GRAND MARAIS— Skiers at the Cook County Invitational had to contend with something they haven’t faced in a meet yet this year— cold weather.
“It was our biggest mountain to climb,” said Ely Head Coach Todd Hohenstein. “The cold weather can really sap a skier’s energy. On the other hand, we did have a few skiers that thrived in the cold and took on the conditions as a personal challenge.”
Among those who thrived on the Pincushion Mt. trails were Ely seniors Ava Skustad and Eli Olson, who both finished in sixth place and helped lead Ely to second-place team finishes, behind skiing powerhouse Duluth East. Skustad’s time of 17:54.1 was 2:16 behind first-place finisher Lydia Kraker, of Duluth East, who dominated the race. Olson’s time of 15:21.8 was 1:20 behind Duluth East’s Carl Morse, who won the race on the boys’ side.
“Eli had a great race, said Hohenstein, who added that Skustad’s performance stood out as well. “At the starting line she and most other skiers were concerned about the colder temps, but after she started the race, she found a good tempo and was able to maintain it throughout the 5.2 km course.”
Ely freshman Oliver Hohenstein was just three seconds behind Olson in the boys race, finishing in seventh.
On the girls side, Ely senior Claire Blauch finished in the top half, in 11th place, with a time of 18:46.5.
For the boys, Ely junior Dylan Durkin, freshman Aksel Skustad, and junior Milo McClelland finished 11th, 12th, and 13th respectively with times of 15:42.6, 16:08.7, and 16:30.7.
Dylan Durkin proved the standout for Ely in last Thursday’s sprint competition at Duluth Marshall as he ended up finishing second overall just behind Paavo Rova of Duluth East. The untimed competition pits skiers against each other in 1.3 km classic sprints, with the top two finishers in each heat moving on.
“Before the race, we talked as a team to frame the day as you only have one race,” said Hohenstein. “As coaches, we didn’t want skiers to be thinking about saving themselves for a later race that might not happen if another skier has a faster time.  We wanted them to ski all out and then practice the recovery process.”
With 28 skiers moving up in the initial cut, Hohenstein challenged his team to qualify at least three girls and six boys. “Both teams achieved that goal and it was great to have that sense of individual doing their part for the success of the team,” Hohenstein said.
For the boys, Silas Solum, Aksel Skustad, Olson, McClelland, and Hohenstein all qualified out of the quarterfinal round, in fourth, eighth, 11th, 13th, and 17th respectively. For the girls, Blauch, Ava Skustad, and Anna Dunn all qualified, in 18th, 20th, and 25th place respectively.
Hohenstein noted the balance within the boys team. “It is a really fun characteristic that we just don’t know on any given day who is going to be our 1, 2, 3 combination.  They celebrate who has the great day and then they work hard to find the spot for themselves.  It is one recipe for great team chemistry.”
The Wolves head to Two Harbors on Tuesday and return home the following Saturday, Jan. 27, for their big home meet at Hidden Valley. The competition begins at 10 a.m. and will last throughout the day.