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News from the Keweenaw Peninsula March 5, 2004 Text © 2004 Keweenaw Nordic Ski Club, with content provided by Dean Woodbeck and Patty Lins. Photos © 2004 Patty Lins and Kaye Helminen, as noted.

Copper Country Ski Tigers score high in Midwest races

CALUMET -- With winning scores in recent Midwest cross-country competitions, the Copper Country Ski Tigers are ready to hit Calumet's Swedetown Trails for the Junior Bear Chase on Saturday, March 6.

Several Ski Tigers won awards in both the Feb. 20 Junior Birkie in Hayward, Wis., and the Michigan High School Cross-Country Ski Championships, sponsored by the Ski Tigers, at the Michigan Tech Trails Feb. 14-15. In addition, three young local skiers -- Amber Young, Keith Helminen and Karen Jarvey -- have qualified for the Junior Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y.

"Our kids stack up very well against the Midwest!" said Dean Woodbeck, who publishes cross-country ski results on the Copper Country's Keweenaw Trails Web site.*

Amber Young is one of three Copper Country Ski Tigers racers who qualify for the Junior Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y. Photographer Kaye Helminen took this photo of Amber racing in the recent Michigan High School Cross-Country Ski Championships, sponsored by the Ski Tigers, at the Michigan Tech Trails. (Photo © 2004 Kaye Helminen and courtesy Keweenaw Nordic Ski Club)

Junior Birkie Results

In the Junior Birkie Madelyn Shoup won one age division and local boys took three of the top five places.

Shoup finished the 2.5-km course 40 seconds ahead of the next competitor in the girls' 10-12 division. Ruth Oppliger placed seventh in the same division, which featured 57 competitors.

In the boys' 10-12 division, three local skiers finished third, fourth and fifth -- Alan Toczydlowski, Kai Sharp and Jay Woodbeck, respectively.

Alan Toczydlowski, foreground, skis to a first place in his age group at the Michigan High School Championships held at the MTU trails Feb. 14-15. At the Feb. 20 Junior Birkie in Hayward, Wis., Toczydlowski finished third --  just 30 seconds off the first place winner. (Photo © 2004 Patty Lins. Reprinted with permission.)

Toczydlowski (who was first in his age group at the High School Championships held at the MTU trails the previous weekend) was just 30 seconds off the first place pace of Benjamin Hughs of Wausau, Wisconsin at the Junior Birkie. Sharp and Woodbeck, just one second apart, were about 20 seconds behind Toczydlowski. The trio competed against 60 other skiers.

Three Ski Tigers placed in the top 10 among the 33 girls competing in the 13-15 year old category.

Christina Mishica was third, 21 seconds behind winner Melanie Hoffman of Sobieski, Wisconsin. Olivia Orr was fifth and Amber Young was eighth. Rachel Toczydlowski placed 12th and Mariah Featherly was 16th.

All of the local skiers are members of the Copper Country Ski Tigers. A total of 229 youth skiers from around the Midwest participated in the race, held each year in combination with the American Birkebeiner, the most prestigious ski event in North America.** 

Michigan High School Championships

The Feb. 14-15 Michigan State High School cross country ski championship, sponsored by the Ski Tigers, other local volunteers and Michigan Tech, was a successful--albeit cold--event, Dean Woodbeck reported.

"Our local skiers did very well. Karen Jarvey was sixth, Christina Mishica was eighth, Amber Young was 12th and Maria Featherly was 18th. Together, they finished second as a team to a very strong Traverse City team (which had the #1 and #2 individuals)," Woodbeck said.

"On the boys' side," he noted, "Sam Kilpela was 6th, Ryan Tervo 9th, Keith Helminen 10th; and David Kilpela fended off a last minute attack to take 11th. As a team, the boys finished third. In terms of team point spread, Traverse City, Superiorland (Marquette) and the Copper Country were well ahead of the rest of the pack."

Sam Kilpela scored a sixth place in the boys' races during the Michigan High School Championships held at the MTU trails Feb. 14-15. (Photo © 2004 Kaye Helminen and courtesy Keweenaw Nordic Ski Club)

The high schoolers did classic races on Feb. 14 -- boys' 7.5-km and girls' 5-km. On Sunday, Feb. 15, the skiers did freestyle, with the boys at 10-km and the girls at 7.5-km.

In the 12-14 girls age group, Olivia Orr was first, Rachel Toczydlowski second, Madelyn Shoup third and Kirsten Fjeldheim fourth. In the 9-11 age group Louise Oppliger was first, followed by Ruth Oppliger, with just over a minute's difference in total time for the two races. Isabel Sharp finished first in the 8-and-under group.

Isabel Sharp placed first in the 8-and-under age group during the Michigan High School Championships held at the MTU trails Feb. 14-15. (Photo © 2004 Patty Lins. Reprinted with permission.)

Jay Woodbeck was first in the boys' 12-14 age group, followed by Steig Fjeldheim, second, and Jonathan Kilpela, third. Finishing close behind Alan Toczydlowski's first in the 9-11 group (about six seconds' difference) was Kai Sharp, followed by Elias Featherly, third. Zeb Featherly and Sal Sharp were first and second, respectively, in the free-style, 8-and-under race.***

Younger Ski Tigers head for the finish line at the Feb. 14-15 races held at the Michigan Tech cross-country ski trails. (Photo © 2004 Patty Lins. Reprinted with permission.)

Junior Bear Chase, Saturday, Mar. 6

The adult Great Bear Chase Race will be held Sunday, Mar. 7, at Swedetown Trails. Bib pickup is from 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m at Cross Country Sports, Calumet. Sunday races begin as follows:
8:40 a.m. -- Start of 26 Km Classic 
9:00 a.m. -- Start of 50 Km Freestyle 
9:10 a.m.-- Start of 26 Km Freestyle 
For more information visit the Great Bear Chase Web site.

The Copper Country Ski Tigers group teaches and promotes the sport of cross-country skiing among youth in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Ski Tigers serves children and youth from four years old to high schoolers. Everyone from first-time skiers to high school racers receives individual and age-appropriate instruction. Ski Tigers emphasizes families skiing together and having fun.

See Page 2 for more on Ski Tigers activities for kids and parents

*For more on Keweenaw cross-country skiing, mountain biking and running competitions visit the Keweenaw Trails Web site.

**For complete results of the Birkie races, visit their Web site.

***For complete results of the Michigan High School Championships at the MTU Trails visit the Keweenaw Trails Web site results page.

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