North Minneapolis has a Nordic ski team. What?

Senior skier Aydan Dark glides downhill during a recent practice. Photo by Ta’Khya Carlisle

By Ta’Khya Carlisle, North News Intern 

Nordic skiing has arrived on the Northside. 

Nordic skiing, or cross-country skiing, is very popular and competitive in some Minneapolis schools. Now, the sport's popularity has reached North Minneapolis. Introducing The North Side Arctic, the Northside’s very own ski team. 

This team includes students from FAIR School of the Arts, Camden, and North. Although they practice with students from Edison, a separate team, they feel like a family when they practice together. The team practices at Theodore Wirth Regional Park.

“It feels like we're all just a team,” said senior Aydan Dark. “We come from different schools, but you're all on the same team.” 

Dark has been skiing for a few years since his high school career began. 

“You can disconnect from everything. Just have fun, get a good workout, and it's fun with friends because you can go through all different levels and still be so fun.” Dark said. 

Dark believes that Nordic skiing isn’t just about winning or losing. It’s about camaraderie, perseverance, and having fun! 

“Camaraderie is a team effort. We make jokes to everyone, if someone said they had a bad race, everyone says, ‘No, you didn't.’ It's just keeping the spirits up,” Dark said. “It doesn't matter if you go fast or slow. The main thing is having fun and just having fun. If you're not having fun, we'll have to try something else.” 

Coach Emily Broderson says the program is new, and her skiers struggle against bigger teams. But in a recent meet, they showed signs of growth and improvement. 

“So when we have Minneapolis conference meets, we always last as a team, partially because we're significantly smaller than all the other teams. We had a meet that had another conference included on Tuesday, and the boys beat five teams, and the girls beat four teams. So compared to other schools with small teams, I think we hold our own.” 

Although coming in last place may be tough, Broderson said rank is not the main concern. 

“I think most of our skiers are pretty focused on just doing their best and improving their abilities and kind of comparing themselves to their previous times and their previous accomplishments.” she said “So, you know, we're not really like head to head, comparing ourselves with what Washburn has. We stick to goals that are kind of relative to our previous history and try to improve.”