Gogebic Community College offers Nordic Ski Team

Wed, Jun  3, 2009 - By Will Andresen

Gogebic Community College is starting a new men’s and women’s Nordic Ski Team at Gogebic Community College in Ironwood, Michigan for the 2009-2010 season.  The Ironwood area boasts early season skiing, guaranteed snow and some of the best trails in the Midwest.  The new ski team will compete in Central Collegiate Ski Association meets and some citizen races and will offer an affordable way for young skiers to compete at the collegiate level.  

All travel expenses, entry fees and team uniforms – plus season passes at both ABR and Wolverine Ski Trails - will be covered by the college.

Starting this fall, GCC will also be offering a cross-country running team which skiers may choose to join.

Gogebic Community College is an affordable college experience specializing in programs such as ski area management, nursing and business with a very strong academic transfer program, offering new on-campus housing and excellent recreational facilities http://www.gogebic.cc.mi.us/AboutGCC/

If you have any questions or would like additional information, please respond to this message or contact me at the below phone numbers.  Athletes can contact me directly or complete and submit this form:  http://www.gogebic.cc.mi.us/athletics/recruit.htm.

We have a new web-site with a schedule and additional information about the team that I also want to share with you:  http://www.gogebic.cc.mi.us/athletics/nordic.shtm.

We also received some great testimonials from a few top notch coaches you all may know:   

Sten Fjeldeim, Northern Michigan University's coach, said:  "I have been coaching at Northern Michigan for the past twenty years and during this time we can always count on having good skiing early and late in Ironwood. Most of the skiers here at NMU get 5.5 to 6 months of on snow skiing time, this is one of the reasons that our ski team has produced many Olympians and 67 NCAA All Americans as well as several US National and Junior National champions.  I am very pleased to hear that GCC has started a Nordic ski program, this is much needed and will serve as a great development tool for those skiers trying to improve their chances to become a serious recruit for the four year D1 and D2 college ski programs."

And Eli Brown from the University of Utah said: "Two year programs can help kids develop, get more Americans in a position for ski scholarships and be a great alternative. More opportunities means a stronger pipeline. Stronger pipeline means American Nordic Skiing will only get better! I'm excited about Gogebic, a great setting for a ski team...I hope to recruit one of their graduates some day!"

We even received comments from Pete Vordenberg, two-time Olympian and U.S. Ski Team Coach:  "Every fall I spent in the UP I would travel to Ironwood in the important early season to get on their early snow and great trails. Of course the important part was putting in the hours, eating a loaf of bread for lunch and then putting in more hours. But putting that time in up in Ironwood was not only perfect training but a real joy."

Gogebic Community College Nordic ski team brochure (3.42 MB PDF)

Will

Will Andresen, Coach
Men’s and Women’s Cross-Country Running and Nordic Ski Teams
Gogebic Community College
906-932-2064 (home)
715-561-2695 (work)