The first race started off at a balmy -4 (cough cough), with the pursuit skiers tackling a 5km skate race. The middle of the day consisted of the classic relay prelims followed by the classic relay finals. The day ended with the 5km pursuit. Each team gets to enter up to nine Varsity skiers: up to five in the pursuit with the first three counting toward the team score, two relay skiers who, combined, contribute to the overall team score, and two alternates.

Representing our boys pursuit team this year were seniors Micah Mouser, Eric Swanson, and Ian Stanley; junior Noah Schlosser; and freshman Dane Mouser. Juniors Brody Nelson and Trygvie Ronnevik made up our relay team. Our alternates were freshmen Otz McConn and Beau Schlosser. At the end of the day, our boys showed up, skied with incredible grace and resilience, and represented our Otter community admirably. Micah, Noah, and Eric all scored for our pursuit team with Micah finishing 13th, Noah in 17th, and Eric Swanson 20th. Brody and Trygvie gave it their all, finishing in 7th place for our relay team. Combined, our boys finished the day in 6th place against a stacked Section 8 lineup. We would like to give a huge shout-out to the Moorhead boys who took first overall to upset the Brainerd dynasty. Well done to both teams.

This was the final high school race for Micah, Eric, and Ian. I have been coaching Micah and Eric since they were 7th graders; Ian joined our team when he was a sophomore. All three are young men of integrity who bring so much life, compassion, and light to this planet. I am incredibly proud of each of them and wish them many happy ski trails.

Most readers have become quite familiar with this year’s girls team. Senior Estee VerSteeg, juniors Ali Bredenberg, Cassie Wellman, and Violet McConn, and sophomore Lydia Uggerud made up our pursuit team. Havilah McConn and Evie VerSteeg were our relay team. Our alternates were sophomore Olivia Budke and freshman Lillya Ronnevik. After the morning skate race, Estee was in third, Ali in 4th, and Cassie in 7th, putting our girls in the lead to start the day, just ahead of the ever fierce Alexandria and Brainerd. Havi and Evie skied a very conservative but calculated relay prelim, finishing in the sixth position to claim the last spot for the afternoon finals. In the end, the relay girls turned all their conserved energy into a third place finish, beating out Alexandria and Brainerd and adding distance to our team score. Our pursuit girls hung tight in the afternoon classic ski race where Estee finished in third place on her combined score, Ali held on to 4th, and Cassie moved up a position to take away one more spot from Alexandria and finished in 6th. Lydia and Violet did not score for our team, but both had strong finishes that added to the overall Otter team effort.

At the end of the day, our girls walked away with the first ever Section Championship for Otter Nordic skiing. These girls are incredibly strong, physically fit, and mentally focused, and their season is a reflection of months and years of hard work to get to this position. They will represent Fergus Falls next week at the state meet held at Giant’s Ridge. It is a two-day event. The sprint relays will be held next Wednesday, and the pursuit race next Thursday. Fans can follow all the action at: https://www.mshsl.org/sports-and-activities/nordic-ski-racing-girls

For full results: www.webscorer.com.