Ski teams seek return to postseason success

The Cloquet-Esko-Carlton boys Nordic ski team is starting the season with a ranking that may remind some oldtimers around here of the glory days when Mike Marciniak, Joe Nowak and John Loumala coached a combination ski team that won multiple state skiing championships.

"This team looks to be a team full of everything a coach dreams of," said head coach Arne Maijala, now in his third year leading the team. He's not exaggerating. At the section meet last year, the boys team had four skiers place in the top 15, and all of them are returning.

Ranked third in the state by skinnyski.com to start the year, the Lumberjacks graduated only one skier from last year's boys varsity team, Carlton's Spencer Hoeffling. They return all other varsity skiers who regularly scored last season - when they placed eighth at state and second at sections - including Benjamin Bauer, Josh Sanders, AJ Maijala and Cale Prosen. Henry Slater and Miles Fischer are also back after racing in both the section and state meet last year, and there are others who could vie for a spot on the varsity if their times are good enough, including last year's section and state alternates Bennett Hille and Jordan Chopski, along with Nate Bong and more. Look for Bauer especially to have a shot at the section title this year, with his teammates not far behind.

"I know this team will work hard, have lots of fun and make the best of every situation," Maijala said. "I have coached many years and the kids on this team are truly a special group."

Like the CEC boys team, the CEC girls nordic ski team has tremendous potential this season. Despite losing longtime varsity skier Hannah Zuck, the return of such talented skiers including Halle Zuck, Charlotte Ripp, Megan Chopski, Elsa Mower and Amelia Allen along with even more skiers who could step up this year is encouraging for Maijala.

"I see a huge potential for our girls this year," said Maijala. "If they all improve and keep working, they could very well be one of the top three teams in our section this season.

It's a deep program, with skiers in grades 7-12 competing at various levels. The CEC Nordic program has grown dramatically over the past seven years, and this year looks like another with high numbers. Maijala now has 76 skiers signed up between the boys and girls programs and he is getting emails on a regular basis about more kids who are interested in joining the program.

Covid delayed the start of the season from early November until now, and the pandemic will also change how the season continues. Like other prep teams during the pandemic, they will savor every practice and competition, because you never know when an outbreak could cut a season short.

"We have been giving covid guidelines from MDH and MSHSL on what to do and how to respond when and if any positive cases develop, but I personally see Nordic skiing as one of the safest winter sports at this time," Maijala said, adding that skiers have to wear masks and meets will be limited to three teams at most, versus the usual six or more teams.

Practice started on Monday, but Maijala said many skiers have been skiing a lot already on their own, especially now with the recent snow and some since the first few inches fell in October.

Alpine skiing

Although last year's team leader Jonah Laundergren graduated, the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton boys alpine ski team is returning several key returning members, said head coach Ryan Zimney, naming Jack McWilliams, Ethan Butcher and Morgan Grove.

"I'm excited to get out and work with these awesome kids on the hill," said Zimney. "It'll be a shorter, compressed season, but we should still be able to get a lot accomplished."

Like the boys team, the CEC girls team is facing uncertain times. At this point neither team knows if there will be any type of section or state meet, and about the only certainty is that they at least got to start practice earlier this week.

"My expectations for this year are simple, I am just hoping to provide some opportunity to improve and get some sort of normalcy for the skiers out on the hill," said Zimney. "The limitations on competition mean we will have several low-key small races involving two or three schools instead of the larger invites we usually have."

The girls team graduated a couple of solid skiers last year, but they have some quality and quantity in numbers entering this season.

"We had Alexys Serafin and Maddie Dostal graduate from the girls team and they were awesome team members that are missed," Zimney said. Key returning members for the girls are Emily and Elle Regas, Madison Waters, Abby Blazevic and Anika Elsmore.

The first practice for the Lumberjacks alpine skiers was Tuesday. The squad, like all sports teams, must take Covid-19 precautions.

That means social distancing guidelines will need to be followed as well as skiing only at their home hill of Mont du Lac against other local teams that also use the hill as their home for training.

Unlike past years, Covid restrictions also can make life a bit more difficult for the skiers even prior to the races.

"We won't be taking buses to other ski hills for races as we'll be doing all of our races at Mont du Lac with the other local teams also training there," said Zimney. "Another change is that we won't be using the chalet to gear up, but really, as an outside sport where we already often wear a face covering, once we are out on the hill skiing, there won't be a huge difference."

The CEC boys and girls alpine teams are scheduled to open the season Jan. 15 at Mont du Lac.

"We don't yet know if there will be a section or state meet, so we are just focusing on the smaller short-term goals for now," said Zimney.