Local alpine skiing co-op gearing up for section meet

Earlier this week, athletes in a girls’ and boys’ skiing co-op that includes Annandale, Kimball, and Maple Lake, among other schools, were gearing up for their -Section 5A meet, scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 4, from Wild Mountain in -Taylors Falls.

In an update from head coach Dana Kjaer, she reported how the team has had a “pretty good” season so far, seeing her athletes -perform well and improve.

“It has been really exciting to see how much everybody has improved in just a couple months,” Kjaer said via email.

This year’s team includes seven new racers: Matthew Kramer, Jillian Wingler, Teagan Sykora, and Shelby Pool of Annandale, Raigan Miller of Litchfield, and Alizee Dorat and Joely Guzman of  St. Michael-Albertville. 

“The first-time racers have really come along,” coach Kjaer said via email, “and the racers with a few years really honed in … their technique.”

By season’s end, the program will say goodbye to three seniors: Shirley Langbehn and Faith Pool, both of Annandale, and Kyle Krueger of St. Michael-Albertville.  

The girls’ and boys’ co-op -includes Annandale, Kimball, Maple  Lake, Litchfield, New London-Spicer, St. Michael-Albertville, Delano, and Buffalo. The boys’ co-op also includes Holy Spirit Academy, according to the teams’ Minnesota State High School League pages.