High school skiers will push their limits at Wirth Park national meet

Kyle Bratrud knows that if he is accepted at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, his physical and mental toughness will be tested. ¶ That shouldn't be much of an issue for the Eden Prairie senior, who said he rollerskis before school during the cross-country season so he can run with his teammates during the afternoon. ¶ Bratrud, who is coming off a fifth-place individual pursuit finish at the boys Nordic ski racing state meet Feb. 17, said he relishes the natural high he gets from pushing his body to the limit -- which should also bode well for him at the Junior Olympic National Nordic ski racing meet next week at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis.

"The feeling coming back from a run or a long ski, you can't replace that," said Bratrud, who finished 12th at last fall's Class 2A state cross-country meet. "It's really taught me a lot about doing what's best for me, what's best for my body."

The Junior Olympics, which begin Sunday and last six days, function as a national championship for skiers ages 15-20.

During the season, elite skiers such as Bratrud must compete at races designated as Junior Olympic qualifiers if they want a shot at the event, in which most U.S. Olympic Nordic skiers have competed.

The national field is divided into 10 regional teams, with each team sending male and female competitors from three age groups: J2 (ages 15-16), J1 (ages 17-18) and OJ (ages 19-20).

Bratrud, who said he would be honored to serve in the military and is also considering running and skiing for Iowa State, will share the home-course advantage this year with his Midwest region teammates, including Burnsville senior Sharmila Ahmed, this year's girls' Nordic skiing individual state champion.

"It was really exciting and it's something that I've been thinking about and wanting for a long time," Ahmed said of winning state. However, she said, "These nationals are really what we train for all year so it's a totally different ballgame. ... Now there will be a lot more competition and we're really, really excited to have them here in Minneapolis."

"After I took a bunch of time [off] I thought about trying to sneak in and get on [last year's] J.O. team but I think it was a good decision that I didn't ... I'm glad that I just took it easy and recovered well, and then this summer I got back into training again," Ahmed said.

This will be the third Junior Olympics for Ahmed, who said she has grown close with several of her teammates, including Sarah Benton of Hopkins and Liz Peterson of Forest Lake.

At state this year, Benton and Peterson finished third and fourth, respectively, behind Ahmed.

"I've been to state five times and it was just a great way to top off my senior year," Peterson said. "[I was] a little bummed in the classic race, but it turned out pretty good so I was happy with it overall."

"Classic" refers to one of two disciplines of Nordic skiing, the other being freestyle. In the former, skiers race in pre-laid tracks on the snow, while in the latter there are no tracks.

Lakeville North junior Ben Saxton, who was this year's boys' individual state champion, will be competing at Theodore Wirth alongside several of his teammates from the Minnesota Valley club team.

"I think it's a lot more of a team sport than people think," Saxton said of Nordic skiing, later adding, "I think this year, Midwest has a really stacked squad, and it's our home turf so I'd love to see us move up from our traditional placing, which is usually third to fifth."