Rochester Active Sports Club

The Rochester Nordic Ski Team traveled to Winona on Tuesday, January 31,  for a ski meet at the St. Mary's University ski trails.  Sunny skies and 45 degree temperatures greeted the 87 RNST skiers as they stepped off the buses.  Skiers had to trudge through the sand of a volleyball court but eventually found the man-made snow of the starting loop.  The Winona team was set up a 2K course leading 1K up the valley and then 1K down the valley back to the starting loop.  Skiers skated two laps for the 4K race.  Skiers were thankful to be able to participate in another ski race as snow conditions continue to rapidly deteriorate.

Skiers from Northfield, Prior Lake, and Winona joined 110 RNST members on an enjoyable tour of the Eastwood Golf course.   232 skiers completed a 4.4 K course in the freestyle technique with the varsity skiers adding the woods trail section for a 5.8 K ski.  33 degree temperatures made for soft snow conditions, but everyone was quite happy to see white in this low-snow winter. 

The Rochester Nordic Ski Team headed to St. Mary's University for a ski relay event with the Winona team.  The snow depth was not sufficient to hold a race on the ski trails, but with the help of Winona's snow making system, the relays were held on a man-made snow loop about 800m long.

The 87 ski team members were separated into two-person teams.  The first person skied a couple of laps and then tagged off to their teammate who skied two laps.  This sequence was then repeated one or two more times.  In the varsity competition, each person skied two laps three different times resulting in a 9.6 km race for the team.  In the junior varsity competition, each person skied two laps the first time and one lap the second time for a total of 6 laps (4.8 km) for the two-person team.  This was a fun format which the RNST had never experienced before.

The Winona team did a great job preparing the course and even groomed several times during the event.  Temps right around freezing made for very comfortable conditions for the skiers.

The Rochester Nordic Ski Team held a time trial during the Maplelag Ski Camp.  Due to low snow conditions, the time trial was held on the lake.  The approximately 3.5K course was set up so that skiers would double pole for a section and then skate a section.  This pattern was skied three times on the race course.  Ninety four RNST team members and several Visitation High School skiers skied the lake course under sunny skies with temps in the low 30's.

Several ski team members participated Sunday morning in a 4.85 K time trial on the Skater's Waltz trail where the time trial has been held in previous years.  Skiers enjoyed a firm, fast course with comfortable temps in the upper 20s.

The RNST delivered 81 skiers to the St. Mary's University ski trails for fun relay races.   The four person teams were formed by attempting  to balance the teams so that all teams would finish at the same time.  The skiers raced a 1.6 K course.  A total of 20 boys teams and 23 girls teams from Winona, Northfield, and Rochester joined in the fun.

Henry Sibley, Northfield, Prior Lake, and Winona joined Rochester skiers at the Rochester Invite held at the Eastwood Golf Course ski trails.  223 skiers enjoyed the freestyle 5.8 K race in mild 28 degree temps. 

The Carleton College trails at the Upper Arboretum in Northfield, MN were the venue for a ski meet with Northfield High School.  The Rochester Nordic Ski Team had 77 skiers enjoy the open prairie and wooded terrain of the race course which included several technical downhill curves.   The 10 degree temps slowed the skiers a bit but the extra work warmed the skiers up nicely. 

The Rochester Nordic Ski Team traveled to the Winona bluff country to enjoy the hills of the St. Mary's University ski trails.  61 skiers joined the Winona ski team in a 5K skate race.  Several inches of new snow made for some soft conditions - but was much better than the hardpack/ice that the new snow covered. 

The Rochester Nordic Ski Team held a time trial during the Maplelag Ski Camp.  Sixty two RNST team members and several Visitation High School skiers skied the Skaters Waltz trail in single digit temps on Saturday afternoon.  A few skiers decided to double their pleasure by skiing two laps.

The Rochester Nordic Ski Team had a great time at the ski meet in Lakeville on Thursday, December 23.  Great snow conditions and temps in the upper 20s greeted the skiers as they stepped off the bus.  Teams from Winona, Lakeville North, and Lakeville South joined the 61 skiers from the RNST.  The course had a nice mix of uphill, flats, and downhills with a few technically challenging sections.  The ski team members did a nice job on the course, and special congratulations to all of the skiers who finished their first ski race! 

A 44 skier contingent from the RNST enjoyed the Winona Relays at St. Mary's University on a cold, single-digit January day.  Skiers were placed on 4-person teams with each individual skiing a 1.6 K loop.  The relay format along with the shorter distance provided a different experience than the typical 5K ski races.  The 1.6 K loop was pretty much uphill for the first half and then downhill or flat in the second half (with a small uphill bump for good measure).  The girls race was first with 8 teams (Rochester - 4, Winona - 4) followed by the boys race with 12 teams (Rochester - 7, Winona - 5).  The mass start at the beginning of the relay race was also something different for the skiers since our other races had interval starts.

141 high school skiers from Northfield, Prior Lake, Rochester, and Winona raced a 5.8 K course on the golf course and through the woods in the freestyle technique.  Skiers were greeted with mild 30 degree temperatures and cloudy/foggy conditions.  Course conditions were very good but a freezing mist earlier in the day created fast conditions and some tricky downhill curves. Thanks to the many volunteers who provided the skiers with a great day on snow!

The Carleton College Upper Arboretum ski trails were the setting for the meet with the Northfield Nordic ski team.  52 team members toured a 5.2 K course through the open fields and woods next to the Carleton College Campus.  With a temperature around 30 degrees and good snow conditions, a great time was had by all.  The coaches especially appreciated the warmer weather.

The Rochester Nordic Ski Team finished off their Maplelag ski trip with a time trial on the Skater's Waltz trail at Maplelag.  In addition to the 42 skiers from Rochester, skiers from Visitation High School joined in the fun.  Sunday morning temps in the high single digits were quite balmy compared to the below zero temps of Saturday morning.   Several skiers wanted to double their fun and raced two laps.

The Rochester Nordic Ski Team ventured east to experience the famed St. Mary's University ski trails in Winona.  45 skiers had a great time skiing a challenging 5K course with the Winona ski team.  Great snow, grooming, and temperatures provided ideal conditions for a fun time in the snow.  Smiles were present everywhere - even when going up the hills - or at least when reaching the top.  Congratulations to the RNST members who skied their first race!

Congratulations to the 38 Rochester Nordic Ski Team  skiers who participated in the ski meet at Kenwood Trail Middle School in Lakeville yesterday.  It was a nice effort by all - especially since we haven't had that many practices on snow yet.  Skiers from Lakeville North, Lakeville South, Winona, and Rochester participated.

Due to snow conditions, the course was changed from a single 5K loop to a double 2.5 K loop.  This loop provided the skiers the opportunity to experience the hills in the woods twice instead of just once!  The soft sugar snow conditions on the hills required a "bit" more work on the uphills and extra balance on the downhills.  The course was definitely challenging.  You can definitely see the benefits of the extra 7 inches of snow that Rochester received in the storm.  Temperatures in the 20s were great for skiing and quite bearable for the spectators.

A full set of images from the meet can be seen here.

Seven RNST members participated in the Lakeville Invitational at Kenwood Trail Middle School. Despite Friday's warm temperatures, the overnight temperatures in Lakeville and early morning grooming produced a very good set of trails for the race. This was our skiers first experience with mass-start racing, adding even more excitement to the event!

The meet had separate races for boys and girls in 7th, 8th, 9th, and Junior Varsity.  RNST put in a solid performance with Dayton Miller placing first in the 7th Grade Boys race, Ben Lindberg placing 5th in the 9th Grade Boys race, and Alex Miller placing first in the 9th Grade Girls race. Warmer temperatures, faster snow, and a stronger training base enabled those RNST skiers who had skied the same course on January 16, 2009 to drop their times significantly.

Many thanks to parents Lucy Bahn, Carrie Harney, Ray Harney, Eric Lindberg, Brad Miller who handled the timing, allowing coaches Chris Flood, Henry Hocraffer, and Lonny Olson-Williams to work with the team on logistics such as mass-start technique.

The RNST enjoyed wonderful temps just about reaching 30 degrees at the Winona ski meet – a great improvement over the near zero degree temps of the last two meets.  Nineteen RNST skiers participated in the exciting 2K x 4 relay at the St. Mary’s University ski trails.  The 2K loop had great snow conditions and beautiful grooming.  A number of the skiers initially thought a 2K race wouldn’t be too hard compared to their previous 5K races, but the faster pace of a shorter course and the motivation of “skiing for the team” ensured that all of the racers were pretty tired after their relay leg.   The girls raced first with a mass start of the 8 teams (5 Winona, 3 Rochester) and the boys were in the 2^nd race with 6 teams (4 Winona, 2 Rochester).  Special thanks to ironwomen Kelsey Torchia and Anna Resman who skied two legs without much rest in between to fill out the Rochester relay legs.  Everyone had a lot of fun at the meet, and we’ll do something like this next year.  Thanks to Barry Knapp, Pat Luetmer, Brad Miller, and John Resman for helping with the meet.

The RNST made it through another cold ski meet.  Thirty-nine skiers braved the temps just above 0 degrees plus some wind chill at the Kenwood School ski trails.  About 70% of the course is in the woods which negated the wind chill effect.  Teams from Lakeville North, Lakeville South, and Northfield participated in the meet.  The 5K course was groomed very nicely, though the snow was cold and slow and soft – which made for a good workout for the skiers.  Oh, and the hills didn’t make it any easier!  The course is a nice trail up and down hills through the woods with the first and last sections in open areas around the school.  It’s a very nice course for the Lakeville skiers to train on.  The school was available as a refuge of warmth which was much appreciated while skiers waited for their turn to start the race and to warm back up and change clothes after the race. Thanks to John Resman, Henry Hocraffer, Barry Knapp, Jeff Robertson, and Andy Wood for helping with the timing at the meet.