A large group of 18 athletes started indoor practice Nov. 15 for The Dalles High Riverhawks ski team in preparation for the 2023 season. The Riverhawks have six skiers on the girls team and 11 skiers on the boys team.
Seven of those Riverhawks qualified for the 2022 Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association (OISRA) state championships last year at Mt. Hood Meadows. Riverhawk girls skiers who advanced to state last year and are considered to be top contenders again in the Mt. Hood Ski League this year include seniors Lucy Booth, Ella Smith and Fiona Dunlop. Other girls skiers include Faith Gouge, Catherine Nagamatsu and Abril Rincon.
Riverhawk boys skiers who were state qualifiers last year and are expected to reach the championship race again the first weekend in March include senior Joe Codding and juniors Cooper Klindt, Henry Perez and Grey Roetcisoender. Riverhawks boys skiers who will also compete include Alexander Kjoelseth, Connor Kovalchuk, Leo Lemann, John McAllister, Ondrej Necas and Jase Perez.
The Riverhawks, guided by seventh-year Coach Dane Klindt, continue indoor dryland training in Kurtz Gym throughout December. After Christmas, the Riverhawks will begin practicing at Mt. Hood Meadows every Thursday and Friday; races are held every Sunday.
“Lucy worked very hard during the summer while going to training camps and I’m excited to see what that’s done for her,” said Klindt. “Ella really started to shine at the end of the season last year, so I’m pretty excited about where she’s going to be. Ella and Lucy both had many top-five finishes throughout the season and Lucy finished ranked in the top-20 of the state last year.”
Riley Nordquist, a freshman from South Wasco County High School in Maupin, is also a member of the Riverhawks girls ski team. The Dalles eighth graders Kailee Klindt and Molly Proctor also compete with the Riverhawks, but their results are not counted in the official standings of an OISRA event. Riverhawk assistant coaches include Kristen Klindt, Kristen Booth, Guy Roetcisoender, Scott Hege and Mark Fischer.
“I’m pretty excited about the boys and the girls team,” said Klindt. “The boys are pushing each other pretty hard. We have quite a large turnout for the team this year, which is more than what we had a year ago. We’re hoping that we can get everyone on our team to qualify for state this year. We have a good group of parents who understand the difficulty of trying to pull off a sport like this. We have a very supportive community in The Dalles and we’re very thankful for that.”
The Central Oregon teams have returned to compete in the OISRA for the first time in recent history. Having more teams in the league will make it a little more difficult for skiers to qualify for the state championships.
“With Central Oregon teams in our league now, it means that for the first time in 15-20 years, we’ll have a true state championship again, so that’s pretty exciting,” said Klindt.
The Riverhawks open the season Jan. 7 with the Kelsey Hewitt Memorial, which is a fun race and a nonleague event at Meadows. The Riverhawks’ first Mt. Hood League event on the six-race schedule is Jan. 15 on the Meadows Middle Fork run.
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