Press Release - February 1, 2011 Two
Gogebic Community College skiers qualified for the
United States Junior Olympics this year. "This was a big
goal for us this year, getting our top two skiers to
advance to the Junior Olympics, this is huge", said
Coach Will Andresen.
Freshmen skiers Ben Noren and Leif Gilsvik both
qualified for the Junior Olympics in 2011. To qualify,
skiers must place well in two races for both the
classic-style and freestyle (skate) techniques,
competing against the best cross-country skiers from
across the Midwest.
Noren's best results for the classic event came from
the Wolverine races held in December and the final
qualifying race held in Houghton this past weekend,
while his best freestyle events were from Wolverine and
the Minneapolis Super Tour. Gilsvik went into the last
weekend of racing in Houghton without enough points to
qualify, but came up with his best performance of the
season in Saturday's
classic event. His best results were at the Houghton
Super Tour and the Minneapolis races for the classic
event and the Minneapolis race and Wolverine race for
the skating event.
"Ben comes from a strong program and excellent
coaching from Ken Hazel at Team Gogebic. For any local
skiers interested in learning the sport or competing at
a high level, this is a great opportunity. And Leif
comes from an intense racing experience with the
Minnesota high school program. Both athletes took
advantage of these opportunities and worked hard to
achieve this result" said Andresen.
Noren and Gilsvik will compete in the Junior Olympics
against the best junior skiers from across the country.
This year's competition will be held in Minneapolis from
March 7th through the 12th.
Will Andresen, Coach
Men's and Women's Cross Country Running and Nordic Ski
Teams
Gogebic Community College
|