Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Northwest Suburban Conference

Our Individual and the Overall Meet results for today's Northwest Suburban Conference Meet at Theodore Wirth are now posted on the right side of the blog.

The Boy's team led the way with a solid 4th place team finish out of 12 teams, with Josh Thoen's 5th place finish.  The Girl's were short Abby Ellenbecker, but they all had a solid day for themselves and finished in 11th place, led by the ever improving position of the Lilah Gilyard who moved up from 22nd after the skate race to 17th overall!

Congratulations to our All Conference Skiers, Lilah Gilyard for the Girls, Josh Thoen, Noah Christiansen, Jared Heida, and Ricky Petroff for the Boys with Myles Gilyard earning All Conference Honorable Mention!  Great work to all of the skiers for fighting to the finish in both races!  It is not an easy thing to ski two 5K's as hard as you can in one day, especially for many of our skiers who got this experience for the first time, but everyone held their own and we as Coaches felt it was a very positive day.

A reminder that tomorrow is our Picture Day.  I will envelopes at school for those that were not able to get one today, however you can look at what the order form and prices are on the link below.  We will be taking our pictures at Bunker Campground.
Picture Order Form

Thanks to the Boosters/Parents for all of the help and food with keeping the skiers fed and fueled to be able to compete as hard as they did, as well as keep the Coaches fed as well! :)

Thanks,
Denny

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Start List

Here is a link to the Start List for tomorrow's NWSC Meet.  This is for the Skate race.  We will not know the Classical start until they have finished their Skate races.
Start List

If you are coming down, please make sure you give yourself plenty of time because parking will be minimal.  Also, if you could carpool, it will help.

Thanks
Denny

JV Conference Results

Our individual and the overall results for yesterday’s JV Conference meet are now posted in the right side of the blog.

Yesterday was a very solid, positive and fun day for the JV skiers! All of them had really good effort and it was easy to tell that we’re all have fun being on skis, and they placed well also!! Jennings Jurmu led the way with a 4th place finish in the Classic race with Flo Julien coming in 9th to lead the team. Jacob Casey continues to improve and had a solid 10th place finish in the Skate race!  On the Girls side, 7th grader Kendall Martinek was the top skater finishing in 47th with Ash Cocchiarella finishing in 20th in the Classic race!

Both teams finished in 7th place out of 12 teams, with the Boys only being a handful points out of 4th.

It was a great day of skiing, let’s keep it moving forward!!
Denny

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Week Ahead

Here is some basics for this week:
Monday: JV Conference at Theodore Wirth in Minneapolis, bus will leave at 2:00. Girls will race at 4:00, Boys at 4:30.  The skiers that are skiing are picking if they are going classic or skate.  The Varsity skiers will be going with to get a short workout in on the Conference course to get ready for Wednesday.  When we get home, we may start working on the Varsity skiers ski's at the high school.

Tuesday: Bus to Bunker will leave by 3:25, Skate ski.  Varsity will work on their ski's once we get back from practice at the high school.

Wednesday: NWSC Meet at Theo Wirth, bus leaving at 7:00am.  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.  Those not racing are allowed to come with to help, but please let us know so we can excuse them from school
Girls Skate: 10:00
Boys Skate: 11:00
Girls Classic Pursuit: 2:00
Boys Classic Pursuit: 3:00
Awards: 3:45ish

Thursday is team picture day at Bunker. Bus will leave by 3:20.  We will classic ski after pictures are done.

Friday: Bus to Bunker will leave be 3:25, Skate Ski.

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.

Here is who will be racing on Wednesday and the start order/bib number that they are:
Jared Heida 127
Josh Thoen 142
Noah Christiansen 156
Ricky  Petroff 159
Peyton Martinek 173
Myles Gilyard 188
Aaron Casey 195
Ryan Powley 208
Michael Smith 218
Jaxon Lahner 238
Ava Kehr 12
Abby Ellenbecker 18
Lilah Gilyard 30
Ilsa Hoaglund 47
Zoe Hoaglund 59
Akala Lowe 63
Josie Ingvaldson 74
Olivia Nojd 89
Tara Treml 99
Julia Dutton 114
Any questions, please let me know,
Thanks
Denny

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Skate Pursuit Results

Sorry these didn't get up last night, but it took longer to do overall pursuit results than just normal results.  But, all results are now posted on the right side of the blog.  Please note, these are not just the Skate times, but both days and the overall time.  So, it will let us know where everyone finished for the two days, basically where they finished yesterday at the end of the race.

A good two days of skiing though.  A tough classic course on Tuesday in windier conditions to an easier course that was warmer and starting to get softer in spots and icier in other spots, so not always easy to navigate. 

What was seen was just a good fight to the finish for all of our skiers.  There was a lot of moving up and skiers going all the way through the finish.  Abby Ellenbecker had a solid two days and easily taking the Overall win, prepping herself for next weeks Conference meet and letting everyone know that she is one of the favorite.  Lilah Gilyard moved up yesterday and gained a top 10 spot, putting her into a good position for an All Conference finish next week.

The Boys moved up as a team and will have many fighting for All Conference or Honorable Mention spots next week.  With 8 boys finishing in the top 27 bodes well for our depth.  Josh Thoen was the top finisher with a 6th place Overall finish.  Other top 20 spots went to Noah Christiansen, Jared Heida, and Aaron Casey, with Peyton Martinek, Myles Gilyard, Ryan Powley, and Michael Smith all in the top 27.

Thanks,
Denny

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Today's Start List

Here is a link to today's Start List.  The Short Course skiers were not included in this.  I am not 100 percent on how they will be started.
Any questions, let me know,
Thanks,
Denny

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Today's Results, Tomorrow's Race

Our individual times for today's race are posted on the right side of the blog.  The results from today are only half of the overall race, which will happen tomorrow at Elm Creek, with a Skate technique Pursuit, where skiers will leave in the place they finish today at the time of where they also finished today.  What this means for those not sure how it works, if someone was 1st overall today, they are the first one to leave and the next person will not start until the time they finished behind today.  If someone was 25th today, they will be 25th tomorrow at the start however far behind everyone ahead of them, and then it is the first person to the line that is the overall race winner.  It becomes a fun race to watch knowing that everyone is chasing each other down or trying to hold off those behind them.

I was hoping to have the finish list from today's race so everyone knows what time they start tomorrow, but that has not been posted to us as coaches yet.  If there was someone that did not race today but will be there tomorrow, they will start at the back so they are still a part of the race.

Bus leaves at 2:00 today with the Boys racing at 3:30 and the Girls at 4:00.

Any questions, let me know,
Thanks
Denny

Monday, January 20, 2020

Tuesday Meet Info

Below is the general driving directions for Tuesday's race in Elk River at Woodland Hills, just north of the Elk River Golf Course.  Please note that with school buses, parking will be limited and you may need to park at the Golf Course. 

Also, here is a link to the course to let everyone know roughly what the course is.  One thing of note about the course, it is predominantly in the woods, thus it will be very challenging to see much of the skiers.  This will be one of the more challenging courses that they will need to race on this year.  There will, however, be a shorter course that is not as challenging for those that would like it.

Everyone will get out of school at 1:40 tomorrow with the bus leaving at 2:00.  Boys will be racing at 3:45 with the Girls at 4:15.

Any questions, please let me know,
Thanks
Denny

Elk River Golf Course/Woodland Trails: Highway #10 West, through downtown Elk River, to Proctor Ave. Turn north (right at Texaco station) and follow road as it veers left after the Jr. High, becoming County #1/Elk Lake Road NW. Take a right on Woodland Trails, just beyond club house. The parking lot is next to the start/finish line.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Week Ahead

Here is our schedule for this week.  The disciplines of Tuesday and Wednesday have been switched due to the weather being well above freezing on Wednesday, which makes finding kick wax to work more of a challenge.  Tuesday will be a classic race at Elk River and Wednesday will be a skate race at Elm Creek.
Any questions, please let me know,
Thanks
Denny

Monday: Meet at the High School at 2:30 for Weight Training, leaving for Bunker Dog Park at 3:15 for Classic work
Tuesday: NWSC Classic at Woodland Hills in Elk River (Just North of the Elk River Golf Course). Bus leaves at 2:00, Boys at 3:45, Girls at 4:15
Wednesday: NWSC Skate Pursuit at Elm Creek.  Bus leaves at 2:00, Boys at 3:30, Girls at 4:00
Thursday: Ski Erg Tourney after school, Bus leaves for Bunker Memorial by 3:25, Skate
Friday: Weight Training after school, Bus leaves for Bunker Campground by 3:25, Classic
Saturday: Bus leaves at 8:00am. Location TBD, Skate

Monday Pasta Party

Below is a message from Vicki in regards to tomorrow's (Monday) pasta party:
Change of location for Monday's pasta party (because one of mine has the flu now): Thoen household. 12229 Lily Street NW. It's a half block away, but the germs will be here, not there!

Friday, January 17, 2020

Friday, Saturday, Monday

There is a good chance that after school activities will be cancelled today, Friday, but we are going to make a decision before and give the skiers the day off to make sure everyone gets home safely, so no practice today.

Saturday, we are going to meet at Bunker Campground to do a classic workout. If there is anyone that needs their skis before practice that they be to the High School by 11:45 to get what they need. It will be windy, so please make sure everyone is prepared for that, with glasses being a good option to protect the eyes.

Monday we will meet at the High School at 2:30 to do our strength training and then our bus will leave at 3:15. Chances are that it will be a skate workout, with location TBD (more info on Sunday). There will also be a team pasta party after practice as well hosted by the Chrisitian’s and Thoen’s. Currently this is our only one scheduled, so let’s make sure everyone goes!!

Thanks
Denny

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

NWSC Skate Results

Our Individual and the Overall results are now posted on the right side of the blog.

The Boys team finished in 2nd out of 6 teams and the Girls were a close 5th, one point out of 4th, as both teams keep making the steps forward that they need to have their best races at the end of the season. 

Abby Ellenbecker was the top finisher for the Cardinals on the day, finishing in 4th place in the skate race at Elm Creek.  Lilah Gilyard also gained a top 20 place finishing in 19th out of 104 skiers.  Josh Thoen, 6th and Noah Christiansen 7th, helped lead the Boys as they placed 4 in the top 15 with Aaron Casey and Jared Heida taking the 14th and 15th place spots in the race of 129 skiers.

Much improvement was had by many, as the skiers continued to work on areas that they were struggling with earlier in the season, with many positives mentioned by the skiers at the end of the day. The experience and the tightness of overall skiers on the Boys team is continuing to show every meet, while the youth and inexperience of the Girls team is turning in to solid efforts that will help the team at the end of the season as well as a solid building point for next year.

Thanks
Denny

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Week of Jan 13

Below are the details for this upcoming week.  We only have a couple of weeks left of the regular season meets then we get to the bigger meets for both Varsity and JV/Middle School.  Time flies by when you are having fun!! Let's stay healthy and finish off the season strong!!

Monday: Weight Training after school. Bus to Bunker Memorial leaves by 3:25, Skate, Group 1 will be leading technique work
Tuesday: NWSC Skate race at Elm Creek.  Out of class at 1:40, bus leaves at 2:00.  Tentatively the Boys are going at 3:30 and the Girls at 4:00.
Wednesday: Bus to Greenhaven Golf Course in Anoka leaves by 3:25.  Skate Day
Thursday: Bus to Bunker Campground leaves by 3:25, Classic, Skiers Choice on technique help
Friday: Weight Training after school. Bus to Bunker Dog Park leaves by 3:25, Classic
Saturday: We are tentatively planning a harder Skate workout at Theo Wirth, with the bus to leave at 8:00am.  We will monitor how everyone is doing as well as the weather and decide when we get closer to the end of the week.

Thanks,
Denny

Panera Fundraiser Monday

Reminder: Monday, January 13 (tomorrow!) is our fundraising night at Panera Bread in Coon Rapids from 4:00 - 8:00. The packet you were given at the start of the season said Chick-fil-A, but it has been changed to Panera Bread. You can bring the flier or show the flier on your phone, and it works for dine-in or take-out. Thanks!

Saturday, January 11, 2020

ABC Relay Results

Our Individual and the Overall meet results are now posted on the right side of the Blog.  So everyone is aware, we only scored the A and B teams fro each school that was there today, so not all of our teams are in the results as well as those individuals.

Despite colder temps, the sun was shining, the winds were down, and the excitement levels were high as we got the opportunity to enjoy another fun and exciting ABC's Invitational Relays!!  With some of the tops teams and individuals in the State participating, the Cardinal Skiers went out, competed, and held their own for a positive step forward in their development for this season.

Leading the way for the Cardinals was the 3rd place finish in Skate for Abby Ellenbecker.  Lilah Gilyard continues her improvements and rise as she was able to gain a solid 10th place finish in the Classic race, as the both of them, Akala Lowe and Josie Ingvaldson took the Girls team to a respectable 11th place team finish.  The Girls team showed a lot of improvements and all of the Girls fought hard in their races!

The Boys A Team had a thrilling race to the line as Jared Heida and Roseville crossed the line at the same time to finish in a solid 7th place team finish.  Josh Thoen got the team off to a good start with a 9th place finish in Classic, Ricky Petroff helped with a 22nd place in Classic, and the Noah Christiansen was 15th and Jared 16th in Skate.  The Boys overall team had another positive step forward and competed well against some of the best teams in the State.  There is a lot of work left to do, but they are heading in the right direction.

Thanks for all of the help from all that were at the meet today! There is a lot that goes into putting a meet together and one that has a different energy level to it makes it more of a challenge.  All of the help that is given helps the race run smooth and helps the event have a fun feel to it!

Thanks
Denny

Friday, January 10, 2020

Message about Pizza Orders

Below is a message in regards to picking up pizza orders from the Thoen family:

So: There are 7 skiers that have not yet picked up their Heggies pizzas. You can text me at 651-335-1144 to arrange a pickup time. They will be in my garage until they are picked up.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

ABC Relay Line-up

Here are the teams and who is skiing what for Saturday's ABC Relays at Theo Wirth Park.  The Boys are at 10:00 and the Girls at 11:30.  The race is a 4 person relay with each person skiing just over 2.5K.  The first two on each team will ski Classic while the last two will ski Skate.  This is always a fun event for the skiers as well as for the spectators.  Hope you can all make it out to watch!!
Any questions, please let me know,
Denny

ABC Relay Teams, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020
Girls Boys
Lilah Gilyard Classic Joshua Thoen Classic
Akala Lowe Classic Ricky Petroff Classic
Josie Ingvaldson Skate Noah Christiansen Skate
Abby Ellenbecker Skate Jared Heida Skate
Ilsa Hoaglund Classic Ryan Powley Classic
Ava Kehr Classic Peyton Martinek Classic
Olivia Nojd Skate Aaron Casey Skate
Zoe Hoaglund Skate Myles Gilyard Skate
Katrina Hoggarth Classic Michael Smith Classic
Ash Cocchiarella Classic Jennings Jurmu Classic
Jordyn Campbell Skate Eli Christiansen Skate
Tara Treml Skate Jaxon Lahner Skate
Liz Hoggarth Classic Florentin Julien Classic
Julia Dutton Classic Justin Goetz Classic
Kendall Martinek Skate Orion Carter Skate
Tessa Del Fratte Skate Jacob Casey Skate
Tori Horner Classic Tristan Brende-Prins Classic
Jerzi Herberg Skate Gavin Lowe Classic
Sheryl Black Skate Nico Cocchiarella Skate
Tommy Samit Skate

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

NWSC Classic Results

Results from this afternoon's Classic race at Elm Creek are now posted on the right side of the blog.

Abby Ellenbecker continues to show that she is going to be tough to beat this year in the NWSC and that she is aiming for even more, as she won her 4th straight conference race, finishing 11 seconds up on 2nd place.  Lilah Gilyard also gained a top 10 spot with a solid 7th place finish as the two of them helped the Girls team to a 4th place team finish out of the 6 teams racing today.

The Boys team finished in 2nd place out of the 6 teams with Josh Thoen leading the way with a 3rd place finish with Ricky Petroff having one of his best races on the season finishing in 7th.  The Boys had their top 7 finish 27th or higher, showing the teams depth.

There were many positive results and areas of improvement from all of the skiers.  They took steps forward and took what they have learned in the past couple of practices and put them to use, despite the cold and windy conditions.  It is always a positive as a coaching staff to see the improvement from practice to meets and it show us that the skiers really want to get better and reach their goals!

Thanks for all of those that braved the weather!  Next up is the ABC Relay's on Saturday at Theodore Wirth Park.  More information will be put out tomorrow.

Thanks
Denny

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Wednesday's Classic Race

A couple of reminders for tomorrow's Classic race at Elm Creek:

Skiers will be getting out of class at 1:40 (1:30 for the Middle Schoolers)

Bus will be leaving at 2:00 from the front of the High School

Boys will be racing at 3:30, 1 every 20 seconds; Girls will be racing at 4:00, 1 every 20 seconds

Parking is limited, so make sure you are there with plenty of time to get to the start.

Any questions, please let me know,
Thanks
Denny

Monday, January 6, 2020

Panera Fundraiser

Below is a link to our next Fundraising opportunity, Monday, January 13th at Panera.  Please help spread the word and let us know if there are any questions.
Thanks
Denny

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Week of January 6th

Below is information for the upcoming week.  Please remember that there is also a Booster Club meeting tomorrow at 7:00pm at the Coon Rapids City Center.

Any questions, please let me know,
Thanks
Denny

Monday: Group 1 (see below) will be leaving the high school by 2:40 and meeting at Theo Wirth Trailhead for Classic skiing, if you haven't signed up for your trail pass yet for Wirth, I am trying to get it reopened for us, otherwise we will need to take care of it when everyone gets to Wirth.  Groups 2 and 3, weight training after school and then the bus for Bunker Campground will be leaving by 3:25 for Classic Skiing
Tuesday: Coach Jerlie and Coach Abby will be having a brief meeting with the Girls team right after school.
Classic Skiing.  Bus to Rum River Central leaves by 3:25.  We will be getting back a little later, but will still try to get back by 5:15.
Wednesday: Classic Race at Elm Creek, bus leaves at 2:00 from old door 1, Boys race at 3:30, Girls race at 4:00.
Thursday: Bus to Bunker Campground leaves by 3:25.  The workout will be skiers choice, so some may be skiing classic, some skate.  We will be back by 5:15.
Friday: Bus to Bunker Campground leaves by 3:25.  Depending on what they are racing on Saturday will depend on what they are doing for technique.  We will be back by 5:00.
Saturday: ABC Relays at Theo Wirth Park in Minneapolis (more info to come).  Bus leaves at 8:00am from old door 1.  Boys race at 10:00, girls at 11:30, awards at 1:00.  We will be hosting, so help will be needed, with information and sign up for helping being held at the Booster Meeting on Monday.

Group 1
Aaron Casey
Caleb Chesser
Eli Christiansen
Noah Christiansen
Myles Gilyard
Jared Heida
Jennings Jurmu
Jaxon Lahner
Peyton Martinek
Ricky Petroff
Ryan Powley
Michael Smith
Joshua Thoen
Abby Ellenbecker
Lilah Gilyard
Amelia Blomberg
Josie Ingvaldson

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Mesabi Results

Here is a link to today's Mesabi Invite: Meet Results.  I will post them on a page as well as our individual times tomorrow.

Congrats to Abby Ellenbecker as she continues her solid season by making the podium and finishing 3rd in the Girls Classic race on the State Meet course.  Abby finished 22 seconds behind the race winner and helped lead the Girls team to a 26th place team finish out of 58 teams scored.

Josh Thoen continued his strong sophomore season with a solid 15th place finish in the Boys Classic Race.  Jared Heida was 30th and Noah Christiansen was 35th in the Boys Skate race as they all helped the Boys to a solid 13th place team placing with 58 teams scoring points.

The Boys JV had the highest team placing as they were able to gain a 11th place finish with 47 teams placing.  Peyton Martinek, 18th and Ryan Powley, 20th, both in the JV Classic race, helped lead the Boys to their high placing for the team.

The Girls JV finished in 28th place overall out 43 teams that scored points and were led by Zoe Hoaglund's 57th place in the JV Classic race and the 58th place of Ava Kehr in the JV Skate race. 

All the skiers held their own and put in solid efforts across the board.  It might have been a little rough for some of the skiers with the loss of time on snow at camp and the number of skiers that skied on these courses for the first time, especially on the Girls side, but we were proud of they all put in great races for themselves and held their own, fighting all the way to the finish!

Thanks
Denny

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Mesabi Invite - Final Info

This is just a reminder that the bus for those going to the Mesabi Invite tomorrow (Friday) will be leaving at 8:00am, and please be at the school by 7:30 to help get everything packed and ready to go.  A lunch tomorrow will be needed by everyone, but dinner on Friday, breakfast and lunch on Saturday will be covered.  Also, please remember that for those going, a sleeping bag and pillow, as well as a towel for any showering, will need to be brought along.

Also, attached is the initial start list for Saturday's races. Mesabi Start List  You can sort by school, last name, or start time.  The Classic races start at 11:00 and will run continuously until the last Classic racer goes out, and then the Skate races will start at 1:00 and will be run the same way.

Any questions, please let me know,
Thanks,
Denny