Hodags have high expectations as track season begins

The personnel may look a bit different, but the expectations remain the same for the Rhinelander High School track team after winning both the boys’ and girls’ Great Northern Conference titles last year and following that with a successful postseason run.

Practice got underway for the Hodags on Monday, kicking off the spring sports season in Rhinelander. The biggest changes come in the fact that, for the first time since 2019, Aaron Kraemer is not leading the program. He has stepped back to a part-time volunteer role as he continues to improve from health issues that affected him late last fall. 

Last season Kraemer had turned over the reins of the girls’ program to Andy Wyss, who’s back for his second year at the helm. Rod Olson, who previously served as head track coach in the early 2010s, will head up the boys’ team this year after serving as an assistant with a focus on hurdles and sprints the past several seasons. 

“First off the bat, I’m just really thankful that coach Aaron Kraemer still wants to be around and still wants to be involved as much as he can, because he’s been a huge part of building this program up. So to have him still around and be a resource is fantastic,” Wyss said. “I think coach Olson is going to step in pretty seamlessly. We did have some shifts and we’re bringing in some volunteers and moving some sprint coaches around. I think there’s not going to be as much of a shift or a change as maybe what it looks like on paper. We all pretty work really well together. Coach Olson’s been around the block. He knows what he’s doing. I trust him wholeheartedly, so it couldn’t be a better guy in there. 

“I don’t think there’s much change. It’s going to be the same program, same philosophy,” Olson added. “There’s nothing like, we’re going and learning anything new. They all should feel very comfortable. Not much of a difference here. I think we should be right back where we are as long as we can have a few younger athletes step up into the roles from attrition. I think it’ll be a good season. 

“Andy came last year, and we started to understand not only each other, but philosophies, and seeing how close together we were, and some of the longer meets, we had a lot of good talks, and a lot of good bus rides. I was ecstatic of how last year went, and the relationship that developed with all the coaches. So, I’m really looking forward to it.”

    Distance runners, from left to right, Macy Myers, Kara Monk, Emily Schiek and Millie Gruett work on a mobility drill during Rhinelander High School track practice in the Hodag Dome Monday, March 9. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Numbers were slightly down from the program on day one, trending closer to 80 between the two squads. However, not everyone was in attendance for the first practice — especially true for athletes who saw their winter seasons end just this past weekend in boys’ basketball, gymnastics and club powerlifting.

“I was actually surprised that more weren’t asking me to take a few days off or take a week off. But yeah, a lot of familiar faces and it just good to see everybody in there,” Wyss remarked. “I think that, as a whole, the numbers might be a little bit down this year as far as quantity, but our quality is going to be through the roof. If we can get all the pieces together and keep this group together, we could be a pretty good juggernaut in our conference and into regionals and beyond. So, I’m looking forward to it that way.”  

Even if it was just a tease, the track team was treated to some spring-like weather on the first day of practice, with the high reaching 57 degrees Monday. While a majority of the team stayed in the Hodag  Dome for much of the practice, the team’s distance crew hit the roads for an early spring run. Monday’s mild weather was replaced with cooler temps and some snow Tuesday and Wednesday, with even more snow in the forecast this weekend. 

“I’ve been doing this for a long time, and we’ve all been living in the Northwoods for a long time. I’ll try not to get disappointed, but it’ll be unfortunate, the forecast is probably gonna give us a little more snow yet,” Olson said. “But today is great. I think for the first day of practice, they have a sunny day in the 50s. It invigorates the athletes too. If it was snowing out there, I think our mood would be a little bit different, but I think it was a real good day to have me the first day.”

Luckily the team has more than a month before its first scheduled outdoor meet, the Hodag Hybrid at Mike Webster Stadium April 14. The team’s first indoor meet is set for Wednesday, March 18 in Ripon, though a number of athletes will be gone during Rhinelander High School’s spring break. The full squad will be back for the Ashland Invite Tuesday, March 24. 

Wyss said, for both teams, the season is a marathon rather than a sprint, with the goal focused on May 19 when Rhinelander hosts the Great Northern Conference meet, and beyond into WIAA postseason competition. 

“The goal is to be healthy and ready at the end of the year,” he said. “So what are we doing now? We’re noy trying to go crazy right now, but we’re trying to take this season like a normal season and do the things we need to do in the first couple weeks just to lay the base, lay the foundation, get back to work so that come the end of May, we’re tip-top shape. Everybody’s healthy, everybody’s feeling good and we’re rocking and rolling.”

Track is the first of the WIAA-sanctioned spring sports to begin practice for the upcoming season. Softball practice gets underway this coming Monday, with baseball and girls’ soccer starting Monday, March 23. Practice for boys’ golf and boys’ tennis begins Monday, March 30.

In the interest of full disclosure, the River News notes that the author of this story has a family member who is an athlete on the RHS track team.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].