Spring and Summer Shenanigans!

Just like that, the school year is over and our next season is started! After a hectic final few weeks of school, we're ready to do some serious summer training, relaxing, and traveling. Our team goes in all different directions in the spring, some racing in track or the cycling team, others focusing on schoolwork or doing some freestyle training, and yet we still find plenty of time to get together and enjoy some off-season shenanigans. The now-annual Challenge of Champions takes place during the spring and summer, including such honorable events as the backwards 800m steeplechase, the burpee 400, and the Evan Kendall Memorial Single-Stick 5k Race (don't worry, Evan is still quite alive). We also had our yearly Culver's rollerski - there's nothing like breaking out the rollerskis for the first time in order to go get some ice cream (sorry, Allie - frozen custard).
The Culver's rollerski! Tom, back row: Jake, Amy. Middle row: Nate, Liza, Nora, Laura, Piper, Jeremy. Front row: Shelby, Allie, Mitchell.
Before the start of the single stick 5k. We're a well-oiled machine of professionalism, this team.
And they're off!

Jeremy poling valiantly up the longest hill.
Jake "Single-sticking means only one pole" Brown
Piper likes to live dangerously in her photo duty.
Tom (left) and Leif (right) leading it into the wind.
Shelby is a single-stick powerhouse.
Nate fighting through with some extra-short poles.
Tom (left) and Leif (right) cresting the final big hill.
Amy providing some cheering for Mitchell.
Shelby post-race!
Again...well-oiled.
The finishing lunge. From left: Nate, Mitchell, Jeremy, Tom, Leif, Jake, and Shelby.

Awards! Tom in 3rd, Jake with a late sprint for 2nd, Leif 1st, and Shelby taking the women's 1st place honors.

Our teammates in other sports had quite a successful spring - Amy Waananen had an outstanding season in track as she smashed 5 minutes in the 1500 among other accomplishments, along with Piper Bain - who broke the school record in the 3000m steeplechase after racing it only two or three times - and Jake Brown who placed 3rd in steeple at NCAAs! Nate LaFond proved that he has some serious cycling skills, racing up into the B category (a higher level than he had previously competed at), and Stuart Gordon, Mitchell Miller, and Jeremy Storvick all had stellar track seasons.

Early in May we had our end-of-season banquet, which is always both fun to see all the great things the Nordic and Alpine teams accomplished this season, and a bit bittersweet to really say goodbye to our seniors. Wrapping up the season, we got to give out some awards and elect captains for next year:
2015-2016 Captains:
Piper Bain
Nora Gilbertson
Evan Kendall
Nate LaFond

2014-2015 MVPs:
Jake Brown
Nora Gilbertson

Matt Haugen Award:
Nels Thompson

This year, we will also be losing Tom, our head coach - he'll be sticking around for a bit and helping us get sorted, but he's off to bigger and better things in the library world. While we're incredibly sorry to see him go, all you need to do is talk to him for a few minutes to see how much passion he has in making libraries accessible to everyone and how much he's going to do in bringing libraries into a new and engaging future. He's been a brilliant coach, growing and learning right along with us, and he's willing to do anything for this team. The dedication and intensity he has brought to this team has revitalized the whole program, and he has put in countless hours in a relatively thankless and very underappreciated job. Thanks, Tom, for everything - I, at least, was terrified coming from a great coach and team in high school to an unknown entity in college, and you proved that my worries were absolutely groundless from the get go and made this group of crazy spandex-wearing strangers into a team.

Our seniors are also off to do some pretty spectacular things. Amy Waananen will be working in an research internship in the cities for the summer before transitioning to Chicago, Rachel Lee will be working up north at Camp du Nord and/or Widjiwagan, and Kristen Mueller will be working at Children's Hospital for the next year. Jake Brown is going to the UP, and will be doing a graduate program at NMU and using his last year of eligibility to continue skiing, and Nels Thompson will be in Norway doing genetic research for his Fulbright. They'll have some pretty exciting stories, and we hope they will come back sometime to tell us of their adventures!

The coaches sharing a special moment.
Academic All-Americans. Back row: Shelby, Nora, Piper, Amy. Front row: Leif, Mitchell, Nels, Jake.
Women's team and coach. Back row: Allie, Mikki, Tom, Nora, Liza, Piper, Amy, Rachel. Front row: Amelia, Shelby, Kristen.
USCSA All-Americans. Mitchell, Leif, Shelby, Piper, Nora, Nels.
The seniors and Tom. Tom, Rachel, Amy, Kristen, Jake, Nels.

We're off to enjoy summer, but never fear - there will be more posts! We've even incorporated the Challenge of Champions into blog-writing - so you're sure to see some interesting updates from the team.

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