The sounds of cowbells pierce the chilly winter air. Enthusiastic voices echo throughout the snow blanketed hills. Your legs are burning, your breath is frosty, and your eyelashes are frozen together. This is Nordic Skiing.

Many kids train year round and the season usually starts with dry land training. Then, around November, we await the first snowfall. Unfortunately, this year, we waited quite a while for those first snowflakes to come down.

The Ely Invitational was held Saturday, December 12th, 2009. Jake Dalberg of Ely took first place for the boys and Marian Lund of Duluth East finished first for the girls. Both Ely’s Varsity girls’ and boys’ teams took first, with Mesabi East/Virginia taking second for the Varsity boys and Duluth East taking second for the Varsity girls. Although it was a bit rocky and a few grasses poked through here and there, it was a great meet, and a first one of the season for some.

With that, the racing season begins. Late nights of waxing, large plates of spaghetti, and so much more is dedicated to this intense winter sport. A couple meets have followed since then, each another fun experience for skiers.

Some races to look forward to include the Marshall Sprints, which will be held on January 2nd, 2010. Closely following that will be the Two Harbors Classic Invite on January 5th and the Mesabi East Invite on January 9th.

All of this hard work eventually builds up to the last few meets of the season, including the Section 7 meet, the Charlie Banks Relays, and then finally, the Minnesota State High School Meet.

Nordic Skiing is an extremely competitive, intense and fun sport. Many kids put a lot of time into it, ending with great results and experiences. The season continues, so look forward to the next couple races and their outcomes!