Keelan Gorman is only a sophomore, but he has already placed high enough at the Section 6 Meet for the BSM Nordic ski team in order to move on to the State Meet. “State is really hard, the course is really tough.  [State contains] the best skiers around,” Gorman said.

Preparing for some of the toughest competitors he has yet to face, Gorman has taken some steps of his own to get ready to race. “I’m training through LNR (Loppet Nordic Racing), [and] I have to get up early in the morning before school to do different workouts and stuff,” Gorman said.

In order to achieve the ultimate goal of getting to State, Gordman had to place high enough in the Section 6 Meet. In the Section Meet, there were two races–one was a Classic and the other was a Skate. The first competition he competed in was a Skate, and they decide how high one places by rating how well he or she competes in that competition.

How Gorman performed in the Skate competition determined how he was seeded for the Classic competition. In the Classic competition, how one places is determined by whoever crosses the finish line first. “In conference, I finished third, [but] Sections was a lot harder and I got seventh overall for Sections,” Gorman said. This seventh place finish at Sections was strong enough to qualify Gorman for State.

Gorman feels good about his overall performance this season, including the Section 6 Meet and the upcoming State Meet, but he believes he can do even better next year. “I think I can do better next year–we were in a really tough Section and had some really tough competition [this year], so I think I can do better next year,” Gorman said.

Gorman has high hopes for State.  His individual goal is to finish in the top 20 or top 25 of all skiers. He set a personal best in both of his races at the Section 6 Meet, so he is trying to improve on those times at the State Meet.

In addition to Gorman for the boys’ team, freshman Charlie Brown, who attends Groves Academy but skis for BSM, has also qualified for the State Meet for the girls’ team.  This is her second consecutive year that she will be skiing at State, and she looks to build on her success last year by placing higher in the meet to conclude her freshman season.

One day after the Alpine State Meet, the Nordic State Meet will be held on Thursday, February 16, at Giants Ridge Recreation Area in Biwabik, MN.