2016 Season Recap

       Brace yourselves, people. A whirlwind recap of St. Olaf Nordic’s 2016 season is coming straight at you, only five months late (college kids are very busy people, or so we like to tell ourselves). Without further ado, we begin with the season’s first big races at Senior Nationals!

  The 2016 Senior Nationals took place on Michigan Tech’s challenging trails. Evan, Nora, and Piper made the trek to Houghton to test their skills against America’s best. In the 15K Classic race, Evan finished 162nd. Unfortunately, a nagging injury forced him to pull out of the 30K Freestyle race early. Piper and Nora had great success, finishing respectively in 136th and 97th in the 10K Classic, and 117th and 130th in the Freestyle Sprint. The most impressive result of the week was Piper’s 44th (21st U23!) place finish in the 20K Freestyle race. Next, we move to the Pre-Loppet!

Evan

Pipes

An empty weekend in early January allowed the Oles to dabble in citizen racing at the Pre-Loppet at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis. Sub-zero temps greeted skiers for this 14K Freestyle race. Leif cruised to 10th place, with Chris also skiing well in 15th. More Oles included Mitchell (28th), Jeremy (29th), Nate (30th), Rose (52nd—7th woman), Laura (58th—8th woman), and Molly (80th—12th woman). It was great to get in some racing, as the next weekend featured the Telemark Chase!

Mitchell

After a frantic search for Jeremy and a stop to pick up an obscene number of bagels, our actually full coach bus was off to Cable, Wisconsin, where we stayed at the spacious Lakewood Condos. On the schedule for the weekend was a 5/10K Classic race on Saturday and a 10/15K Freestyle race on Sunday on the Telemark trails. The course was a formidable challenge, including a grueling climb all the way to the top of Mt. Telemark and a few tricky downhill turns. It was a thrill to finally race against other CCSA athletes, as well as the top Midwest junior skiers. On Saturday, Leif led the Ole men with a 58th place finish, with Mitchell and Liam finishing just 3 seconds apart in 74th and 75th. Also finishing were Chris (106th), Jeremy (111th), Nate (118th), Dan (121st), and Andrew (125th). On the women’s side, Nora powered to a 43rd place finish, with Bri and Piper not too far behind in 51st and 69th. Rounding out the roster were Ellen (76th), Laura (80th), Rebecca (111th), Shelby (115th), Rose (116th), Liza (123rd), Lauren (126th), and Molly (129th). Saturday night was a blast with a delicious meal served by Chef Ellen and a classic game of bowls. The women were up first on Sunday for the Freestyle races. Piper showed her skating skills with a 26th place finish. Also skiing well were Nora (45th), Bri (56th), Ellen (58th), Laura (66th), Shelby (74th), Rose (80th), Rebecca (81st), Liza (84th), Molly (86th), and Lauren (87th). The men arranged themselves in the chevron next. Liam used his finishing speed and Leif channeled his well-bottled rage to ski to 53rd and 81st place. Also coming in for the men were Mitchell (105th), Chris (110th), Nate (115th), and Andrew (124th). Overall, it was an exciting weekend with nearly the entire team getting in some racing!

Nate

Ellen

Rebecca

Leif

Molly and Lauren

Andrew

Liza

Dan

The next races were a CCSA Invite hosted by Michigan Tech. The races inconveniently landed on Interim final exam dates, but a few Oles were able to take exams early so they could race. Saturday featured sun and warm temps, which felt great but made waxing a challenge. The women skied well in the 5K Freestyle race, with Nora, Piper, Bri, Laura, and Liza in 19th, 20th, 31st, 33rd, and 38th. The men hoped to do better, with Jeremy, Mitchell, and Nate coming in in 39th, 40th, and 41st. Temps climbed even higher on Sunday, forcing the women to test every type of klister known to mankind. Despite the circumstances, the women still skied fast, with Nora, Piper, Laura, Bri, and Liza poling and striding to 15th, 20th, 22nd, 23rd, and 34th. The men struggled again, with Mitchell and Nate finishing in 34th and 35th. Before taking the long bus ride back to Northfield, the team had a delicious and slightly ridiculous tailgate barbecue outside our monstrous coach bus.

Jeremy with a stellar feed hand-off to Piper

Jeremy

Laura, Piper, and Bri

Nora

The girls (+Jeremy)

Tailgating outside our coach bus... yeah we're THAT team

Several days later, Molly, Rose, Liza, Bri, Rebecca, Liam, Danny, Andrew, Mitchell, and Evan headed to Castle Danger for an Interim Break ski trip. A huge thank-you to the Doda family for hosting us at their beautiful cabin right on the shore of Lake Superior. We had a fantastic time skiing at Korkki, Erkki Harju, Gooseberry, Sugarbush, and Giants Ridge. Highlights included nighttime long-exposure photos, sauna-ing until nausea, Bananagrams, and Betty’s Pies for breakfast.

Crazy ski

Next up was the Mayors XC Challenge at Theodore Wirth. Due to the proximity to St. Olaf, most of the team was able to race together once again. Nora, Laura, and Mitchell were able to host teammates for the weekend at their homes around the Twin Cities. Skiing in brutally cold, but sunny weather, Nora charged to a fantastic 22nd place finish in the 10K Classic race. Bri and Piper also did well in 43rd and 46th. Other Oles included Laura (62nd), Rose (73rd), Rebecca (74th), Shelby (84th), Liza (87th), Lauren (97th), and Molly (99th). Leif led the men in the 15K Classic race in 59th place, with “Patrick Evans” close behind in 61st. Also finishing were Liam (68th), Mitchell (75th), Nate (87th), Chris (90th), Jeremy (96th), Danny (97th), Dan (107th), and Andrew (111th). Sunday warmed up a bit for the 5/10K Freestyle races. Nora, Piper, and Bri once again showed their prowess, crossing the finish line in 28th, 34th, and 46th. Coming in soon after were Laura (65th), Shelby (69th), Rose (76th), Rebecca (89th), Liza (90th), Molly (93rd), and Lauren (95th). On the men’s side, Liam V2’d hard up the tubing hill to land him a 62nd place finish. Leif wasn’t too far behind in 69th. Also finishing were Chris (86th), Jeremy (89th), Nate (94th), Mitchell (98th), Dan (108th), and Danny (109th). That wrapped up the regular season, and what better way than with a full team close to home?

Rose

Chris

The girls

It was finally championship season. Once again, Northern Michigan University hosted the NCAA Central Region Championships at the Al Quaal trails in Ishpeming, MI. The Oles had another long bus ride, stopping for an overnight in world-renown Hurley, WI along the way. We arrived in Ishpeming a day early to check out the course, but the icy roads resulted in a hilarious full-team effort to push the coach bus out of a standstill. Saturday was warm and foggy for the 5/10K Freestyle races, but the skis were running surprisingly fast. So fast that Nora took out a tree or two on one of the many dangerously fast downhills. Bri posted an impressive 23rd place finish, with Nora still in 33rd despite the wipeout. Closely following were Shelby, Laura, and Liza in 35th, 36th, and 39th. Liam led the men to 29th place, with Leif, Mitchell, Nate, Jeremy, and Chris coming in 36th, 40th, 41st, 42nd, and 43rd. St. Olaf alum Jake Brown came in first by over a minute! Saturday night featured the end-of-season CCSA banquet, with most of the Oles receiving academic awards for their hard work as “liberal arts” majors. A sharp drop in temps Saturday night froze up the wet snow, which the groomers conveniently pulverized into ping-pong-sized ice chunks. Needless to say, it was going to be a challenging race. The men’s kick wax proved useless in the 20K Classic race, forcing the Oles as well as most of the field to herringbone up all the hills. Leif was the first Ole in 36th place, followed by Liam (40th), Chris (41st), Mitchell (42nd), and Jeremy (43rd). After a stellar first lap, Nate unfortunately took a brutal fall on a downhill, cutting his face and breaking his wrist. Nora redeemed herself in the 15K Classic, skiing to 18th place, with Bri showing her consistency in 23rd. Laura, Shelby, and Liza followed in 28th, 31st, and 36th. After picking up patched-up Nate from the ER, we headed back to Northfield.

Endless bus rides

Shelby

Liam

CCSA Banquet

The guys

The girls

With no big races scheduled for the next weekend, the Oles got in a little action with the MN Pursuit Champs back at Wirth. This was a 10K Duathlon, with skiers switching from classic to skate after 5K. Warm temps and a little rain and snow the morning of the race made classic waxing a nightmare, so the Ole skiers decided to double pole the classic section on skate skis. The Oles had a great race, taking home the College Cup for the best combined men and women’s scores. Nora also collected some hardware, finishing as the first woman. The Oles finished as follows: Leif (6th), Jeremy (9th), Mitchell (10th), Nora (12th), Piper (19th), Shelby (20th), Andrew (25th), and Liza (29th). Also exciting was getting to race alongside former St. Olaf Nordic coach Tom Jorgenson!

Last, but not least, were the USCSA National Championships, this year in Lake Placid, NY! Piper “Breezy” Bain, Bri, Nora, Leif, Jeremy, Mitchell, Chris, and Coach Brochman flew out for a week of exciting racing at the site of the 1980 Olympics. Poor snow conditions at the Nordic center forced a relocation of the races to the ski jumping facility, where snowmaking equipment ensured white (or brownish-white) trails. The first race of the week was a 15K Classic. Leif and Nora crushed it, placing 2nd and 3rd! Mitchell, Jeremy, and Chris also skied well in 18th, 29th, and 31st. To our dismay, the Clarkson coaches led a motion to disqualify Piper and Bri after Piper selflessly switched her well-waxed skis with Bri’s not-so-well-waxed skis mid-race. On the bright side, our formerly meaningless rivalry with Clarkson now has meaning. Silver linings. That night was the opening ceremony, where we had the chance to explore the Olympic venues, try our hand at curling and biathlon, and bask in the glory that is Bo$$ Hog. Chris even won a $300 snowboard in a raffle! The following day, hats and shirts were being thrown left and right as the temps soared to 60 degrees. Dodging puddles and sheer ice, Nora and Bri flew to 2nd and 6th place. Despite going to the hospital for strep throat the night before, Piper still finished 16th. On the men’s side, Leif and Jeremy skied fast, placing 11th and 17th. Coming in later were Chris and Mitchell in 34th and 35th. No races were scheduled the next day, so the nordies decided to head out to Whiteface Mountain to cheer on the piners in their Giant Slalom race. Friday featured a Freestyle Sprint race on a shortened course. Through the ankle-deep slush, Nora, Piper, Bri, Leif, and Jeremy made it past the qualifier to the heats. Both Leif and Bri cruised to 1st place finishes in the B Final, while Nora stole the show, earning gold in the A final. The last event of the week was a Freestyle relay in a 3x3x1.5K format. The Ole women were out to defend their title from the previous year, but a win seemed doubtful when the Oles were in 3rd after the first few legs. With a stroke of luck, the University of Wyoming team missed a handoff, launching the Oles into 2nd. After powerful legs by Breezy and Bri, Nora was poised just behind the Clarkson team on the final leg. Anticipation rose as they ascended out of sight. Cheers erupted as Nora soared out of the woods far ahead of the Clarkson team and coasted to the finish to take home the team gold. The men skied fast as well, with Leif, Jeremy, and Mitchell working together to a 4th place finish. The Oles took home several combined awards, with Nora 2nd overall, Leif 4th overall, and the Ole women 3rd overall team. The St. Olaf women also took home the President’s cup with the help of the St. Olaf women alpine skiers. It was a truly incredible finale to the 2016 season!

St. Olaf Nordic

Link to USCSA Broadcast: http://broadcast.uscsa.com/index.php/archives/2016-nordic

The St. Olaf skiers would like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to the people who contributed to our team’s success. Kevin Brochman returned as head coach this year, and we benefited greatly from his wisdom and expertise in the sport. Jacob Olsen, the St. Olaf Alpine Ski Head Coach, was extremely helpful in the fall as we made the transition from one coach to another. St. Olaf’s new Athletic Director, Ryan Bowles, has repeatedly showed his commitment to the Nordic team, and even came out to cheer us at a Wirth race. Our parents have provided us with warm places to sleep, satisfied our ravenous hunger, and stood in the freezing cold to cheer us to the finish line. And finally, the Tengdin family has provided the Nordic and Alpine teams with crucial financial support that will ensure our stability for years to come.

Well, that’s a wrap folks. I hope that you’re not suffering from too much whiplash, or that you dozed off while reading this endless post. The 2016 season was a blast, and we can’t wait until the snow starts to fly again!