Marshall Nordic Ski Team Athletes

Section 1    Coach of the Year        Rich     Heilman     Lakeville North    ”Section 1 Nordic Skiing Coach of the Year Bio

It is with great enthusiasm that I nominate Rich Heilman for Coach of the Year, for multiple reasons in addition to the fact that he would never be one to think he should be nominated.
This 1988 St. Olaf alum (Go Oles!) was formerly an alpine skier at St. Paul Central High School and Olaf, until his cross-country running teammates at Olaf pulled him into nordic skiing that he finally saw the light.  He occasionally takes a step back into the darkness and clamps his heels in place, but lucky for his athletes and fellow coaches, that is only a rare indiscretion.
Coach Heilman displays constant enthusiasm, kindness, leadership, and perspective.  His athletes and coaches know that he understands them – their lives are busy and full of distractions.  Despite the myriad reasons kids could formulate to skip a practice or slack off in a workout, they don’t.  Rich doesn’t demand dedication of his athletes because he doesn’t need to. His personality, energy, and commitment draw willing dedication out of those around him, and those efforts pay off in a constant stream of state-qualifying skiers, and recently a two-time state champion.  Rich would never take even a small amount of credit for these performances, but I think his skiers and teams feel very differently.
In his 15 years of coaching (6 years at Burnsville and in his 9th year at Lakeville), Rich’s science students, athletes, and coaches have seen his enduring empathy and concern.  We have also been “fortunate” enough to experience his sense of humor.  Some of us even encourage him, likely to the chagrin of his family.  In all seriousness, Rich’s genuine interest in others combined with this humor put those around him at ease, and make us all want to do and be our best every day. True leadership.
Rich draws on his own deep experience with endurance athletics– though he rarely speaks in a bragging sense about his significant accomplishments. He is a perennial elite Birkebeiner and Mora competitor, running over fifty marathons around the world (Moscow, LA, Chicago, and Boston, to name a few), and having competed in nineteen full Ironmans- eleven of them being the Ironman World Championships in Kona, HI as well as a gold-medalist in the long distance triathlon World Championships in 1996. These experiences give Rich an insight into what it takes to perform at the highest level while still maintaining a ‘normal’ life outside of athletics.
Those around him know that Rich is deserving of recognition.  Without him, the athletes, parents and coaches at Lakeville, and in a larger scope the South Suburban Conference and Section 1 would be greatly diminished.

Prepared by Lindsay Drangeid, assistant coach

Section 1    Assistant Coach of the Year        Brianna    Carlson    ISD 196 Nordic Ski teams    Assistant Coach, ISD 196. Includes Apple Valley, Eagan, Eastview and Rosemount High Schools.
Since her first day as a coach, it was clear that Brianna was someone special with a love not only for skiing, but for supporting others to become the best skiers of which they are capable. In addition, to her ability to work with beginning skiers and have them quickly acquire the necessary skills to begin racing, Brianna has shown an exceptional ability to bring together young adults from four different high schools who compete against each other in a variety of other sports and facilitate their establishing a sense of team. Serving as an exceptional ski instructor, cheerleader, team “mom,” and wax tech, Brianna has really done it all for the team establishing great relationships with skiers with all levels of ability and a variety of different personal goals. She is truly an individual who, though she doesn’t seek to draw attention to herself, truly deserves to be named Assistant Coach of the Year.  Submitted by: Brian Abery, ISD 196 Head Coach”

Section 1    Volunteer of the Year        Jim    Reckinger    Park High School

“I would like to nominate Jim Reckinger as Volunteer of the Year.  This is Jim’s third year coaching as a volunteer coach.  And he has become an indispensable part of the Park-Woodbury-East Ridge (PWER) High Schools’ program.  And although he is retired, if you were to ask his wife he becomes a full-time coach during the Winter.

The Park High Nordic team is in a unique situation where it shares a coaching staff with two other schools, Woodbury and East Ridge and in total it’s coaching staff works with over 80 athletes from 3 different high schools and 3 different junior highs.    There is a lot of logistics involved in coaching this many schools especially during the dry-land portion of the ski season when we are unable to meet together as one big group for practice.  Since I cannot be at multiple locations at once often times my assistant and volunteer coaches end up becoming mini-head coaches for the day when they are working at a high school that I am not at.  No one on our staff has stepped up to the plate more on our coaching staff with these responsibilities than Jim Reckinger.

He is an expert communicator and is always willing and asking to take on more responsibilities to help the team.  He helps with organizing materials for all of our races.  Jim creates the spread sheets for our team results, is in charge of timing for our squad, he cleans out our blankets after every race, works with waxing , and does many other important tasks during race days.  The night before the big races you can find Jim with me and another one of our volunteer coaches waxing skis from 6:00 P.M to 2:00 A.M. (Keep in mind that since we coach 3 schools all in the same conference that means we have three times as many varsity skis to before a race, and if that number doubles then it becomes twice as large.  (i.e waxing over 70 pairs of skis).

With his plentiful knowledge, positive attitude, and friendly disposition, Jim is not only excellent at working with our kids but he is also an excellent role model that they can follow learn from.  He stays late after practice to work one-on-one with athletes and attends all of the weekend practices and stays late at those as well.  He is completely committed to helping our athletes and to seeing our programs develop into more competitive teams like they were when his kids were on the squad over (10 years ago)  The greatest thing about Jim is how he acts as my own personal think pad.  As a young and inexperienced coach I can sometimes make rash and unwise decisions in regards to coaching and logistics.  Jim helps keep things in perspective for me and is someone who can I bounce ideas off with and problem solve with.  He is the master of “”putting out fires”".

In-short I do not know what I would do without Jim but I am certain that our team would be nowhere near as successful as it has been these past couple of seasons without him.

Thank you for your consideration.
Joe Wacker, Head Coach, Park, Woodbury, East Ridge Nordic

Section 2, No Award Winners Received

Section 3  Coach of the Year Anne Rykken, Minnehaha Academy

I am writing to highly recommend Anne Rykken as the Section 3 Coach of the Year. Anne’s tireless dedication is noteworthy and deserving of this award. However, it is her altruism and the way she motivates her team members to share their time with the community that makes her a standout above coaches.
Anne’s team will have State competitors again this year for the 14th year in a row. Her skiers were on snow for almost every practice in yet another season when snow was difficult to find. All of her skiers were equipped with skate and classic equipment mostly due to her crafty fundraising skills and year-round pursuit of gear. But all of those accolades are what good coaches must strive for each season.
It is the creation of excellent skiers alongside the development of volunteerism that sets Anne, and her team, apart. Anne’s team worked for two days in the fall to clear small saplings and twigs from a ski trail in the BWCA. The team uses the trail during winter training, so skiers learn to give back to the sport rather than just take praise from excelling at it. Anne’s team also volunteers for the City of Lakes Loppet. This year they worked the finish line area for four hours on a very cold Sunday morning following a school dance the evening before. Additionally, each year Anne gets her team members to donate to the school’s auction. Usually, the Nordic team is the only team contributing to the auction. Giving is just what Anne does, and it is what her team learns to do as well.
Anne’s team is dedicated to skiing, and through her leadership, they grow into citizens who understand how to give. Indeed, Anne’s selfless leadership is more than worthy of an award.

Sincerely,
Katherine Myers
Minnehaha Academy Assistant Nordic Coach

and a second letter of nomination:

I would [also] like to nominate Anne Rykken as Head Coach of the Year.
I have known Anne for many seasons. We coached together when our kids were in MYSL. That was quite a while ago and for the last decade we have coached at competing schools.
One of the great things about the sport of Nordic Skiing is our community. In our sport it is common that the people we compete with are also our training partners and good friends. I certainly have benefitted from training and competing with Anne and her team. Anne is a great example for her athletes and for the entire ski community.
Anne is a great coach. She is very organized, and gives her athletes every opportunity to succeed. She is very good at training athletes and teaching efficient ski technique. Her athletes are always very prepared and ready to race well. They are strong competitors and always show good sportsmanship. Anne is dedicated and works to be the best she can. She is always trying to improve her own training, racing, and coaching. She is a competitor and her teams work hard and do not give up.
Anne has built a very strong program at Minnehaha Academy and has had a lot of success over the years. Anne’s work should be recognized and she deserves to be Head Coach of the Year.

Robb Lageson
St. Paul Central Head Coach

Section 3 ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR
Paavo Taipale and Kathleen DeWahl, St. Paul Central High School Nordic

I nominate both of my Assistant Coaches for this award. My team is truly blessed
to have Paavo and Kathleen to work with them. Paavo and Kathleen share thisposition and split the insignificant salary. They are both very talented skiers, racers and coaches and deserve recognition for the fine work they do with our athletes.They have shared this position for the last four years and work very well together.
Paavo is enthusiastic, committed, and knowledgeable. His work with the ski team is invaluable. He is great at motivating individual athletes and is always open to new training and racing ideas. He does a great job listening to the athletes. His real strengths are coaching physical training and teaching ski technique. His focus and dedication have motivated our team to work hard and race fast.
Kathleen is amazing. She works so hard. She races at every opportunity and uses her racing experience to help our athletes be successful. She is an inspiration to every athlete on the team. The athletes trust the depth of her skiing and racing knowledge and work hard to emulate her. She has become an excellent coach. She can pick out and explain the “one” thing that will help an athlete improve his or her technique, training, or racing. Kathleen is quietly confident and cares deeply about each of the athletes on our team.
Our team is extremely lucky to have Paavo and Kathleeen as Assistant Coaches. They deserve recognition for their contributions to the quality and depth of our team.

Robb Lageson
St. Paul Central Head Coach

Section 3 VOLUNTEER PARENT Jeni Snyder

Jeni Snyder has been at the ready to assist in any way needed since her oldest daughter joined the SPA team 3 years ago. This year Jeni’s youngest daughter joined her sister on the team while SPA required coaches to use a new online communication system. I had no idea how to get started with this new system until Jeni stepped forward and took over setting this system up for our team and gently leading and teaching me along the way! Jeni is always supportive, modest about the great help she is to me and a great cheerleader for the entire SPA Nordic Team! I nominate Jeni Snyder as volunteer of the year from Section 3.

Mickey Scott
St. Paul Academy Head Nordic Ski Coach

Section 4    Assistant Coach of the Year   Jack    Sloan    White Bear Lake    ”I am nominating Jack Sloan for assistant of the year.  He is he White Bear Lake assistant coach.  The success that we have had this year, consistently finish 3rd behind Roseville and Stillwater (two powerhouse teams) with our girls team and 4th or 5th with the guys team.  Having a total of 6 All-Conference skiers and 4 All-Conference honorable mention is a direct result of the hard work, dedication, knowledge and passion Jack puts forward.  This is even more impressive considering he is only 20 years old, a college student, and is a part-time assistant.  I know our section has some amazing coaches, but Jack shoulders the burden helping a new inexperienced coach, myself, and does it all with a smile and a lot of success.
“
Section 4    Volunteer of the Year        Jim    Reckinger    Park/Woodbury/East Ridge    ”I would like to nominate Jim Reckinger as our Sections Volunteer Coach of the Year.  This is Jim’s third year coaching as a volunteer coach.  And he has become an indispensable part of the PWER program.  And although he is retired, if you were to ask his wife he becomes a full-time coach during the Winter.
The Woodbury and East Ridge Nordic teams are in a unique situation where they share a coaching staff with each and also with their inter-district neighbor Park.  In total it’s coaching staff works with over 80 athletes from 3 different high schools and 3 different junior highs.  There is a lot of logistics involved in coaching this many schools especially during the dry-land portion of the ski season when we are unable to meet together as one big group for practice.  Since I cannot be at multiple locations at once often times my assistant and volunteer coaches end up becoming mini-head coaches for the day when they are working at a high school that I am not at.  No one on our staff has stepped up to the plate more on our coaching staff with these responsibilities than Jim Reckinger.

He is an expert communicator and is always willing and asking to take on more responsibilities to help the team.  He helps with organizing materials for all of our races.  Jim creates the spread sheets for our team results, is in charge of timing for our squad, he cleans out our blankets after every race, works with waxing , and does many other important tasks during race days.  The night before the big races you can find Jim with me and another one of our volunteer coaches waxing skis from 6:00 P.M to 2:00 A.M. (Keep in mind that since we coach 3 schools all in the same conference that means we have three times as many varsity skis to  before a race, and if that number doubles then it becomes twice as large.  For example: last Wednesday and Thursday we waxed over 70 skis).

With his plentiful knowledge, positive attitude, and friendly disposition, Jim is not only excellent at working with our kids but he is also an excellent role model that they can follow learn from.  He stays late after practice to work one-on-one with athletes and attends all of the weekend practices and stays late at those as well.  He is completely committed to helping our athletes and to seeing our programs develop into more competitive teams like they were when his kids were on the squad over (10 years ago)  The greatest thing about Jim is how he acts as my own personal think pad.  As a young and inexperienced coach I can sometimes make rash and unwise decisions in regards to coaching and logistics.  Jim helps keep things in perspective for me and is someone who can I bounce ideas off with and problem solve with.  He is the master of “”putting out fires”".

In-short I do not know what I would do without Jim but I am certain that our team would be nowhere near as successful as it has been these past couple of seasons without him.

Section 5 Coach of the Year:
Brad Roach – Osseo

Recommendation for Brad Rosch – Section 5 Coach of the Year

I would like to take this opportunity to recommend Brad Rosch – Osseo Head Coach – as Section 5 Coach of the Year.

Brad has, once again, shown his ability to put together a comprehensive ski program that is both inclusive and competitive.  With over 60 athletes, he draws students of all abilities to a program which uses volunteers, paid assistants, and his own gift for working with kids to make everyone feel a part of the team.  I have witnessed his kids having fun, working hard, and always learning from his thoughtful construction of balanced practices.  It is a credit to his leadership that so many skiers have flocked to the Osseo program and then stuck with it to develop (in-house) to become some of the best skiers in the state. His team has now evolved to include skiers among the best in regional development programs and he has masterfully integrated the needs of these skiers with the necessity of a true team experience. Brad’s experience as an educator is clear – his skiers know their goals and always peak for the test.  They are one of the best teams around when it comes to peaking for the big meets!

As a competitive team, Osseo has become a force in the conference, section, state, and beyond.  With home-grown talent, Osseo now boasts conference and section championships, ranked teams and skiers, and a Birkie champion among their alumni. Brad’s ability to inspire kids to love the sport has taken their program into the elite of the state.  His skiers challenge themselves to improve so that they can be competitive at every level.  Brad not only creates effective training plans, he is a master teacher (in and out of the classroom) who knows how to motivate and to support kids as they face the challenges of our sport.

I hope you will join me in supporting Brad for our section coach of the year.  I truly believe he has done a job worthy of being our state’s coach of the year – I can think of no other person more deserving of this honor.

Head Coach 1999-current (14 years)
At least 1 skier qualified for state every year since 2001
3 section championships
4 second places

Jon Peterson
Park Center Nordic Ski Team

Section 5 Assistant Coach of the Year:
-Fred Kueffer
Fred has been with the Roseville Nordic Team since Reagan was president.   During that time the girls have been ranked or placed in the top 10 at the state ski meet the past 21 seasons.  The boys have also been competitive winning three section numerous times and winning state last year.  Fred is retiring this year.  He has been actively coaching for over 40 years.  His strength workouts with the team are incredible.   Fred’s dedication with old and new skiers is a big reason Roseville has been one of the top 4 programs in the state the past 30 some years.
Kevin Brochman Roseville High School, MSC-SISU coach

Section 5 Volunteer of the Year: Blake Gust Andover
Blake has had a positive impact on every facet of the team. He has been able to connect with the skiers while improving their technique in both classic and skate. Along with technique he has been able to help them with their training and racing strategy. For the coaches his impact has been significant due to his involvement in waxing for both training and racing. Add to his waxing assistance, his insight on training and the continuity that he brings to the program make him an outstanding volunteer.

Section 6 several nominations received but no final section award winners chosen

Section 7 Head Coach Cheri Johnson  Mesabi East Virginia
No nomination statement received

“
Section 7    Assistant Coach of the Year        Tyler Fish    Ely

“I would like to nominate my assistant coach, Tyler Fish , for Assistant coach of the year.  I absolutely could not do this job without him.   He shares in all of the decision making, planning, waxing duties and coaching of the kids.  He is calm, thoughtful, wise, and puts up with me! He is also very funny.  The kids love him.  We are truly a team and I think he deserves some recognition.  Plus, he has skied unsupported to the North Pole – how cool is that!  Tyler is also a long standing member of the Ely Nordic Ski Club board of directors, organizes the Holiday Games ski event each year at Hidden Valley, and helps out with MYSL every Sunday.  He is an integral part of the Ely ski community and has played a large role in the success of the ski team.  I would love to see him recognized.  Thank you.

Sincerely, Paula Anderson  Head Coach, Ely High School Nordic Ski Team”
Section 7    Volunteer of the Year        Cook County Team    Cook County Team    Cook County    ”Section 7 Volunteer(s) of the Year
Cook County is proud to be the home of the 2012-13 Section 7 Volunteer of the Year; Cory Berg.  Cory is an unpaid mentor / volunteer coaches who make a substantial time commitment each week to conduct or participate in practices and meets.  Since the Cook County High School Nordic Ski Team is entirely funded by the North Superior Ski and Run Club, these contributions are invaluable as the program could not afford the cost of this additional coaching resource.  Cory is the former Head Coach for CCHS and now is an accomplished master skier / racer who frequently finishes in the top ten in citizen races.  Cory brings much racing credibility to the ski team and is particularly adept as a wax tech.  Cory is a wealth of racing wisdom, which is always delivered in his trademark low –key style.

Section 8    Coach of the Year    Option 1    Joe    Teff    St. Cloud Cathedral

“Joe Teff of St. Cloud, MN has been the head Nordic Ski Coach for Cathedral High School for the past 17 years. Joe’s dedication to the sport and to the athletes that participate is what keeps Joe coming back year after year. Over past two years, it has been Joe’s delight to have his son, Clayton, ski in the program now as an eighth grader.
In the 17 years that Joe has been head coach, he has never missed bringing someone to the state Nordic meet. Whether it is one skier or the team, he has always had the honor of wishing a skier “have a great ski, you will do great”, at the state meet. For Joe there is an actual state meet to recognize the great skiers and teams throughout the state, but then for Joe there is something equally important and it is the improvement of skiers from the start of the year. Joe prides himself on coaching and teaching skiers to improve techniques and better yet, to teach someone how to stand up on skis and learning how to move forward. With the thoughtfulness of Joe’s teaching and sense of humor, it keeps the kids coming back most likely for all six years of skiing.  He does not believe in leaving an athlete on the sidelines for any reason. If there are ways to have a kid participate, Joe will find a way.
Behind the scenes is what the athletes, parents of the athletes, and the schools don’t see. There is so much involvement and thought that goes into a sport which is dictated by the weather. We all know this.
If we don’t have snow, Joe makes it snow. With the organization and leadership snowmaking is done.
If it snows, Joe makes the trails beautiful with his master grooming techniques.
If a race cancels, Joe finds a way to put it on instead so kids can race.
If something in the ski community needs attention, you can count on Joe Teff, Head coach of Cathedral High School (Cathedral High School is involved with a co-op with Sartell High School).
Section 8 is proud to nominate Joe as Head Coach of the year.
Submitted by Section 8 coaches and Mike Schroden, Assistant Nordic coach for Cathedral High School.”
“
Section 8    Assistant Coach of the Year        Mike Brown    Mora

“Mike Brown joined the coaching staff at Mora High School in 2009 and has been assistant coach for the past 3 years. Mike works with all skiers but his focus is working with a large group of Junior High Skiers. He works with these skiers on conditioning and technique skills. Mike displays a tremendous amount of patience and makes practice fun for the skiers through innovative drills and games that keep their attention focused on skiing. His patience is evident as he is the coach who volunteers to ride the bus to all the meets with the Junior High skiers!

Mike was instrumental in starting a summer program for our high school Nordic skiers this past summer in Mora. He was able to obtain roller skis and safety equipment from service organizations and individuals for the skiers to use. He developed the training program that was used during the summer and scheduled guest instructors to work with the skiers.

Section 8 recommends Mike Brown for Assistant Coach of the Year Award. He
is very deserving of this honor.

Tom Giese
Head Coach
Mora High School Nordic Ski Team
and Section 8 coaches”

Section 8    Volunteer of the Year        TerryHolm    Brainerd

“Terry Holm is a familiar face at Nordic ski races around the state.  Often he is suited up as a competitor, but just as frequently he is working the start and finish of a school race.  Terry feels at home on Brainerd’s home course of the Northland Arboretum, a site on which he helped clear ski trails in the 70′s and 80′s.  Around the same time, Terry was instrumental in encouraging the start of Brainerd’s competitive Nordic ski program.  His generous efforts to promote skiing never stopped, even as Terry pursued personal skiing and inline skating honors (including national and world age group records).  He has been actively involved in leadership positions in the Minnesota Nordic Ski Association, Brainerd Nordic Ski Club, and the Lumberjack Jaunt Ski Race.  Terry founded and directed for twelve years a popular local inline skate race.  He also directed or worked with numerous inline skate, skiing, running, biking, and recreational trail clubs, programs, and events.

Terry’s 40 years of competitive skiing experience continues to inspire and instruct youth skiers.  Terry works every local meet and even travels around the state to serve in whatever capacity the meet manager needs.  He meets the local high school team for early morning practices, even if it’s at a local downhill ski area two hours before opening on cold, dry, manmade snow.

Look for Terry working at three or more section meets and announcing and working the start of the Coaches’ Relay and State Meet.   His knowledge and competence in countless hours of volunteering have earned him trust and responsibilities among meet managers.  His passion for the sport of Nordic skiing and it’s future skiers have earned him a nomination from Section 8 as volunteer of the year.