Hill-Murray skiing team is going downhill fast, and that was always the plan

Don Shipp held an organizational meeting after being named coach at Hill-Murray. He was greeted by four parents and a smattering of athletes. Shipp promised them "a state champion."

This wasn't hockey. It was Alpine skiing.

Shipp had a dozen skiers on his initial team for the 2015-16 season. The program was on the verge of extinction.

"They had to be thinking he is crazy," said David Shipp, his son, who started skiing with the Pioneers for the 2014-15 season and was a member of his father's first team. "We didn't even have enough people to fill out our varsity squad."

Within a decade, Hill-Murray's girls squad, behind medalist Taylor Voigt, was skiing down Giants Ridge in Biwabik as the program's first state champion. Now the boys program would like nothing better than to join in when high school skiers descend on the Iron Range on Tuesday for the state meet.

Don Shipp still serves as an assistant coach in the program after turning the reins over to Mark Lindemer this season.

"It's been quite a transformation," David Shipp said.

Man with a plan

Before becoming coach, Don Shipp, with David on the team, had watched the floundering program struggle through back-to-back years with only nine participants under two different coaches. He became the third new coach in three years.

"In order to build a program, it's really important to make every skier equally important," Shipp said. "If coaches can do that, it builds the program."

He needed to build up numbers. All were welcome.

"You need a team that is as large as possible," Shipp said. "Every student that joins a high school program brings power to that organization. Kids have fun when they are given the opportunity to get together and play. Kids will naturally create fun if an adult or a coach doesn't interfere."

He quickly saw the participation numbers climb, to a high of 62 last season. Hill-Murray has 54 skiers (32 boys and 22 girls) on the team this season.

"Ski racing teaches a person about work and reward, risk and reward, the power of goal-setting, working through failures, and a real mental toughness that needs to be developed in order to rise in the ski racing universe," Shipp said. "The importance of ski racing is not very important. The development of youth is very important. Ski racing is a great simulator for life."

Shipp was a state champion out of North Branch in 1981. He was self-taught. Now he teaches others.

"Never, ever give up if you really want to accomplish your goals," he said. "Don't set unrealistic goals. Goals must be small and incremental. Set goals that you know that you can accomplish. The accomplishment of each incremental goal builds confidence to set additional goals. You have to be willing to endure enough failure to ever succeed."

Girls are there, boys are near

The girls program reached the peak of success with a state championship last season. Junior Kate Reardon, in her fifth season on the team, said Shipp's methods separate his program from others. One big difference stands out.

"He didn't make us come to practice," Reardon said. "He wanted us to learn how to manage our time, come as we please. Our coaches have done a good job understanding each skier's dedication to the sport."

A flexible schedule is just one welcoming aspect that Hill-Murray uses to build participation numbers.

"We had one person come out a couple of years ago who had never even seen snow before," Reardon said. "Our coaches make every skier in the program feel important. Kids go back to school now and talk about our team. Our program is huge right now."

It became more elevated when the girls won that state championship.

"It started slowly and there was a lot of hope for the program," Reardon said. "Now people are ready to try something new and different. Skiing is a social sport. There is a family aspect to it."

The boys program is gaining speed.

"They are not too far behind us," Reardon said. "I don't think it will be long before they are state champions."

Senior Austin Mjanger has seen notable change during his four years on the team.

"It wasn't many kids' main sport when I was a freshman," Mjanger said. "Now it's the main sport for most of our skiers. The team vibe has changed. We started a whole new culture my sophomore year."

The coaches' rapport with the skiers sells the program to boys, too.

"It doesn't matter what level of skier you are, our coaches want to see you succeed," Mjanger said. "They show every skier the same amount of love and support. The extra effort they put in to see a person succeed is unmatched."

Mjanger, who finished 16th at state last season, will make his fourth consecutive appearance in the state meet. He went the past two seasons as an individual and is ready for the boys to vault into the spotlight as a team.

"You could tell with the girls program it was a matter of time before they were going to win it all," Mjanger said. "They were so dialed in. It was a culmination of hard work and experience. We want to catch up with the girls team."

Easy switch

Lindemer has been connected with Shipp since Shipp was a high school skier. He was Lindemer's traveling coach. Then Lindemer served as an assistant to Shipp. Now he's head coach.

"The transition has been pretty seamless," Lindemer said.

Four of his seven assistant coaches are volunteers; three of them have skiers in the program.

"I think our growth has been in part due to the flexibility of our coaches," Lindemer said. "The nuts and bolts of our system are still there. The system and structure we have in place makes us competitive."

Lindemer and Shipp smile when talking about the growth of the program. But they remain unsatisfied.

"We are very proud of where the program came from and where it is now," Lindemer said. "But we are always striving and looking for new ways to be better."

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