the State Championships. Hayward continued their dominating run, sweeping the team titles with Waukeska West and Lakeland filling out the podium. In the boys race, Chris Bowler, Wausau-Newman, took the early lead winning the classical race, but it was Hayward's Matt Pierce that overtook Bowler in the freestyle race to win the pursuit title. Corrine Malcolm, Hayward, captured both the striding and skate titles to be crowned the girls champion.
State Meet Banquet
February 5, 2008The Minneosta State Meet Banquet will be held on Thursday, February 14 at the Chalet at Giants Ridge. Tickets support the coaches association.
State Meet Slideshow Prep
February 4, 2008In preparation for the Minnesota State Meet Banquet Thursday, February 14th, coaches/teams are encouraged to gather photos of the State qualifying skiers.
Section 5 Coverage
February 8, 2008The Minnesota sectionals wrapped up on Friday with the Section 5 events at Camp Ripley. In the section with the returning state champion Joe Dubay, it was a bit surprising that the most dominating performance of the day came from someone other than Dubay. Eleanor Magnuson sailed through the girls field, taking the classical race by 1:52 and then extending that lead in the freestyle race to collect the pursuit title by nearly three minutes! Dubay looked tuned up for the state meet, taking the boys pursuit by just over a minute. Robbinsdale Armstrong swept the team titles in close races against Andover and Anoka.
Section 2 Results
February 7, 2008Racing at Camp Ripley, Section 2 featured a battle of Central Minnesota powers. Hannah Sanborn, Maple Grove, provided some serious thrills as she stormed back from a 30 second deficit after the morning's classical race to catch Buffalo's Ingrid Leask and capture the girls pursuit title by a single second. Wayzata's Anders Bowman and Kasey Bacso proved a powerful duo as they easily took first and second honors in the boys event. Wayzata walked away with both the girls and boys team titles.
Section 1 Coverage
February 7, 2008Enjoying nearly perfect conditions and weather, Section 1 skiers competed for State Meet placements at Valleywood Golf Course on Thursday. The girls team bid was an exciting three way the horse race with less than 10 points separating the teams. The young Lakeville South girls took the victory in front of Park Cottage Grove and Winona. Lakeville South and Apple Valley had an equally close race for the boys title, Apple Valley winning the team trophy by just 4 points. Nicole Westphal, Park Cottage Grove, and Hans Nygren, Lakeville South, captured the individual pursuit titles.
Section 7 Results
February 7, 2008Racing at Giants Ridge, Section 7 decided their state qualifiers on Thursday. There is a changing of the guard in the boys division, as 8 of the top 12 boys today were all 9th or 10th grade skiers. Leading the youth charge was Raleigh Goessling of Cloquet-Esko-Carlton. Goessling, recently back from his biathlon racing in Germany, hammered the field in winning by nearly a minute and a half. Alena Tofte, Duluth East, overtook teammate Marian Lund in the classical leg to take the girls pursuit. Duluth East swept the team titles.
Section 4 Coverage
February 7, 2008Section 4, racing on the State Meet trails at Giants Ridge Tuesday, featured a number of the perennial favorites in Minnesota high school Nordic skiing. The Forest Lake boys dominated the team competition, with Moundsview's Brandon Piechowski the only obstacle in preventing the perfect score as Forest Lake swept the top three places. Stillwater girls had a very close race with nemesis Roseville, winning the team title by just 10 points. Number one ranked Jesse Diggins, Stillwater, fresh from her overseas "tour", used a strong classical race to pull away from Roseville's Lynn Duijndam and take the girls title. Forest Lake's Ben Brodin held off teammate Ryan Wright's blazing classical leg to win the boys pursuit crown by a mere second.
Section 6 Coverage
February 7, 2008On paper, Section 6 looked to be one of the toughest matchups as three of the top 10 ranked teams battled for the right to advance to the State Meet. Racing on fast conditions at Troll Hollow Tuesday, the section lived up to its billing: The battle for the boys team title came down to the virtual tie between Minneapolis Southwest and Hopkins, with Southwest winning the tie-breaker based on total time. The Southwest girls had a slightly easier path, advancing with a 14 point victory over Eden Prairie. Southwest's Libby Ellis crushed the girls field, winning by over a minute and half. Erik Fagerstrom, Eden Prairie, took the boys field ahead of Chaska's Andy Keller.
Section 8 Coverage
February 6, 2008Camp Ripley hosted the Section 8 races Wednesday under sunny skies and temperatures rising into the mid 20s. Bemidji boys won a close battle over Otter Tail Nordic and Grand Rapids for the team title. The Little Falls girls had an easier road, placing four girls in the top seven overall for the team victory. Lars Ellefson continued his strong section record, sweeping the classical and freestyle races. Grand Rapids Addie Byrne won the classical but was nearly upset by a hard charging Missy Erickson, Alexandria, who came from 6th in the classical finish 2nd in the pursuit, just four seconds behind Byrne.
Section 3 Results
February 5, 2008The trail to the Minnesota State Meet started Tuesday with Section 3 competing at Troll Hollow in Dresser, Wisconsin. Burnsville was the dominate force, taking both the girls and boys team titles. Maria Tinebra, Burnsville, had the performance of the day posting the top classical time and then holding off Bloomington's #4 ranked Danielle Berndt by four seconds to take the overall title. St. Thomas Academy's Bob Gerten used an impressive skate race to overtake SPA's Ben Greenwald to win the top boys pursuit.
Unsung Heros of Successful Sports Teams
January 31, 2008Dave Johnson offers up another article on high school skiing, this time writing about the parent/volunteer involvement in sports teams.
Minnesota High School Rankings
January 28, 2008Minnesota State High School rankings for the last week in January. State Meet is just weeks away now!
Minnesota High School Rankings
January 22, 2008The Minnesota State High School rankings have been released. No big shakeups at the top as Mpls Southwest still holds the team rankings and Joe Dubay and Jessie Diggins are the top individuals.
High School Racing Highlights
January 18, 2008Some of this week's high school highlights include: Hayward skiers racing at double O, showdown of central Minnesota top girls at Camp Ripley, and an updated on Jessie Diggins racing plans.
Minnesota High School Rankings
January 14, 2008No big shakeups in the weekly Minnesota State rankings: Jesse Diggins and Joe Dubay remain the ones to beat, Minneapolis Southwest still holds the team titles.
Rainbow JOQ Sunday
January 13, 2008Rainbow wrapped up a beautiful weekend on their trail system with freestyle format races Sunday. Joe Dubay continued his dominating streak, posting the fastest 10K time of the day (and the only time under 26 minutes). Libby Ellis showed great form in holding off Lynn Duijndam by less than six seconds for the top girls time. Division winners - OJ Matt Pierce, Carolyn Freeman; J1 Joe Dubay, Libby Ellis; J2 Scott Johanik, Anne Hart. Jay Richards and Lisa Marquardt won the citizen's 10K race.
Rainbow Resort JOQ Saturday
January 12, 2008Near perfect conditions at Rainbow Resort on Saturday for their opening JOQ events, 1.5km classical sprints. Winners on the day: J2 - Michael Howe, Jen Rolfes; J1 - Joe Dubay, Molly Burger; OJ - Matt Pierce, Carolyn Freeman. Racing action will conclude Sunday with freestyle races.
Minnesota High School Rankings
January 6, 2008The Minnesota state rankings get a thorough shakeup after US Nationals and the Mesabi East Invite. Minneapolis Southwest captures both team titles this week, while Joe Dubay and Jesse Diggins solidify their positions at the top.
Mesabi East Invite Coverage
January 5, 2008The huge Mesabi East Invite drew over 1000 high school skiers to the trails at Giants Ridge on Saturday. Stillwater's Jesse Diggins, fresh from US Nationals, crushed the girls freestyle field, winning by a full minute in the 5K race. Libby Ellis, Minneapolis Southwest, took the girls classical race. Out of state invaders took the boys races as Hayward's Matt Pierce won the classical event and Marquette's Tom McFadden collected the freestyle crown. Minneapolis Southwest pulled out a bit of an upset, sweeping the team titles over favorites Forest Lake and Stillwater. Full results linked in, plus a photoset from Ron Kutsi.
West Itasca Ski Festival Coverage
December 28, 2007Rainbow Resort wrapped up three days of clinics and races in their annual West Itasca XC Ski Fest on Friday. The final 5K race featured some of Burnsville's top high school skiers as Craig Soderling and Sarah Daniels posted the fastest times. Results plus photos online.
Minnesota High School Rankings
December 23, 2007The weekly rankings are posted for the Holidays. Big movers this week: Lars Ellefson jumps to third, Addie Byrne and Sarah Daniels climb to third and fourth. The Forest Lake boys take back the number one ranking, while the Stillwater girls remain on top.
Holiday Relays Coverage
December 22, 2007Mark Stange reports: Stillwater captured both the overall boys and girls divisions to claim the traveling Bill Simpson trophy for the top team at the Holiday Relays held at Trollhaugen in Dresser, WI. Andover posted the top three individual split times en route to an impressive three-minute margin victory in the boys freestyle skate event, led by junior Joe Dubay's 42-second margin best split. Photos from Kyle Thomas, along with full results.
High School Racing Highlights
December 21, 2007Highlights from the past week of high school racing action include two freestyle sprint races, and a classic showdown on the Valleywood Golf Course. We'll try to make this a regular feature on Friday nights.
Commitment
December 19, 2007Dave Johnson's latest blog talks about commitment as an essential component of Nordic Skiing success.
Minnesota State High School Rankings
December 17, 2007Minnesota State High School Rankings have been posted. No huge shake ups this week as Mpls Southwest boys and Stillwater girls remain the top teams.
Maplelag Ski Camp Sunday
December 16, 2007Sunday brought some spectacular conditions for the final day of the Maplelag Ski Camp. Hoar frost covered the trees in the morning, with the sun breaking out by midday. The campers spent the morning playing ski games including modified types of Ultimate Frisbee using soccer balls and even football (complete with tackling) -- all on skis.
NCCSEF Announces $100,000 Challenge Grant
December 16, 2007The National Cross Country Ski Education Foundation (NCCSEF) has received a generous donation of $50,000 over a three-year period to help fund athletes under the age of 25. But, they must match that amount with donations from the ski community.
Maplelag Ski Camp Saturday
December 15, 2007Teams from Bloomington Jefferson, Mpls Southwest, Champlin Park, Long Prairie, Detroit Lakes and Fergus Falls turned out Saturday for Maplelag's annual Ski Camp. The day started off with a mid-morning 5K classical race, with the Nelson brothers setting the benchmark time for the men, and high school star Libby Ellis the top time for the women. After a big lunch, the skiers group into groups for skating and classic technique sessions with members of the Skinnyski Race Team. The evening wrapped up with a waxing clinic from the Nelson trio.
Troll Hollow Freestyle Sprints Results
December 9, 2007The weekend JOQ sprint series at Troll Hollow wrapped up Sunday with freestyle format events. Joe Dubay completed the weekend sweep, taking the boys J1 title. Hayward's Molly Burger topped the girls J1s.
Troll Hollow Classical Sprints Results
December 8, 2007Some of the regions top juniors competed at Troll Hollow Saturday in the sprint classic events. Reigning Minnesota State Champions, Joe Dubay and Jesse Diggins both looked up to the task, taking down their respective sprints final. Sunday's sprints are freestyle format.
What Makes a Nordic Coach?
December 6, 2007Dave Johnson follows up his 'What Makes a Nordic Skier?' article with the other side of the equation, What Makes a Nordic Ski Coach?
What Makes a Nordic Skier?
November 28, 2007Duluth's Marshall School coach Dave Johnson has written a short essay on the qualities that make up a high school nordic skier.
Minutes from Minnesota Coaches Association Fall Meeting
November 5, 2007The annual Fall Coaches meeting was at the end of October. Highlights include: uniform rule enforcement, possible switch to FIS rules, and possible move of State Meet date.
Seeking Victor C. Dunder Award Sponsors
October 24, 2007The annual Victor C. Dunder Ski Equipment Awards help support first year high school skiers with equipment awards. Help fund this project through donation of funds or equipment.
Roy Griak Invitational Coverage
September 29, 2007It was a blustery Saturday for the annual Roy Griak cross-country meet on the U of M Golf Course in Falcon Heights. Gusty winds and intermittent rain eventually gave way to sunshine by the time the last event of the day was underway. All of the high school races saw runaway winners for the individual titles. Burnsville's #1 ranked Rob Finnerty broke away early and held on for victory in the Boys Gold. Katie Flood of Dowling Catholic (Iowa) captured the Girls Gold as Naomi Landecker, Staples-Motley, was the top Minnesotan in fourth. Greg Beesley of Brandon Valley, South Dakota, won the Boys Maroon with Ryan Tholen of Tracy the top Minnesota in second place. Girls Maroon victory went to Anne Hart, St. Paul Academy, with eight grader from Minnewaska, Halle Christianson, taking fourth. Team titles were dished out to: Wayzata (Boys Gold), Greeley West (Girls Gold), Brandon Valley (Boys Maroon), Coon Rapids (Girls Maroon).
Duluth Summer Youth Program Spotlight
July 30, 2007The Duluth XC Ski Club (DXC) has provide a write up with photos on their new summer youth training program. The program is being led by skiers Andre Watt and Brit Salmela, with up to five sessions a week.
Spotlight: MN Valley Advanced Program
July 18, 2007Wednesday the Minnesota Valley Advanced Program was out in the humid morning air for an old school workout on the downhills at Hyland. Coach Randy Gibbs lead the roughly 30 skiers through a number of dryland drills including striding, bounding and tuck exercises, along with a few sprints tossed in.
Afton Coulee Testing
July 12, 2007Ben Dubay reports: The Minneapolis Ski Club carried out its infamous Coulee testing in the town of Afton recently. About 25 top level high school and college skiers came to hammer up the hill. Top times were done by Jesse Lang at 6:17 with Joe Dubay and Kevin Heglund close behind at 6:32. Jesse Diggins lead the women at 8:03 with Jackie Pribyl following at 8:32. Kevin Heglund and Jesse Lang both qualified for NCAA's last year and posted some very good results for the Midwest. Joe Dubay and Jesse Diggins are the current Minnesota state champions.
Sisu Juniors Morning Program Spotlight
June 28, 2007Thursday morning the Sisu Juniors morning program was at Battle Creek, working out in the Ravine area. The large program was split into three sections, as skiers focused on classical technique on rollerskis under the direction of Ahvo Taipale, Greg Weier, and Richard Clark.
MN Nordic Project Spotlight
June 27, 2007Piotr Bednarski had the MN Nordic Project skiers out early Wednesday morning on the West River Parkway, utilizing the long hill section underneath the Franklin Ave Bridge. The program consisted of interval sessions, along with a number of lactate tests at specific thresholds.
CXC Annual Awards Announced
June 7, 2007CXC has announced their annual awards for athlete, coach, volunteer of the year and regional elite athletes. Included in the ranks, Minnesota high school stars Jessie Diggins, Doug DeBold, and Joe Dubay.
DXC Summer Youth Program
June 4, 2007Registration is now open for DXC's Youth Summer Program. Activities will focus on learning to improve rollerski technique, ski-walking technique and to increase ski specific strength and endurance. They will also run sections of the Superior Hiking Trail for distance workouts.
Summer Training Programs
May 6, 2007The big summer high school training programs all start up in roughly a month from now. Still openings available: Nordic Speed Training Group has just a few positions left. Low cost college training program added.
2006-07 Season Highlights
May 1, 2007Catch highlights plus full results and photos from the 2006-2007 high school racing season.