The Importance of Community in Midwest Skiing - Emma Stertz
Hi everyone! My name is Emma Stertz and I am a first-year member of the Team Birkie Regional Team. I graduated this spring from the College of St Scholastica with degrees in Secondary Social Studies Education and History after being a 5 year member of the Saints Ski Team. I am originally from Grand Rapids, MN and have been skiing since before I could walk.
In high school, I raced for Grand Rapids High School and did biathlon with Mt. Itasca Biathlon. One thing that has always kept me coming back to skiing throughout the years is the community I’ve found in it. From being a young skier to now, I’ve felt the effects of a supportive ski community in the Midwest.
Enjoying local ski trails from a young age
Growing up in Northern Minnesota, I was surrounded by a community of people who loved skiing and plenty of ski trails to explore. Many of our family friends had kids my age who we would ski with after school, and on weekends I got to ski with new friends in our local Minnesota Youth Ski League. As I got older, I found myself being drawn even more to skiing and the community I found there. I joined my school’s ski team and was introduced to the competitive side of skiing. As a middle school skier, I had a lot of older teammates who showed me that in skiing, I could have fun and work hard at the same time. They helped me find a love for the sport that continues to this day.
Spending most of my time training at Mt. Itasca, a national caliber biathlon venue, joining biathlon seemed like a logical next step if I wanted to be a competitive ski racer. Biathlon introduced me to a world of skiers outside of Minnesota and I started finding role models outside of my teams. I followed the careers of many of the nation’s top skiers and biathletes, and dreamed of being like them some day. Sometimes, when I was at biathlon camps or races in other parts of the country, I would get to see these top athletes in action. I thought this was the coolest thing because we didn’t get to see many top level skiers train back home. Then I found out that my friends who lived near my favorite athletes got to see them all the time and some of them even knew each other by name! I was super jealous because while a lot of these athletes were from the Midwest, they had ended up skiing for teams in the East or West. I vowed then that if I ever reached the elite level in skiing, I would make an effort to stay connected with the Midwest ski community and be the role model I wished I had had.
Team Birkie biathlon contingent at US Team Trials in Soldier Hollow, Utah
Takng aim at US Biathlon Rollerski Nationals in Jericho, VT in August
Fast forward a few years and here I am on Team Birkie! I’m excited to stay in the Midwest and keep making connections in a community that has already given me so much. As a member of Team Birkie, I also get to represent the Midwest as I travel to races around the country and show everyone else how much we have going for us! I hope that I can help be the inspiration for the next generation of Midwest skiers and biathletes to pursue their dreams and that I can make meaningful connections with the athletes of all ages that we get the opportunity to work with! I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of this community and I can’t wait to continue this journey with you all!
Team Birkie girls: Dolcie, Emma, Luci, and Gretta at the US Ski Team Camp in Park City, Utah
Meeting Johannes Klaebo with local skiers
Leading a rollerski clinic for high school skiers with Dolcie in Duluth
