March 28, 2018 at 1:25 p.m.
Team review: RHS/NP Alpine skiing
Hodag Alpine a mix of youth, experience in 2018
Team review: RHS/NP Alpine skiing
For starters, the Hodags had some company this year as they formed a co-op with the fledgling Northland Pines program, which brought some young talent - especially on the boys' ski side.
There were also a number of seniors on the squad, particularly in girls' skiing, whose presence will be missed going forward.
"We've had a great run with those kids and they're definitely going to be lifetime participants in Alpine and, into their future, they're going to have a lot to bring upon competitiveness, learning how to lose, learning how to win, learning how to strive for all of those things," coach Rod Olson said of this year's seniors.
Here are five key storylines from the 2018 Alpine ski season.
Close conference calls
The Hodags were in position to sweep the Northern Conference titles in both boys' and girls' skiing heading into the double-points finale Feb. 12 at Granite Peak.
Things did not go the Hodags' way, however, as a runner-up finish on the day on the boys' side and a third-place finish in the girls' division dropped both squads to second place in the final conference standings.
A couple of mishaps plagued the Hodags on the final day. Senior McKenzie Imm missed a gate after carrying too much speed in her Super G run while Breyden Luebke was scratched from the final two runs on the boys' side after crashing while free-skiing between events.
"They were bummed out," Olson said. "There were some tears for the girls, and I was happy that there were tears because it meant something to them."
Boys' skiing
One skier who was immune to the Hodags' last-day woes at conference was Ty Springer. The Northland Pines freshman had a solid season, scoring a win and four runner-up finishes in five conference races as he took the overall boys' title.
Springer followed that performance with a 13th-place finish at the WIARA state meet in a field of 156 skiers.
"He skied with a lot of composure. It was great experience for him," Olson said. "I thought he did exceptionally well. We're very pleased. There were little turn-timing things, which could have happened on any course, but as far as being in the state meet and being competitive as a freshman, he just did an outstanding job."
Sophomore Daniel Ritchie, a first-year competitive skier, showed flashes during the season and was the Hodags' second-best finisher both in the conference (13th) and at state (48th). Luebke finished 15th in the Northern Conference standings, but crashed in all three runs at state. Northland Pines' freshman Patrick Stemper was 16th in the Northern Conference this season.
Girls' skiing
Less than a year after sustaining a knee injury at last year's state meet, Imm was back and performing at a high level for the Hodags. Her mishap on the final day of conference competition cost her the overall title, but she still finished second in the Northern Conference standings and backed that up with a 19th-place finish at the state meet.
"We weren't 100 percent healthy all year," Olson said. "There were still things that had bothered her. But we're extremely happy and I think she's proud (of her showing)."
Another senior, Cayla Fritz, was consistently Rhinelander's second skier throughout the season. She finished eighth in the Northern Conference and 73rd at state. Junior Haley Seefeldt was 11th in the conference standings, senior Tori Roberts was 14th, junior Alexis Pyrchalla was 19th and sophomore Marissa McGuire was 21st.
Snowboarding
A lack of numbers this season prevented the Hodags from competing for team accolades in boys' or girls' snowboarding, but the team did have a standout senior and a couple of freshmen who improved throughout the season.
Kaiya Shrader finished second in the Northern Conference this season after winning the conference title a season ago but, once again, felt disappointment at state.
She was unable to compete at state last year due to a concussion sustained during a crash on the final day of the conference season. While she was able to compete this year, a crash in boardercross relegated her to a 16th-place finish overall out of 39 boarders.
Two freshmen got a taste of the state meet for the first time with Kylie White placing 23rd in the girls' standings and Bailey Schwab taking 30th in the boys' standings.
Both wound up eighth in the Northern Conference this year to qualify for state as medalist.
"I was looking for to see, one, how competitive they were and two, how they went on different terrain and different snow and they both had some sweet turns. I'm pretty optimistic about the future for both of those two," Olson said.
What's next
With five seniors graduating, Olson said youth will be the overriding theme for the Hodags next year in both skiing and snowboard.
"We're thin, we're young but I'm excited," he said. "I always like it when we have a young group. When we have a majority of freshmen and sophomores, those are some of my funnest years coaching because there's so much development and so many things that can change."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.