The Fighting Marmot: Katrin Larusson

Showing posts with label Katrin Larusson. Show all posts

Trips! A Report from the Field

Our inaugural Trips program (click HERE if you missed that post) is underway, with five groups afield for their fourth day of experiential learning. Thank you to Steve Ascher for sending daily photo updates of the Owens River Gorge trip. Live vicariously on the small screen!

SBA and Far West Nordic Shine in Alaska

Hannah Halvorsen ('16) on the podium
(photo by Mark Nadell)

Sleepy Nords abound on campus today.

Team Nordic returned last night from Junior Nationals in frigid Fairbanks, Alaska, having slept little the night before so that they could enjoy closing ceremonies and the northern lights that (finally!) made an appearance at roughly midnight on the team's very last night in town. They were up again at 4 am, making their move to the airport, having endured sub-zero temperatures and four days of high-pressure racing against the best competition in the country. Today, they were back in classes, having a hard time keeping their eyes open.

For some, Junior Nationals was undoubtedly a learning experience, a humbling opportunity to learn how far they have to go still before they can hope to fulfill their lofty goals.

For others, it was a chance to shine on the biggest stage available at their age.

I wrote several weeks ago (click HERE) about the addition of J2 Hannah Halvorsen to our teaching, learning, and training community. Hannah was consistently among the top finishers in Fairbanks, her strongest finish coming in the skate sprint heats, where she placed third in the country. Perennial SBA powerhouse Katrin Larusson also had a third-place overall finish, hers coming in the 5K Freestyle on day one of racing. SBA second-year J2 Sam Zabell - teamed up with Dylan Syben and Julien Bordes of the Far West - helped his team to a fifth-place finish in the 3x3 Classic Relay race.

Coaches Martin Benes and
Jeff Schloss with Halvorsen
(photo by Mark Nadell)

Mark Nadell and SBA Head
Nordic Coach Jeff Schloss

Congratulations to all the Fighting Marmot Nordic skiers and to the entire Far West team, which finished an impressive sixth overall at Junior Nationals this year and increased its final points total from 2012 by over 60 points. It was truly a team effort, with the coaches applying elbow grease all day at the waxing stands.

Katrin Larusson ('13) on the podium
(photo by Mark Nadell)

Said trip leader Mark Nadell: "There is a ridiculous amount of behind-the-scenes work that goes into an operation of this size, work that’s mostly unseen even by most of the athletes that are there, from hours and hours in the wax room, to the wax testers skiing kilometer after kilometer until their legs die, to late-night coaches meetings.

"I’m really proud of our coaching crew of Ben, Jeff Schloss, Kara Lapoint, August Teague, Martin Benes, Holly Whitney, and Joel Chew for making all of this happen, Kelly Mcelravey for administrative help, and thanks also to the parents who came along for support, Stacy Bordes, Stacey Herhusky, Michelle Syben, and Janet Hardy.

"I think we’ll remember this trip for a long time."

Team Nordic Flexes Muscles Before Nationals

SBA Team Nordic has ambitions beyond Saturday's state championships, to be sure. Fulfilling the pre-season team goal of qualifying every SBA racer for Junior Nationals, the entire team will be departing Friday for Fairbanks, Alaska, to race against the very best in the country.

Saturday, though, was a chance to make a team statement versus its peers in the state, and - after a season of some health adversity for a number of SBA Nordic racers - it still turned out to be a blue-and-white day yesterday at Auburn Ski Club. Please enjoy the photo below, then scroll down for the full story of marmot muscle flexing.

***

Statement: delivered!
Katrin Larusson took top-of-the-podium honors with impressive first-place finishes in both the classic and skate races, and the girls' team again garnered enough season points to repeat as Nordic League Varsity Women champions. The results sheet appeared to be printed in Sugar Bowl blue and white, with SBA's Danielle Nivinski third, Camille Hartley fifth, Bria Riggs sixth, Elise Hardy eleventh and Savannah Blide twelfth.

Sam Zabell had the strongest showing for the boys' team, racing to a third-place overall finish with a particularly strong skate race. Peter Carroll placed sixth, Casey Jobe eleventh, and Skyler Mullings thirteenth. The boys finished second on the season among Nordic League Varsity Men.

The Fighting Marmot congratulates both the boys and girls Nordic ski racers and wishes them - along with the entire Far West team - the very best against the very best in Alaska.

SBA Nordic Shines in Soldier Hollow

Halvorsen at the top of the podium

Sugar Bowl Academy and Far West Nordic ski racers had an exceptionally strong showing racing against the best of the West in Soldier Hollow, Utah, last weekend. In the sprint race, top finishes included SBA's J2 Hannah Halvorsen finishing first and J1 Katrin Larusson finishing third among all J1/OG combined. For the boys, J2 Peter Carroll placed a strong sixth in the sprint.

Day two saw Halvorsen taking fifth in the Classic 5K among J2s and Larusson eighth among all J1s. Sam Zabell finished fourteenth for J2 boys.

Larusson (right) on the podium again

Congratulations to all of Far West Nordic and to the strong skiing of the entire Sugar Bowl Academy ski team at Soldier Hollow! Given her particularly strong showing at Soldier Hollow, Hannah Halvorsen is spotlighted in this post. Below, Hannah offers her thoughts on becoming part of the Fighting Marmot sprawl, on her win at Soldier Hollow, and on her goals for the future.

"I made the decision to come to SBA based on what I believed would be a unique school environment that would best support my academic and athletic dreams year around. I am super excited about the flexible schedule that will allow me to train longer each day in the mornings and attend school in the afternoon. SBA also works around our competition schedule so I won't miss classes. I am excited to train and be a part of a team and school that is super passionate about the sport I love so much, Nordic skiing. I have been skiing since I was one and still love doing it everyday. SBA offers me the opportunity to train at a high level with great coaches and teammates each day and get a good education while I pursue my Nordic dreams. That said, I will miss my teachers, coaches, and teammates at Truckee High School, whom I respect very much. I never envisioned winning the Soldier Hollow sprint before it took place. Not only standing on the podium, but the entire experience of competing at this level was absolutely incredible. I learned so much, had so much fun, and now have the exciting hope and determination to carry out my dreams even farther. My goals for this season are really to take in every awesome experience and learn as much as I can about high level racing. This is really the beginning of my Nordic career and I intend to start off on a good foot. I don't have much past experience to really set any goals for a certain place or number, so I hope to do my best, learn, and enjoy every moment and see where it takes me." - Hannah Halvorsen ('16)

SBA's Larusson Awarded Far West Nordic Scholarship

Congratulations to SBA senior Katrin Larusson, this year's recipient of The Far West Nordic Ski Association's annual Ted Beauchamp Scholarship. SBA Head Nordic Coach Jeff Schloss supplied the following report of Larusson's selection by FWNSA coaches.

"The Far West Nordic Ski Association just announced that Katrin Larusson has been awarded the Ted Beauchamp Scholarship for 2013. This scholarship is given annually to a Far West Junior Nordic skier who exhibits a great passion for Nordic ski racing, is a dedicated athlete who has the desire and ability to compete at the National level, and has a character that is a credit to the Far West Nordic community. Katrin is a senior at Sugar Bowl Academy and has been at the top of her age group in ski racing for the past five years. Katrin has been a medalist at the US Junior National Championships in each of the last four years and has been the California/Nevada High School State Champion for the last two seasons. The scholarship is one of the highest honors that a junior Nordic ski racer can achieve in the Far West Division. The Ted Beauchamp Scholarship was set up in 1995 to honor the memory of long time Far West Nordic Board member Ted Beauchamp. Ted gave tirelessly to help kids excel in the sport he loved, and Katrin is a perfect young person to honor Ted’s name. Katrin loves ski racing and training, and one of her greatest gifts is her ability to mentor other athletes. She has taken numerous younger skiers under her wing and helped propel them to become the best they can be. Katrin plans to continue her ski racing career as an NCAA racer next year, but hasn’t decided which school it will be. Whichever college is lucky enough to get her will be acquiring a dedicated ski racer who will give her all every day, and will most likely be near the top of the pack in every race. She is someone Far West can be very proud of as she makes her way out into the larger ski racing world." - SBA Head Nordic Coach Jeff Schloss

Nordic Marmots Strong on "Home Snow"

For a full photo essay of our home race, please click HERE

Sugar Bowl played host to a high school Nordic ski race Friday, with some impressive results for SBA racers both at our well-attended and spirited "home snow" race as well as on Sunday at Tahoe City Cross Country's Junior Nationals Qualifier.

Head Nordic Coach Jeff Schloss was kind enough to offer the following summary of season highlights thus far. Thank you, Jeff, and congratulations to team Nordic on a very strong start to the season!

"The 2012/2013 Nordic race season is still in the early stages, with races running all the way until the middle of April, but things are off to a great start for the Fighting Marmots' Nordic squad. In the CNISSF school league, SBA captured first place for women and second place for men in the opening race, the Kirkwood relay. The SBA team of Danielle Nivinski, Elise Hardy, and Katrin Larusson dominated the race with a win by over a minute, and the young J2 boys with Peter Carroll, Skyler Mullings, and Sam Zabell skied to a strong second place. In the SBA home CNISSF race on January 11th, all SBA athletes who raced placed in the varsity top ten, including Katrin Larusson in first, Camille Hartley in ninth, Savannah Blide in tenth, Sam Zabell in fourth, Peter Carroll in sixth, Skyler Mullings in ninth, and Casey Jobe in tenth. In Far West racing, SBA athletes have been very strong in the Junior National qualifying races, with age-group wins from Katrin, Sam, and Danielle, as well as strong qualifying races from almost the entire team. On the National front, the older girls of Katrin, Danielle, Elise, and Bria have been racing at the U.S. Super Tour races in West Yellowstone, Montana, the Bozeman Super Tour (Katrin) and U.S. Nationals in Soldier Hollow, Utah (Katrin, Danielle, and Elise). The biggest highlights of these races have come with Katrin winning the J1 girls classic race in Bozeman and coming in fourth for J1 girls in the skate sprint at U.S. Nationals. Some goals for the team this year include trying to qualify the entire team for the Junior National Championships in Fairbanks, Alaska, putting an SBA athlete on the podium at Junior Nationals, winning the CNISSF league for women, and coming in top two for men. Finally, we would like to see every SBA athlete feel that they have improved significantly from last year. The season is young, but we feel we are on the way to achieving our ambitious goals!"

Taming the Cat

Few people know that SBA parent Dave Riggs (father of Bria Riggs, '14) wrestles cantankerous snowcats in his spare time.

When the groomer malfunctioned today prior to Team Nordic's classic sprint, Riggs sprang into action. Here he is taming the cat.

Congratulations to senior Katrin Larusson, who took second overall on the girl's side, and sophomore Sam Zabell, who placed eighth overall on the boy's side. Team Nordic is back at it tomorrow, weather willing, with a 5K stride.

Powered by Pancakes

Student Council's annual pancake fund raiser at Sugar Bowl Resort's Village Hall Sunday netted over $400 toward campus activities this year.

"Thanks to all the student-athletes who volunteered to help out and to the Ski Team families for their support," said Student Council Advisor Aly Kendall. "It was a lot of fun for everybody!"

Scene on Campus Pic of the Day

Student Council sponsored its first All School Meeting challenge today. Stay tuned for more scenes from the "cookie challenge," but here's a little taste...

- Marmot Man, Powered by BlogPress

On Character

SBA seniors Chris Fitzpatrick, Katrin Larusson, and Chuck Klein addressed the student body at our opening Village Hall formal dinner Tuesday. One of the main thrusts of their address: character...

Spring Bake Sales Net $400 To Fight Fistula

For the last few weeks, the older girls' advisory has been tempting us with sweet treats for sale at the back of the lunch room. Quietly, and quite deliciously, they have managed to make quite an impact. Thank you to Joanne Knox for the following write-up on the older-girls' advisory's efforts to combat fistula.

Older girls show the funds that

they helped raise within our small

school community to help support

the efforts of Ethiopia's Hamlin

Fistula Hospital.

"One theme of the older girls’ advisory has been to learn about the lives of young women, especially who live vastly different lifestyles than our own. Most recently we focused on health crises of women around the world. We learned that more than two million women in the world suffer from the very curable, but very debilitating life-altering condition of a fistula. These women are affected by both the physical trauma of the condition and the psychological trauma they endure when cast out from their families and society. Our goal was to help make a difference in at least one woman’s life by raising money for the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Through a series of spring bake sales, we were able to raise over four hundred dollars. This money will be donated to the hospital to support our sisters in need. This experience not only helped open our eyes to a real problem for women, but also allowed for us to change a life positively. For more information on the Hamlin Hospital, please go to: http://www.hamlinfistula.org/."

Scene on Campus Photo of the Day, 5/14

Student Council and a few guests...

Scene on Campus Photo of the Day, 5/6

Advisory Plays Home-Made Board Game

Plant a Tree, Support Your School, and Order a Yearbook ... by April 27th!

The Yearbook staff, led by Chief Editor Maya Anthony-Crosby, has been working diligently this year to produce a book which will make us all proud to be part of the Sugar Bowl Academy teaching and learning community.

While the theme hopefully remains somewhat of a mystery within our school community, I can report with confidence that it could go down in history as one of the most unique - not to mention difficult - themes to ever be attempted by a yearbook staff. It is a theme which speaks to the individuality and creative spirit of our student-athletes.

The price of the yearbook this year is $37.11, with $5 of the purchase price going to support teaching and learning at Sugar Bowl Academy. The yearbook staff this year is working with TreeRing Corporation, a Silicon Valley-based company which has been featured in a number of national news spots and which pledges to plant a tree for every book it prints. Naturally, that means that the more books we order, the more trees will be planted.

Purchase orders are due April 27th to the office. Delivery is currently scheduled for the first week in June.

We all owe a huge collective THANK YOU to our yearbook staffers, including school leaders Anthony-Crosby, Laurel Fiddler, Lauren Dunn, Katrin Larusson, Cassidy Cichowicz, Sinclaire O'Grady, Bria Riggs, Erika Klenk, and Taylor Elicegui. Each has given selflessly of her time to make a yearbook we will long enjoy and remember.

Please support your school and Mother Nature and order your yearbook today!

The Fighting Marmot

Who's in the Burrow?