Warm and wacky Nordic ski season hits finish line

CABLE — The image of skiers in race bibs and shorts, splashing through puddles of standing water felt like the perfect meme to sum up a truly bizarre high school Nordic ski season.

Those were the scenes this past weekend in Cable as the year finally got to the finish line with the Wisconsin Nordic Ski League distance state championship at the American Birkebeiner Trailhead.

A meet that was pushed back three weeks due to a worrisome lack of snow ahead of the Birkie came with some attrition. The Hodag girls were missing three skiers as they took 10th out of 12 complete teams in the field. Due to absences, the Hodag boys didn’t have enough skiers to field a qualifying roster.

Those who did make it skied through conditions that were icy in spots and slushy in others on man-made snow during a winter where Mother Nature gave the Northwoods practically none of her own. 

Sunshine and a high temperature in the 50s made for slushy snow and ponding on spots of the course on Saturday. Overcast skies and a high near 50 made conditions marginally better on Sunday, though the snow still was mushy, especially in the turns.

“This race course kind of represented how the season went for us in terms of snow conditions, but I’m happy were able to race,” Hodag coach Andrew Seaman said. “I’m glad we were able to cap it off with a solid race. The course held together for the most part. There were puddles and mud, ice and slush, a little bit of everything. We held it together, got up after we wiped out and did the best that we could.”

Junior Brynn Teter paced the Hodag girls, taking 27th overall in a field of 74 high school girls’ skiers. She was 21st during Saturday’s roughly 7-kilometer classic race and then 34th in Sunday’s freestyle race and finished the two with an aggregate time of 57 minutes, 34.8 seconds. 

In general, the Hodag girls performed better on classic day than freestyle day. Lucy Eddy was 54th after Saturday’s freestyle race, but 70th in Sunday’s skate to take 58th overall (1:09:40.4). Mya Gillen was 65th in classic, 74th in freestyle and 69th overall (1:14:57.1) Emma Mankus was 77th in both races and 74th in the final standings (1:43:31.7).

“We had solid races from all four of our high school girls,” Seaman said. “Brynn had a solid race as our top performer. Lucy, Mya and Emma all had solid races too. I don’t think they had any wipeouts and, for the most part, we were able to say on our skis.”

On the boys’ side, freshman Jonathan Calhoun led the way for the weekend. He took 78th in classic, 85th in freestyle and finished 79th overall (54:36.3).

“I’m really excited about Jonathan’s potential,” Seaman said. “His technique is solid right now. We’ll get that fitness dialed in over the spring and the summer and come back next season ready to be competitive.”

    Rhinelander’s Charlie Loomis skis during the classic portion of the WNSL state distance championship Nordic ski races in Cable Saturday, March 2. Loomis, the lone senior who competed for the Hodags, placed 82nd in the boys’ standings. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

The lone senior who competed over the weekend, Charlie Loomis, was 85th on Saturday but picked up spots with a solid skate race on Sunday, taking 80th on the day and 82nd overall (54:59.9).

“Charlie was having fun his whole race, his last race as a Hodag. I’m sure he’ll continue to keep skiing once he gets up to Northern Michigan University,” Seaman said.

The weekend results were combined with the results of the league’s state sprint championships held a month earlier in Brillion to determine the final overall champions. 

The Hodag girls were 10th on the season, the Hodag boys were 13th and the combined program was 13th when factoring in both squads’ results from the state races, plus the result of the mixed sprint relays in Brillion. 

Teter finished 30th in the final WNSL individual girls’ standings. In addition to her 27th-place finish at state, she was 29th in the individual state sprints and teamed with Kayla Skubal — who was unable to attend the state distance race due to a pre-planned family trip — to take 16th in the team sprints. 

Eddy finished 34th in the overall standings, earning points thanks to her 26th-place finish in the state sprints. 

Iola swept the boys, girls and combined state titles. Ashwaubenon’s Owen Wick and Iola’s Ian Anderson shared the individual state title while Iola’s Josephine Kwasny took the girls’ state crown. 

The 2023-24 season went in fits and starts due to the weather, with the Hodags competing in just six meets due to the unseasonably warm conditions — and three of those were impromptu add-ons after races originally on the schedule fell through or were altered significantly due to warm temperatures and a lack of snow. 

Still, Seaman said he was happy with what he saw in his first year as the program’s head coach and hopes to build that momentum into what hopefully will be a more seasonable winter next year.

“The work that these skiers have done in the past on their technique is going to propel us into next year as long as we stick with it, get on roller skis,” he said. “We’ll get out fitness dialed in, stay consistent with that over the summer, try to get on roller skis as much as we can — both for technique and fitness — and pray for snow.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].