Hello from Cyrus Hamlin:

I grew up in the UP, and always heard stories of the legendary high school ski programs in Minnesota from my dad – a Minnesota Native. He would always tell me about the masses of people who would race the high school circuit, and reminisce about all the old stories: when Hastings (if I recall correctly) convinced the hockey team to switch to skate skiing for a season, or the time his whole team (Stillwater) spent the night brushing and polishing their skis to be super smooth even though they would need structure on the wet and warm day. 

Skiing has always been important to me. I skied for the Copper Country Ski Tigers, based in Houghton, MI and now ski for Harvard out East.

Hello from Cat Stow:

Cyrus and I joke that we switched places when choosing college: I grew up on the East Coast in the town of Gilford, NH, and moved to Houghton, MI, to ski for the Huskies! I had always dreamed of skiing in college, and after racing on the Eastern Cup Circut (our JNQ series) for six years, I was ready to try out some different venues and explore a new place. I started skiing when I was seven years old because my friend Mitchell (who now skis for St. Mikes) convinced me to join the kids program run by the Gunstock Nordic Association.

After my first year at Tech, I trained at home with GNA, and last summer I lived in Vermont and trained with the Stratton Mountain School. This summer, I was looking for a program where I could ski with some of my college teammates, and many Huskies are from different suburbs of the Twin Cities!

We’ve both trained in many different locations during the off season, but we’ve never had the chance to experience the legendary Minnesota ski culture – until this summer with the MPLS Ski Club Pro Project.

Cyrus:

The summer began fast. After visiting home I started training with the team. Most locations were new to me, but my first practice was a familiar location: Theodore Wirth Park. It was skate technique. I remember being both a little nervous and excited. I didn’t know anyone training with the program except for the Lovely Hanna W, my Harvard teammate. But the ideal of ‘Minnesota kindness’ was certainly not lost on my teammates and coaches; in no time I was welcomed into the community of many Minnesotans and a few adopted Minnesotans, and soon having weekly ice cream after Afton evening practices (or Afton-noon practices as I like to call them)

The summer training locations were truly a tour of the City, rollersking everywhere from the middle of Minneapolis to Elm Creek, and Afton. While there were so many incredible moments this summer, there were a few particularly fun workouts that stuck with me. There was one beach workout that Erin ran like a drill sergeant. I thought it was very fun to push myself on the beach and in the sand, and when not out of breath, I found myself frequently cracking up. Another highlight were the roller ski treadmill sessions and the lactate testing. I learned so much about how I function metabolically and aerobically as a skier, but I also just thought it was really cool and fascinating. 

And how could I talk about a summer in Minneapolis without mentioning my favorite Minnesota Landmark: the Giant Pencil near Lake of the Isles. I did go to the annual Giant Pencil sharpening at the beginning of summer, and boy was it a blast, every time we would rollerski by the pencil I would always request a waterbreak so we could all marvel at the immense pencil. 

Cat:

Looking back on the last few months, I recall how lucky I am to be surrounded by such fun and talented athletes! I will remember this summer as the one where I swapped stories with the Midwesterners who’ve moved East, drove around the cities with NO AC (still not sure how I survived!), and the one where I found real joy in training again. My journey has been a long one, and I am so thankful that it led me to this city with these friends!

One training aspect I liked about this program was the integration of TRIA Gameface into our weekly schedule. The Pro Project team had the opportunity to work with a strength training coach for the summer (ours was Jacki), who built out a program that focused on ski specific strength, stability, and injury prevention. My favorite memory from this program was being attatched to the wall via a strong bungee cord, and trying to jump over foot hurdles with indescribable resistance.

Like Cyrus, I also enjoyed skiing in new places all over the cities. Afton was a classic, but I think my favorite place to ski was on the bike path parallel to West River Parkway, on the Mississippi River. Towards the end of the summer, we could see the marathon runners beginning to prep for the Twin Cities marathon. It was exciting to see so many people out on the path!

Using the rollerski treadmill at Pioneer Midwest for testing and technique this summer was a game changer for me, to say the least. As someone who struggles to visualize what I look like on skis, having the ability to watch the changes I made in real time was insannne. I now have an abundance of ques that I am using during my easy skis, and I’ve already seen improvements from the technique video taken earlier in the summer.

Lastly, I made sure to frequent Minneapolis Bouldering Project 1-2 times a week. This was a great way to connect with teammates outside of organized practices, and to add some bonus strength, stability, and core into the week! I miss it already

The biggest highlight of the summer was training with such an awesome team. Who was there, you ask?

Head Coach Erin:

Erin was the mastermind behind the college program, and she did an incredible job of tailoring the workouts and training plan to every college athlete and their needs. Each day, Erin would have a base plan for the workout, and then give athletes specific training directions based on the results of their lactate and treadmill testing. This helped to make sure that all of the athletes were getting the best training for their needs! In addition to this strategy, Erin shared a seemingly endless mass of knowledge about metabolic thresholds and other training science with the athletes to keep them on the same page, and always answered every question she could (even when Cyrus asked many of them). Erin did an incredible job of facilitating the inclusion of non-minnesotans into the MSC program – and for that we are both very grateful! She not only possess the skills to lead, but also the empathy to see her athletes as multifaceted and embrace what makes each athlete unique.

Assistant Coaches Ellen, Claire, and Cedric

This summer, Erin was assisted by Ellen, Claire, and Cedric. It was always a nice surprise to have them at training, and their additions to the coaching staff made the experience even more fun! We really appreciated their presence on over distance days when exploring new territory in the wilderness, and Cat especially enjoyed spending time with Cedric and Aubrey’s cat Vera.

The Athletes:

We loved our summer in the Twin Cities, and we hope you’ll come explore what Minnesota has to offer next year. Thanks again to Erin and everyone at the MPLS Ski Club that made this College Summer Program a blast. We look forward to seeing our new friends on the trails this winter and at U.S. Senior Nationals in Lake Placid, NY.

Cheers, and have a great start to the fall everyone!

Cyrus & Cat