'Jacks ramp up for repeat run at State

For the second year in a row, winter weather has been a challenge for the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton alpine ski teams, with Monday’s meet at Mont du Lac cancelled due to frigid temperatures.

Head coach Ryan Zimny wasn’t fazed by the change.

“The lack of natural snow has been annoying, but at least it has been cold enough to make snow, so much better than last year,” he said, referring to conditions at Spirit Mountain in Duluth, where the boys and girls teams practice.

Zimny said the girls team is still strong, after qualifying as a team for the state meet last year. He figured they were the first Lumberjacks alpine team to make the state meet since the boys went in 1994, when he was a sophomore.

“We graduated Emily Regas and Madysen Waters, but sisters Nadia and Teagen Tessier are back from last year’s state-qualifying team,” he said. “Senior Anika Elsmore has returned after spending last school year abroad in Switzerland, and she has been skiing really well as well as taking a strong leadership role on the team.”

They’ve also added seventh grader Amelia Cebelinski.

“Although this is her first year of ski racing, she has been an absolute joy to work with and she is rapidly improving as our fourth scoring racer,” Zimny said. “Our girls team remains small, but still extremely strong.”

All of the boys team members are back from last year and they picked up several new members so the boys team is up to about a dozen skiers.

“Our top performing boy has been sophomore Kolt Johnson, who along with his brothers, Kash and Kruz, transferred to Carlton this year from Barnum and were able to join the team,” he said.

The boys team also added talented seventh grader Gavin Belich.

“Gavin, along with our veterans, have all been improving significantly, with our boys team finishing the highest it has at races in a few years,” Zimny said.

The team has two more meets — one at Lutsen Friday and the next at Giants Ridge Jan. 30 — before the Section 7 meet is held at Giants Ridge on Feb. 4. The state meet will follow on Feb. 11, weather permitting. Last year it rained during the state meet.

Zimny is optimistic about the weather and his athletes.

“Qualifying out of the section is always difficult with only two teams qualifying out of around 20, but the girls still have the potential to be in the top five,” he said. “I’m hopeful that the boys could make the top half, with huge potential for the next few years.”