January 7, 2021 at 8:43 a.m.
Team preview: RHS/NP Alpine Ski & Snowboard
Hodag Alpine eager to do well despite offseason changes
Team preview: RHS/NP Alpine Ski & Snowboard
"Our goal is to win each individual title, as well as have a shot at one or two (team titles) - definitely first or second for the boys' snowboard and boys' ski teams," coach Rod Olson said. "We'll see how the girls pile up. I have some good girls, but if we can't make it happen it will be simply because of depth."
With a host of upperclassmen and plenty of returning talent from last year's squad, the Hodags look to be near the top of the Northern Conference again, despite a change in home hill and limited on-snow practice time.
Ski Brule in Iron River, Mich. has been the Hodags' home hill for the past couple of decades, however an announcement was made in October that it would not be making snow for the upcoming season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The team has split its training time between Granite Peak and Big Powderhorn Mountain Resort in Bessemer, Mich. - the latter will host the Hodags' Northern Conference race next month. But Olson said between the temporary training venues, COVID restrictions and a warm, dry start to the winter, his team has had roughly half the preseason on-snow training it would have had in a typical season.
"We were able to get the rust off, but not have a practice where we were doing as much. And it was always a night," he said. "The kids can ski as well at night but, for a coach to see things in their skiing or boarding, technically with the naked eye and video in the dark, any feedback was tough to give.
"The kids are doing really well. They're pretty resilient and I think their excitement to finally get out and be on the snow helped."
Here's a look at the upcoming season for the team.
Boys' skiing
The Hodags return the majority of their Northern Conference championship-winning crew from last year, led by a pair of Northland Pines seniors - Ty Springer and Patrick Stemper. Springer dominated the Northern Conference season a year ago, taking first in 14 of the 15 individual runs to claim his third individual conference title, while Stemper finished fifth in the conference standings.
"Both Ty and Patrick, they're skiing extremely well," Olson said. "They're mature. They're able to help up and be leaders in attitude for the rest of the team."
Also returning for the Hodags are AJ Gillespie, Riley Zarm and Mason Durkee. Freshman Lucas Bishop rounds out the squad. Olson noted that Gillespie and Zarm in particular have shown speed in practice, but that a couple of practice crashes have the team less than 100% healthy entering the season.
"We're banged up, rusty, but I think we're doing well and I expect us to do pretty well for boys' ski," he said.
Girls' skiing
Tommie Jo Springer, Ty's sister, took the Northern Conference by storm last year as a freshman. She won all 15 runs on the girls' side and finished second at the Wisconsin Interscholastic Alpine Racing Association state meet back in February.
Olson said the younger Springer will miss the first two conference races of the season as she travels out west to take part in a developmental camp. She is still eligible to repeat as Northern Conference champion, however, because the league factors in a skier's best three events out of the five-round for final team standings.
"She can't pass up that opportunity. That's the best thing for her," Olson said. "To keep her here with the limited terrain and training, and the lack of being on the steeps and the longer runs. For her career to keep going forward, she's got to do that. It keeps her frosty too. Here there's not enough competition right now."
Behind Springer, the team has three returning varsity skiers from last year in Kathryn Borski, McKenna Nash and Lily Berger who finished 12th, 14th and 24th, respectively in last year's Northern Conference standings.
"Kathryn and McKenna are skiing great," Olson said. "They're really developed. I look to Kathryn to be not only our most improved female skier, but also our most improved athlete overall in the program. She's doing well."
Snowboarding
Depth helped the Hodags pull off an upset and win the Northern Conference boys' snowboard title a year ago, and depth should be on the team's side again with four boarders returning who placed in the top 10 in the conference standings.
Bailey Schwab leads the list of returning boarders after taking third in the conference and 13th at state last year. Also back are Max Durkee, Joey Sturzl and Joey Durkin.
"Bailey's a rocket," Olson said. "He's doing real well. He went to summer camp this summer and had seven days on snow in a row. It really shows. Max Durkee is really learning. He's an aggressive kid. He's just a sophomore and he's really coming on quick in these last few week. Something just clicked."
Kylee White is the lone girls' snowboarder for Rhinelander this year. She was third in the conference standings and fifth at state a year ago. Olson said, like Schwab on the boys' side, White has looked strong in preseason training.
"Kylee, we're looking for her to do as good as she can," he said.
Conference changes
There are a number of changes within the Northern Conference this year as it adapts its format amid the COVID pandemic.
The biggest change will be in the team standings, which this year will mirror the individual standings.
Each team's three best scores out of five conference meets will be tabulated to determine the overall champion. Previously, the conference used all five races to determine team results and its team berths to the WIARA state meet. Olson said the change was made in part to accommodate the Ashland and Ashwabay (Washburn/Bayfield) programs, which are getting off to a late start this season due to their schools policies on competing during the pandemic.
"We came up with a scoring method that still allows them to qualify for state. There's more pressure on them because the don't have as many times to put up their scores," Olson said. "It's beyond the racers' control what their school district wants to do, so we're not going to penalize them. We want the kids to have a season."
Olson noted that, due to numbers, Ashland and Ashwabay plan to co-op this season and that there is a new program in the Northern Conference. Sturgeon Bay will make the long trek north and west to compete this season.
"That's exciting," Olson said. "That's an area of the state that we've never really had any programs come from because the geography doesn't lend itself to having a hill over there."
Also, the schedule will look different this year, with only three venues hosting races. Granite Peak, which hosted yesterday's opener, will also host the conference finale Feb. 9. Christie Mountain in Bruce will host the second and third rounds of the conference season Jan. 19 and 25. The Hodags will host the fourth conference race of the season Feb. 4 at Big Powderhorn Mountain.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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