Aiming for a state championship is a noble goal to start the year, but for Clarkston’s ski program, that is tradition.
As the season gets underway, weeks behind schedule due to unfavorable weather conditions, the Wolves bring two teams to the hill, both top-five finishers in the state last year, with state title well within their reach.
The girls team, led by returning junior Hannah Wolf, finished second behind Traverse City West in their best state finish to date. Wolf finished in second and third place in the giant slalom and slalom respectively last season.
‘She will be one of the best ski athletes we’ve had out of here,? second-year Clarkston coach Mike Foyteck said.
Foyteck expects another girls team capable of competing with the likes of northern Michigan dynamos.
‘They really have a team that can compete at that level,? he said.
‘The girls team is going to be strong for a while.?
The number of strong racers on the team will keep the Wolves in contention this season, Foyteck said.
‘With the depth on that team, they should win every race up to the state meet, in theory,? Foyteck said.
‘But that changes like a light switch. We’re going to try and keep them focused on what they need to do to improve and get them racing at their peaks at the right time.?
Foyteck is excited about two freshman on the junior varsity squad, Analicia Honkanen and Kelly Peters, younger sister of varsity co-captain and returning senior Trisha Peters.
‘They’re really, really good. I can see them getting pulled up into the varsity ranks.
‘The amount of training they have outside of high school racing is how these racers get really good,? Foyteck said.
‘I’m expecting good things from these guys coming up, which is going to make it harder, because there’s going to be a lot of competition on that team.?
The boys bring back senior Eric Weiland on a team that finished fourth in the state at Boyne Highlands last February.
‘He’s a great leader and a fast racer,? Foyteck said of the boys team captain.
The team needs its later flights to be able to pick up points to make them competitive, Foyteck said.
‘We have some guys who are fast, but we need no. four, five and six flight guys to come up and help the team as a whole.
‘We have some kids who have never raced before, but have great athletic ability,? he said.
‘We’re going to work on them to get them up to par as fast as possible. I think they’re going to surprise some people by the end of the year.?
The Wolves will travel to the Traverse City Central Invitational on Jan. 30 to compete against some stiff competition.
‘It’s all your ‘A? schools and the best teams in northern Michigan,? Foyteck said.
The tournament should also offer extra practice time for the team, which lost a vast amount of gate-time this season due to the lack of snow.
‘That will be some good training for us. That will hopefully make up for a little bit of the time.?
Rather than practicing at Pine Knob as expected, the team spent their time doing dry-land training and classroom sessions.
‘You can only run around a track so many times,? Foyteck said.
The season schedule of dual meets has been augmented to account for the missed time, combining separate days of giant slalom and slalom racing into one single-day event. The nine-meet schedule has been reduced to seven, a drastic reduction compared to years past, Foyteck recalled.
‘When your schedule is eight weeks long, it’s a bunch. One week is a lot in that schedule,? he said.
In the first two meets of the season, the girls are 2-0, defeating Notre Dame Prep and Rochester Adams. Clarkston beat the Fighting Irish, scoring 16 points, with Wolf, Trisha Peters, and the other co-captain, Erica Halsey finishing first, second and third. Notre Dame scored 58 points in the loss.
The boys finished behind Notre Dame, scoring 56.5 points to the Fighting Irish’s 44 points. The boys rebounded to beat the Highlanders to justify their record at 1-1.