November 14, 2022 at 7:58 a.m.
Winter practice notebook
Winter practice notebook
The Northern Edge girls' hockey co-op will have a lot to do in a short amount of time prior to opening the season with a tournament over Thanksgiving weekend in Fond du Lac.
The team has only a handful of on-ice practices in the lead up to the tournament, which kicks off against the Fox Cities Stars, a state semifinalist from a year ago.
"We're hoping these girls catch on fast because it's coming up fast. We've got a tournament right away and we get to see one of the top three teams in the state," Edge coach Tom Roeser said. "We'll do a lot of skating, a lot of power skating right away, get our strides down. Then we'll add some conditioning. Today we'll get pucks on our sticks. We also want to try to make it a little fun so we'll mix in a few small games."
The good news is that the Edge has added a fifth school to the co-op. A skater from Three Lakes is joining a roster that already has players from Rhinelander, Lakeland, Antigo and Wabeno. The bad news is the team did not pick up many more numbers overall. The roster still sits in the low-to-mid teens. That's enough to field a team, but does not leave much in terms of depth.
Also, Roeser noted that the Edge will likely be breaking in a new goaltender again. He said incumbent starter Ellie Stank opted not to play this year. The team has junior Hannah Mueller, who appeared in two games in goal during the 2020-21 season, but Roeser said his daughter, senior Maddi Roeser, will also be working to learn the position.
"We'll have (assistant) coach Brian (Heleniak) working with her right away," coach Roeser said. "He'll probably need more time. I know she's never put the gear on, so it's going to be a trial by fire for her."
Otherwise, coach Roeser said the first two weeks will be about getting re-acclimated to the ice and to the players.
"Just getting the know the girls. That's always the hardest thing for me. I've got a terrible memory and I've got to start remembering names. Even adding three in the mix for me is a big deal. So just getting to know the girls, watching them bond. That's the best part," he said.
The Edge will also face the Fond du Lac and Stoughton co-ops during the holiday tournament.
Alpine eager to hit the snow
The late-week cold snap that hit the Northwoods was music to the ears of Rhinelander/Northland Pines Alpine ski and snowboard coach Rod Olson.
Even the cold doesn't lead to much snow from Mother Nature, it does mean a chance for ski resorts to make snow, and a chance that his team could begin on-hill training for the season sooner rather than later.
"We want to come out firing, so we want to get on the snow as soon as possible," Olson said. "We're not as worried about the weight training. We can supplement that. We've created a couple of ways to do our strength training on the hill, so any time we're going to be on the hill is better."
Until the snow flies, Olson said the team will spend 3-4 days per week doing dryland training for the upcoming season.
The team began training for the season Nov. 6 with an event it has not held since prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, an opening symposium at CAVOC which included a workout as covered a number of other topics.
"We spent about five hours going through the ski tuning, going through some film, going through some nutrition stuff and doing some things using that facility," Olson said. "We really don't have a room here that's suitable for that. We had lunch together and had a great outdoor workout. That was awesome. That kicked us off on a great day."
Numbers are fairly strong for the program. Olson noted the team did not lose many seniors from last year and picked up a number of freshmen. Numbers are also strong for the Northland Pines' side of the program, which will join Rhinelander once everyone is on the snow.
"Pines' side, depending on how it shakes out, we've got 12-14 out up there," Olson said. "That's middle and high school, but I think we've got three new kids in the high school. We've got a freshman girls' snowboarder there, a freshman girls' skier and then two new snowboarders and one new skier."
The Alpine squad has the latest competition start date of any of the Hodag winter sports teams. Their first competition is not until Jan. 5, when they will compete at an invite at the Trollhaugen Outdoor Recreation Area near St. Croix Falls on the Wisconsin-Minnesota border.
Nordic skiing: Slette takes over
The Rhinelander Nordic Ski team knew it would have a new head coach after Charil Reis announced she was stepping down at the end of last season. There is indeed a new coach, but it is a familiar face to those involved with the program.
Dave Slette, who has overseen the middle school program over the last several seasons, will add the high school coaching role to his responsibilities this year.
"It feels good to take it over. It's a little bit of an unfamiliar role for me, in terms of the snow stuff," Slette said as the team began dryland training for the season last Monday in the Hodag Dome. "I've been teaching high school kids on roller skis the last two or three years and that's gone fine. A lot of kids know me from that, but I think there will be a few growing pains getting used to it, but I'm anxious to take it on and I've got some great help with the rest of the coaching staff.
"I think there are a handful of us that have been anticipating this for a while. It was really nice to get the group back together."
Slette said numbers were similar to what they were last year, with 13 skiers on the high school squad and 16 in the middle school program, which covers grades 5-8. He added that a goal this year will be to have more cross-pollination between the two programs, when appropriate.
"Obviously, it's not always appropriate but, for right now, the stuff we're doing indoors can be done as a group," he said. "For the younger kids to see the older kids working and what they're up to, I think that will help provide some leadership and some continuity in the program as those kids move from fifth grade and, eventually into the high school program."
The team is at the mercy of Mother Nature and whenever sustainable snowfall occurs to kick off the ski season. Tentatively, the first race of the season is scheduled for Dec. 17 at the WinMan Trails in northwestern Vilas County. Until the team gets out on snow, the team's dryland training includes activities that focus on balance and functional strength, along with some fun and games.
"My biggest goal is to keep everybody mentally and physically engaged," Slette said. "We want to keep these kids moving. We want to challenge them. We can't ski, obviously, but we want to challenge them in ways that are kind of ski-specific."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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