CEC's downhill skiing season ends at section

It was a rough Section 7 meet Tuesday for the members of the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton alpine team, who did not advance any kids to next week’s state competition.

“Being sections, kids lay it out there on the edge and we had some crashes that put our kids out of contention,” said coach Ryan Zimny, of the races at Giants Ridge. “Emily Regas was on the bubble for a state qualifying spot after the first run but ended up blowing out of the course on her second run.”

He explained that each skier gets two runs, and the results go by combined time, not the best run. A skier is disqualified if they miss a gate or if they lose both skis in a fall.

Madysen Waters was CEC’s top girls skier, taking 48th place. Abby Blazevic took 80th, Alexys Serafin took 92nd, Ellie Regas 110th. Emily Regas 111th. Annika Elsmore placed 113th.

Ethan Butcher was the top finisher for CEC boys, taking 81st. Jonah Laundergen took 84th place, Morgan Grove took 94th, James Butcher took 100th.

“Senior Jonah Laundergen had a rough first run, but had a nice second run to finish up his high school career,” Zimny said.

The girls team placed 16th, while the boys team placed 18th in the team competition.

The former Cloquet skier and longtime coach would like to see more kids come out next season, noting that the program has extra race equipment that skiers can borrow. Buying a ski pass for Spirit Mountain bumps up the cost more than some sports, but he said it’s still less expensive than hockey for kids who want to do a winter sport.