The recent drop in temperature marks the beginning of a new season of opportunities for winter athletes to achieve their goals and improve their abilities. This year, the Mounds View nordic skiing team is ready for a fresh start and hopes to enhance their technique and racing skills. The team is excited to be working with their new head coach Julie Garretson.

After spending the past year as the nordic assistant coach, this season, Garretson moved into the head coach position. Assisted by her sister, Lisa, and Ian O’Neil, Garretson is excited for the opportunity to make her mark on the program.

Garretson spent five years as a member of the Mounds View nordic team while she was in middle and high school and jumped at the opportunity to come back to the program. “As a new coaching staff, our personal goal is to establish a strong program [and] encourage our athletes to invest in this sport for the long-term,” said Garretson. “I want to show every athlete how much fun and rewarding it can be to push beyond your limits of comfort.”

While preparing to take the head coach position, Garretson looked to her high school coach, Mark Skildum, for inspiration. “During my time on the team, we had an excellent coach, and I still think about how much he taught me. I hope I can make a similar impression as a coach,” she said.

This season, Garretson is looking forward to spending time with the students. “I love our kids in Nordic. They are all equally goofy and are the best part of coaching,” she said. She is especially looking forward to bonding with them during their annual Holiday Camp at Giants Ridge Resort in Biwabik Minnesota. “It’s a tradition that has been part of Nordic since before I was on the team in 2003. We try to ski as far as we can in three days and we usually log between 50 and 100 kilometers by the end of the trip,” she said. “It’s exhausting but so much fun!”

Garretson and the rest of the coaching staff hope to bring fun to every practice and provide a great experience for every skier on the team, regardless of their level of experience. “I hope each athlete leaves this season with an insatiable hunger for skiing and for MV Nordic,” she said. “I’ve already seen this happen with our skiers from last year and it’s my favorite part of being a coach!”