歪歪漫画

BEMIDJI 鈥� The Bemidji High 歪歪漫画 Nordic skiers and their head coach, Mark Walters, spend almost all year on the same team. They practice together, they compete together and they even paddle in the same boat during the summer together.

But at the Lake Bemidji Dragon Boat Festival, Walters and his skiers are competitors.

The BHS Nordic ski team comes together during the annual boat races to form the Nordic Whitecaps, while Walters paddles for the festival powerhouse, the HydraHeads.

It鈥檚 a tradition at this point: the ski team versus their head coach.

鈥淚t鈥檚 part of that team culture,鈥� Walters said. 鈥淭he dynamics are just great, as long as they come to practice and they work out.鈥�

The races are the culmination of weeks of training for the Nordic ski team. They practice boat racing during the offseason, holding regular sessions to prepare for competing on the water instead of the slopes.

鈥淪o we start training at the beginning of summer, we practice once a week,鈥� said Mia Hoffmann, one of the Nordic Whitecaps鈥� captains. 鈥淓ach week we have a different focus, so some days it鈥檚 starts, some days it鈥檚 endurance. So by the time Dragon Boat comes around, we kind of have a game plan.鈥�

Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer

But, despite their shared summer training, Walters and his students are competitors come race day. Considering the HydraHeads鈥� 10 championship wins, Walters is usually the one that exits the weekend with bragging rights.

However, in Saturday鈥檚 18th edition of the races, it was the Whitecaps who got the last laugh.

The Nordic Whitecaps raced head-to-head twice against the HydraHeads, first in an afternoon qualifying heat and then later in the championship round.

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer

Both races were tight finishes. The qualifying round was decided in the final stretch, with the teams finishing less than two seconds apart from each other.

鈥淚 know what their goal was in this heat, they were so jazzed to be next to us. All they want to do is stay as close to us as possible,鈥� Walters said of the Whitecaps. 鈥淭hey slipped away from us at around 200-250 meters 鈥� it was close.鈥�

The Nordic Whitecaps had secured their first win of the day over their head coach.

鈥淚t felt really good,鈥� Hoffmann said. 鈥淚t's always a little running joke, trying to beat your coach, so it was really fun to beat him.鈥�

That wasn鈥檛 the team鈥檚 only win of the afternoon over the HydraHeads. Boasting top four times through the challenge and qualifying rounds, both teams earned a spot in the championship race to cap off the event.

In another race decided by mere seconds, the newcomers Wake My Day! were the ones who ultimately captured the crown with a course-record 1:59.42 time. However, the Nordic Whitecaps earned second place less than two seconds behind the champions. The HydraHeads finished fourth to round out a stacked finals race.

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer

鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of nice, because (the HydraHeads) always beat us,鈥� one of the Nordic Whitecaps鈥� captains Faye Calvert said. 鈥�(But) he鈥檚 really supportive of us, we all really like Mark.鈥�

Any trash talk is all in good fun. After all, Walters is the one guiding the team鈥檚 training leading up to the race.

鈥淗e taught us everything we know,鈥� Nordic Whitecaps鈥� paddler Caeden Pollock said. 鈥淲e鈥檇 be hopeless without him.鈥�

Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer

Walters is teaching a host of new paddlers 鈥渆verything they know鈥� about the racing nearly every year. Made up of high schoolers, the Nordic Whitecaps are always changing.

鈥淒ue to attrition, you鈥檙e always losing some seniors and then you get some ninth graders back in,鈥� Walters said. 鈥淎s long as they learn to work together, it鈥檚 an awesome team-building thing that we do for the Nordic ski program.鈥�

Despite that constant turnover, the Whitecaps are consistently one of the stronger teams fielded at the race, a testament to the strength of the team-building exercise.

鈥淲e just encourage everyone to join the team and try it out,鈥� Calvert said. 鈥淲e always just have a good turnout.鈥�

The Whitecaps鈥� best showing for the past few years has been in the Sprint Cup, the title awarded to the fastest team in a shortened version of the course. Though they came up short this season, they earned three straight Sprint Cup wins heading into the season.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a strength-to-weight ratio,鈥� Walters said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e light and they鈥檙e fast, so they鈥檙e usually good at the short distances.鈥�

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer

While the technical skills of skiing and paddling are quite different, some similarities beyond conditioning help make the transition a bit easier for first-time racers.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a rhythm to Nordic skiing as there is a rhythm to dragon boat paddling,鈥� Calvert said. 鈥淚 would also say it's really arm-heavy with your movements.鈥�

Next year鈥檚 team is sure to look a little different. But for at least a year, the Nordic Whitecaps have a couple of wins to hold over their coach.

鈥淭he trash talk is kind of one-sided -- it comes from the youth to the older guy,鈥� Walters said with a laugh after the qualifying round race. 鈥淭hey were so hyped up out there, it was frightening. It was great.鈥�

Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer