Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Team Pictures

A quick reminder that Team Pictures will be tomorrow.  Please have your uniforms, but also note that it will be colder than it was today, so please have warm clothes as well.  We will try to find a place at Bunker that we can stay out of the wind.
Thanks,
Denny

NWSC Meet

Times and the snow were slower than first expected, but the skiers competed and did the best they could at today's Northwest Suburban Conference Meet.  We were able to pick up 6 All Conference and 2 Honorable Mention as the Boy's finished in 5th and the Girls in 8th, despite missing one of our top skiers due to illness.
Our top overall finisher was Abby Ellenbecker in 6th place to lead the way for the Girls.  Other Girls that received All Conference were Olivia Ellenbecker in 22nd, and 8th grader Lilah Gilyard who finished in 35th.  Izzy Haberman was able to receive Honorable Mention as well!
Mitch Zandaroski led the boys in 19th place, with Ricky Petroff, 27th and Jared Heida, 30th, all receiving All Conference Honors.  Paul Breitbach was able to come back from injury to get Honorable Mention.
Despite the slower that expected times, there were still a lot of major improvements by our younger skiers as they handled the pressure of a big meet very well, as they are giving themselves another step in their improvements.
Thanks to Paul and Rick for helping with the kick wax, and thank you to the parents/boosters for supplying food for all of the kids and coaches! Small things like this make a big difference in how the the day goes.
Our individual results are now posted on the right side of the blog and here is a link to the Overall Results.  On the right side of the results page you can switch to the Girls or Boys race under the Race section.
Thanks,
Denny

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Wednesday Parking

For those that will be going to watch the Conference Meet tomorrow, please note that there is more parking available, but there are still 12 teams going to be there, so if you are able to car pool it will make things easier.
Any questions, let me know,
Thanks!
Denny

Monday, January 29, 2018

JV Conference Results/Conference Start List

I have posted our individual results from today's JV Conference Meet onto the right side of the blog.  Once the overall results are posted, I will put up a link for those.
According to Coach Nelson, the skiers looked good and held their own against the skiers from the other teams.  He mentioned that they worked hard and were solid all the way from the start to the finish, with much improvements for all of them.
As mentioned on yesterday's post, we still want the JV skiers coming to practice so they can continue to improve, plus they still have one more race and also the Pastry Relays, a fun a little race that the skiers love to do because they get to dress up in costumes as well as get pastries!!
Lastly, here is a link to Wednesday NWSC Meet for the Varsity skiers.  This is where they will start in their first race, a skate race with one skier going out every 15 seconds. The Girls will start at 10:00, the Boys at 11:00.  There is one mistake that I have already notified the timer about, but the first girl for Coon Rapids should be Lilah Gilyard at number 12. The individual at number 7 is actually from Elk River.
NWSC Start List

Thanks,
Denny

Sunday, January 28, 2018

JV Conference/NWSC Meet

Here is some basics for this week:
Monday: JV Conference at Mora.  Boys will race at 4:00, Girls at 4:20.  The skiers that are skiing are picking if they are going classic or skate.  The Varsity skiers will stay behind to get a shorter workout in and do some work on their skis.

Wednesday: NWSC Meet at Theo Wirth.  This is an all day event, with the skiers doing both skate (in the morning) and classic (in the afternoon), with the second race being a pursuit based on how they finished in the morning race.
Girls Skate: 10:00
Boys Skate: 11:00
Girls Classic Pursuit: 1:30
Boys Classic Pursuit: 2:30
Awards: 3:30ish

Thursday is team picture day at Bunker

Saturday we will practice, but time and location will still need to be determined.

Lastly, even those that are racing on Monday, there is still practice through the rest of the season, with the Lakeville JV in two weeks and the Pastry Relay's the following Monday.  These are great opportunities for the younger skiers to get more time in on skis and to not have the pressure.

Any questions, please let me know,
Thanks
Denny

Friday, January 26, 2018

Saturday Practice

For those that are able to, we are going to practice in the afternoon so we are able to get onto Wirth, for their is a big citizen race there in the morning. The bus will leave at 2:00, and we are hoping to be back around 4:30-4:45.
Any questions, let me know,
Thanks
Denny

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Pursuit Results

Our individual results are posted on the right side of the blog, with the skiers skate, classic and overall times.  Also, I have posted just the classic race results for our skiers.  Once I get the overall meet results I will post those as well.

Today was another challenge for the skiers with having to do a second race in two days, and to ski on a challenging course that they have never skied on in the past, plus skiing on real snow, conditions were slower than they were used to, but they held their own against the other teams and challenged themselves, which can only make them stronger as we near the end of the season.

Next up will be the JV Conference Meet that is on Monday, Jan 29, and has been moved to Mora due to a scheduling conflict, and the NWSC Conference Meet that is on Wednesday, Jan 31 that is at Theo Wirth, that will be for our top 10 skier for the Boys and the top 10 for the Girls.

Thanks,
Denny

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

NWSC Skate Pursuit Results

Below is a link to the results from today's first half of the NWSC Pursuit.  The fun part of this race is that these results are only the half way point, and the skiers will have a chance to move up in tomorrow's classic race at Baker (Directions below).  Some very big positives for the team on an overall, a little rough at times since this was probably the first time some have raced on real snow, and those conditions are probably a little slower than the man-made snow they are used to.  Also, our individual times are also posted on the right side of the blog.
NWSC Skate Pursuit

The race times will be the same as today, 3:30 for the Boys and 4:00 for the Girls

Baker Park: 2935 Parkview Dr, Hamel, MN 55340. Take Hwy 10 to Hwy 610, then exit onto Hwy 169 South. Continue on Hwy 169 to I 94 West and merge onto I494 South, then exit onto County Road 9, Rockford Road, and go west.  This will turn into Country Road 24, and continue following until you get to Parkview Dr, take a right and the park will be on your left a little over a half of a mile.

If there are any questions, please let me know,
Thanks,
Denny

Monday, January 22, 2018

Tuesday Start Times

Tuesday's Skate race is at Elm Creek with the Boys starting at 3:30 and the Girls at 4:00 and will be a 5K race.  With the snow that we got today it is possible that the race will be one big lap, thus adding the Northern Lights trail that we have not used this year for a race yet.
Parking can always be tight, so plan accordingly in order to watch the races.
Thanks
Denny

Pasta Party Monday

Was notified by the Christiansen’s that the pasta party is still on, 5:00.

Also, I cannot force anyone to do anything or go anywhere for practice since the school district shut us down. Would be nice to practice with a race tomorrow, yes, but safety is my first concern

No Practices Monday

Just was notified that all after school practices were cancelled, so no practice today, Monday

Sunday, January 21, 2018

Clothing Order

Below is a link to the clothing order that Angie Jurmu has put forth for all parents.  If you have any questions, let me or Angie know. Orders are due on Wednesday, Jan 24.
Clothing Order

Schedule Changes, Again

Frustration can only describe how I feel to a small degree over the changes that we are having this season, some having to happen due to weather, some because of other issues that are out of our control.  But, we continue to have changes with Wednesday up in the air.  But, due to some issues that happened our races this week are changed again, now Tuesday and Wednesday (which is what I believe we had originally at the beginning of the season).  Also, we are schedule for Elm Creek on Monday for practice, but we have the early session, so we ask the middle schoolers arrive to the school as soon as possible. 
Monday: Practice at Elm Creek
Tuesday: Skate race at Elm Creek
Wednesday: Classic Race at ? (It is supposed to be at Baker Park, but might be switched to Mora depending on the snow we may get)
Thursday: Practice at ?
Friday: Practice at Wirth
Saturday: Practice at ?
As the weather happens, we will be able to let you know if there are any changes or the locations we will be going for practice.
Any questions, please let me know,
Thanks
Denny

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Wednesday Results

Here are links to the overall results from yesterday's classic race at Mora.  Our thoughts of overall improvement are shown in the team results with the Girls finishing a solid 2nd place and the Boys finishing in 3rd, despite missing a couple of our top skiers, out of the 7 teams racing.
Congratulations to Abby Ellenbecker for continuing to have a solid season with a 2nd place finish, while Olivia Ellenbecker, Maddie Keran, Izzy Haberman, and Lilah Gilyard all finished in the top 14.
The Boys were led by a solid 5th place finish by Jared Heida and 7th place finish by Ricky Petroff!
Girls Results
Boys Results

Thanks,
Denny

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

NWSC 5K Classic at Mora Results

Our individual results are now posted on the right side of the blog from today's races at Mora.  There was much improvement across the whole team, and it was fun to see how much they changed even from Saturday's races and to see the first years becoming more competitive with each other, but also with the other teams! There are still little things that we can improve on, which is positive because we can focus more on putting in hard work, while improving those small things, and see how much more they can move up.
Once the overall results are complied and sent to us I'll get them posted as well.
Thanks
Denny

Thursday/Friday/Saturday Practices

We will be practicing at Wirth on Thursday and Friday this week, so we will not be getting home until closer to 6:00.
On Saturday, we will be going to Battle Creek in St Paul at 8:00am and should be back around 11:00am.
Thanks,
Denny

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Wednesday Classic Meet

Please remember that the meet on Wednesday is at the Mora Vasaloppet Center, the same location as Saturday, and is a Classic race.  The Boys will start at 4:00, the Girls will start at 4:20, the course distance will be 5K.
Please use the map I sent out last week if you are wanting to go to the north end of the course to watch the skiers.  Being that it will be a longer distance than Saturday's race, more of the trails on the north end will be used, thus you could possibly see the skiers about 5 times.
Thanks and if you have any questions, please let me know,
Denny

Sunday, January 14, 2018

Monday Practice

Our practice for Monday will be at 10:00am, and due to the extreme windchills and below zero temps, we will be doing an inside workout. When we are done with our practice, if there are those that would want to go to Wirth to get some skiing in, we will give them a workout or something to work on while there.
Thanks,
Denny

Saturday, January 13, 2018

ABC Results

Our individual results are now posted on the right side of the blog.  Once the overall results are posted, I'll add them as well.

The biggest thing I saw today was the drive from the skiers and how they didn't give up! There were a lot of positives and some skiers that moved up and there was continued improvements.  There are still many things that we want to work and things to improve on, but things continue to move in a positive direction.

Congratulations to Abby Ellenbecker, Mitch Zandaroski, Ricky Petroff, and Jared Heida as they all received medals in their respective techniques!

Thanks again for all of the help from everyone!

Denny

ABC Thank You

Thank you to all that came out and helped with the ABC Relays! It was an overall positive event and I was glad that things went as smoothly as they did, and that couldn't have happened without all of your help and support!
Thanks,
Denny

Friday, January 12, 2018

ABC Relay Teams

Here are our teams for tomorrow:

Girls
3 Izzy Haberman
Olivia Ellenbecker
Maddie Keran
Abby Ellenbecker
23 Lilah Gilyard
Katie Emmans
Addie Hoseck
Sarah Eichstadt
48 Tara Treml
Lilah Hoseck
Rebekah Weimholt
Summer Nietz
49 Josie Ingvaldson
Sydney Waters
Anna Samit
Sami Degel
50 Trina Hoggarth
Sam Collin
Boys
3 Mitch Zandaroski
Ricky Petroff
Nick Jorgenson
Jared Heida
23 Caleb Chesser
John Przybilla
Noah Christiansen
Myles Gilyard
49 Joe Moline
Peyton Martinek
Jaxon Lahner
Joshua Thoen
50 Jennings Jurmu
Aaron Casey
Marshell Milless
Eli Christiansen

ABC Relay Parking

The schedule tomorrow is as follows:
9:30 bus leaves
12:00 Boys
1:30 Girls
Awards shortly after the Girls race is completed

Once again, we are the Mora Vasaloppet Center, the same location as the meet we had prior to Christmas, so go north on Hwy 65, through Mora and take a left onto N 9th St (look for signs), and then you will have to park in Trailview Elementary parking lot, which is just west of the Vasa entrance on the right.  You will then have to walk over to the course and the center.  I am putting on a link to the course map, which also includes an option to drive out to the north end of the course to watch skiers out there for those that would like to be out on the course.  Just follow the yellow lines on this map Course Map to the Spectator Parking on the North end.

If there are any questions, please let me know,
Thanks
Denny

Thursday, January 11, 2018

ABC Relay's Delayed

Due to the very cold temps on Saturday morning, we have delayed the start of the ABC Relay's until Noon.  With this, we are also moving everything before hand two hours as well.  So, we will not need to have anyone arriving before 10:00.  Boys will race at 12:00, Girls at 1:30.
Any questions, please let me know,
Thanks
Denny

Overall Results

Congrats to the Girls Team as they were able to pull out a 1 point win over Armstrong and the rest of the teams yesterday! The Girls team has been little by little putting things together and we are still missing a couple of girls that may have an opportunity to impact how the team is going to do this year!  Not sure how many they scored yesterday, but as we move forward, when we get to the Conference Meet, 6 individuals will be scored and for the Section Meet 4 individuals will be scored. So, we still have some work to be able to place where we want at the end of the season.

On the Boys side, the Team finished in 4th place with a couple of injuries playing into that.  We have work to do and have to accelerate the learning curve of our younger and less experienced skiers to help the top Boys so we are able to reach the end of season goals with those missing.

Here is a link to the results and I will also put them on the right side of the blog: Medicine Lake Results

Thanks,
Denny

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Wednesday Results

Our individual results are now posted on the blog. It was definitely more interesting than what was expected, but the skiers did well and handled the very wet and icy conditions better than we could have hoped.
The Girls were the leaders on the day with 5 finishing in the top 15 and 45 seconds apart, with Olivia and Abby as our top 2 finishers.  The Boys were able to have two finish in the top 5, Ricky and Mitch and Jared in the top 10 as well. 
Overall points will be posted once the results have been sent our way.
Practice for Thursday is going to be a wait and see due to the weather.  We asked the skiers to be ready to ski, run, to be inside or outside.  Hoping for some solid snow!!
Thanks
Denny

Meet On, Location Changed

The meet for today is a go, but the location is the big change.  The new location is on Medicine Lake in Plymouth, a part of the French Regional Park. Click on this link to get a map of the area Medicine Lake  They are asking that parents park at Armstrong High School, which is a few blocks away, and walk to the lake.  So the directions that I am putting at the bottom are to the High School, not French Regional.  The start and finish will be near or at the beach, so if you use the satellite map you will be able to see where it is located.
The Start Times themselves have also been slightly changed.  The Girls are now racing at 3:30 and the Boys at 3:50 and it looks like they are going to be mass starts.
Any questions, let me know,
Thanks
Denny

Armstrong High School: Take Hwy 10 east to Hwy 610 West and continue to Hwy 169.  Exit going south on Hwy 169 and continue south to the 36th Ave exit, and take a right (west).  The school will be on your left about a half a mile past Hwy 169.  You can try to park in the parking lot on East Medicine Lake Blvd (Just past the high school on the left) which will put you closer to the lake, but not sure if it will be available.  Once at the high school, you will need to walk to East Medicine Lake Blvd and go south and the lake will be on your right.

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

More Change

Well the ever changing schedule continues to spin! At this moment the Wednesday skate race at Elk River is postponed due to the fact that they are losing too much snow to have a safe race. But, there is a plan to move the race  to a different location. I am hoping to know the answer to that early in the morning. As soon as I hear, I'll let you know.
Thanks
Denny

Wednesday Skate Race

Here are the basics for tomorrows Skate Race at the Elk River Country Club.  The race is a 5K or 2.7K, but we are having all of our skiers go the 5K distance since temps will be nicer and we also think that all of the skiers are ready for the challenge if they have not been raing 5K yet.
Boys are at 3:30, Girls are at 3:55, and this will be a 1 lap course, but one that you can see the skiers in a couple of different locations.  So if you are a skier, bring your skis and head out on the course before the races to catch our skiers during the race!

Directions: Go west on Hwy 10 to Elk River.  Stay on Hwy 10 through downtown Elk River and take a right onto Proctor Ave.  You will then go about 2-3 miles on Proctor Ave to the Elk River Country Club, which will be on the right.  Spectators will be able to park in the main lot, but if it is full, you will need to park at Woodland Trails which is the next drive past the golf course on the right.

If there are any questions, please let me know,
Thanks,
Denny

Schedule Changes

Due to the weather and course availabilities, there have been changes made to our schedule for the next couple of weeks.  I have made those changes on our Meet Schedule as well as the calendar and have noted those with red lettering. But, here are the changes as well:
Wed Jan 10, Conf Skate @ Elk River Country Club
Wed Jan 17, Conf Classic @ Mora Vasaloppet Center
Wed Jan 24, 5K Classic @ Baker Park
Thur Jan 25, 5K Skate Pursuit @ Hyland Park

It's not always easy to keep making changes, but some of these moves were made to make sure we can get races in,
Thanks
Denny

Sunday, January 7, 2018

Mesabi Results

After an adventurous start to the day and Arctic like temps that caused the races to be delayed two hours, and being shorthanded due to injuries, the Coon Rapids skiers held their own and had their best overall meet on the season so far and one of the better days for Coon Rapids at Mesabi in a few years.
Abby Ellenbecker led the way for Coon Rapids with a solid 19th place out of 131 in the Girls Varsity Classic, and Olivia Ellenbecker finished in 37th place out of 135 in the Girls Varsity Freestyle to lead the way for the Girls Varsity team that finished 24th out of the 54 teams that were there. Maddie Keran was 74th and Lilah Gilyard was 89th in the Girls Classic, and Izzy Haberman was 92nd and Sarah Eichstadt was 115th in the Girls Freestyle races.
Ricky Petroff was the top CR skier for the Boys Varsity gaining a top 30 finish in the Freestyle race, finishing in 28th out of 148 skiers. Jared Heida was 16 seconds behind to finish in 38th place and Mitch Zandaroski was 41st out of 142 skiers to help the Boys Varsity to a 21st place finish as a team out of 56 teams. Myles Gilyard finished in 93rd in the Boys Classic and Nick Jorgenson 104th in the Boys Freestyle Race.
The Boys JV was the top team performer for CR as they were able to finish in a solid 11th place out of 45 teams. All four JV Boys were able to finish in the top 40 of their races, which is big positive for the future of the Boys team as we had two first year skiers going, as well as two second year skiers who are just an 8th and 9th grader respectively! Noah Christiansen was 25th and Caleb Chesser was 35the in the Freestyle Race, and John Przybilla was 28th and Josh Thoen was 34th in the Classic Race.
The Girls JV was shorthanded the most due to injuries and we had on two Girls competing, one in each event, thus their team placing was affected by this. But, both girls had solid races with Addie Hoseck finishing in 44th in the Classic Raceand Katie Emmans 66th in the Freestyle Race!
Overall Meet Results can be found at this link: http://my1.raceresult.com/88098/results?lang=en
I will have our individual results up later today.
As we move forward, Monday's practice will be at normal time but we will be going to Wirth, so we will be getting home closer to 6:00. Make sure all have their passes.  Also, as of right now, our meet on Wednesday is going to be at the Elk River Country a Club and will be a skate race. If there are any changes due to the weather, I will let you know.
Thanks to all that came and supported the skiers and helped with everything yesterday. It allowed us as Coaches to be out helping and supporting the skiers on their days!
Thanks,
Denny

Friday, January 5, 2018

Noon Start

Start time for delayed again, now it is at 12:00. They will be going 2 skiers at a time every 15 secs, so we will still be able to get home at around the same time. Here is our start list:http://my1.raceresult.com/88098/participants?lang=en

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Weather Delay Saturday

Just got word that due to the cold temps Friday night into Saturday morning, that the start of the Mesabi Invite has been postponed to 11:00.  They are readjusting the start list to fall inline with the new start time.  Any further updates, I'll let you know,
Thanks
Denny

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Wednesday Classic Race

Our individual results for today's classic race at Hyland Park are now posted on the right side of the blog.  Once the overall meet results are posted, I will tie in a link as well.

Despite the cold and windy conditions, we had some very positive performances on both the boys and girls side, from the returners and the 1st years, while there was a lot of improvements in our technique.  There is still a lot of room for improvement, but we are starting to get things moving in an upward trend and we are hoping to build off of the performances from today.  Now if we could just get some more snow and a little bit warmer temps, we could really move forward and show our improvements.

For the Overall results, the Girls were a solid 2nd place, just a few points out of 1st, and the boys were in a tight battle but finished 3rd, both out of 6 teams.  Congrats to Abby for winning the Girls race, with Olivia 3rd and Izzy 9th.  For the Boys, Ricky and Mitch were 5th and 6th to lead the team, with Jared also finishing in the top 10 in 9th.
In the Shorter race, which was actually 3K, we had 5 of the first 11 girls, including 2nd-4th, and 3 of the top 14 boys, with Isabella leading the way for the girls in 2nd and Aaron C finishing 4th for the boys.
Great Race to all!

Thanks,
Denny

Mesabi Start List

Here is a link to the tentative start list for Saturday's Mesabi East Invite at Giants Ridge.  This will help you with planning if you are intending to go up and watch.  There is a possibility that the start would be delayed due to weather, but we will not know that until we get a little closer.
Any questions, let me know,
http://my1.raceresult.com/88098/participants?lang=en#0_CEADAF

Thanks,
Denny

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Wednesday Race at Hyland Park

Below is the basic information for Wednesday race at Hyland Park.  Originally this meet was a skate race, but was changed to a classic race due to the fact that none of us have had a classic race yet.  One thing of note with Hyland is that parking can be tight, so plan accordingly.
Any questions, let me know,
Thanks,
Denny

Race Times:
Girls Varsity 5K: 3:30
Boys Varsity 5K: 3:50
Girls 2.5K: 4:00
Boys 2.5K: 4:10

Hyland Lake Park Reserve: Take highway #169 south, just past #494, to Highwood Drive. Turn east (left), then turn south (right) onto East Bush Lake Road. OR take Highway #100 south, just past #494, turn west (right) onto West 84th Street, which becomes East Bush Lake Road. You will pass the downhill ski area and the Richardson Nature Center. Take a left into the Recreation Area (just before the road takes a sharp right curve at the south end of Bush Lake). There is parking at the visitor center or a little further down the road near the start/finish line

Monday, January 1, 2018

Mesabi East Invite Info

Below is information for the Mesabi East Invite, the largest high school Nordic race in the country.  If you have any questions, please let me know,
Thanks
Denny

Mesabi East Invitational
Sat. Jan 6, 2018

The Mesabi East Invitational is upon us again and it is time for our skiers to participate in the largest high school ski meet in the country.  We will be leaving at 12:00pm on Friday, Jan. 5 from in front of the school.   We will be going to Pine Valley Trails in Cloquet to get in some skiing, waxing our skis, then spending the rest of the day in Cloquet.

This year we will be staying at the AmericInn Hotel in Cloquet.   The usual overnight items that we all bring, toiletries and clothes, is all that is needed.  One suggestion that we do make though, is that the amount of food brought with is limited.  We will have dinner at Sammy’s in Cloquet, where they are catering pasta’s and salad for us; breakfast will be provided at the hotel for Saturday and the Booster Club has purchased lunch for Saturday for the skiers.  The cost for the night of stay and two meals is $40 and needs to be paid before we leave. 

We will be limited on the number of skiers we will bring this year due to the fact that we are staying in a hotel.  In years past we have been able to bring more of the team with us, but we are limiting to the 10 boys and 10 girls that will be racing.  For those that are not going, we ask that they ski on their own both Friday and Saturday.

On the trip home, (we hope to leave from Giants Ridge around 4:30pm) we will make a brief stop in Forest Lake to make phone calls to let you know when we will be back. 

Also, once the start lists are posted, I will be sending out the start list so you are able to know when your child will be skiing if they are racing. The first race is at 10:00 and the clock will continue running until the last skier has finished.  The last skier of the day to start is usually around 3:30, just to let you know how spread out the day is.  The start list will also help you better plan your day if you are going to be attending.  If you have any questions, please contact me, more info will also be out the week we leave.
Thanks,
Denny