I caught April Wahlstrom after she returned home from a field trip with the eighth-grade class to Grand Portage.
“You couldn’t ask for a better day,” said the Cook County social studies teacher.
Indeed, the last days of September have brought plenty of golden sunshine. The bugs are gone (kind of), the air is crisp, and the North Shore Storm Cross Country team is already halfway through its season.
Wahlstrom, who coaches alongside Emma Spoon and Max Kelley, welcomed Evan and Laura Swartz of Silver Bay to the staff this year. The Swartz family brings a special connection to the program. Their four children, Nick, Sam, Liz, and Grace, all run for the Storm. Nick advanced to the state competition last fall.
This year’s roster includes 68 runners from grades 7–12 across Cook County, Silver Bay, and Two Harbors.
“The largest portion is from Cook County but the Two Harbors and Silver Bay teams have both grown over the last couple years again,” said Wahlstrom. “So it is definitely more equal than it has been in the past, especially in terms of contributions to the varsity group. It’s pretty equal with a smattering of kids from each of the schools, which is pretty cool.”
On the boys’ side, depth has been a major strength.
“It’s pretty incredible,” Wahlstrom said. “We really have 10 plus runners who are just solid. So there’s been a lot of rotating positions. We do have one athlete who was consistently in the top five and a senior who is out right now with an injury. But the beauty of that depth is that he’s able to take care of himself and others have kind of moved into that position to cover for him.”
That depth hasn’t just kept the boys competitive. It’s also opened opportunities for leadership and mentorship.
“It’ll be exciting to see where they go,” said Wahlstrom. “We have some older folks kind of leading the way, but we also still have some young folks a part of the group. It makes for a really fun kind of mentorship dynamic.”
The girls’ team has faced more challenges, with injuries and illnesses sidelining several runners. Even so, their resilience has stood out.
“Time and time again, they keep pulling together and surprising us,” Wahlstrom said.
The Storm has already tested itself in meets at Grand Marais, Superior, Grand Rapids, and Hibbing, with the Swain Invitational next on the calendar. Earlier this month, they also competed at the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational in Falcon Heights, hosted by the University of Minnesota. Heavy rain soaked the course the night before, leaving runners to contend with a muddy, waterlogged trail.
“We had them turn in their watches before the race,” explained Wahlstrom. “We talked about the plan and what they were going to do. And when they finished, they were all bumming and I was just excited, as were the other coaches.”
Though the athletes were discouraged by their times, the results told a different story. The boys placed 17th out of 49 teams, and the girls finished 23rd out of 45 while competing against much larger schools.
“They had executed the plan perfectly,” said Wahlstrom. “They had gone out in the middle of the pack. It’s a huge race. They’re not used to that. And then they consistently just kept moving up and they all worked with a teammate mostly to do that. It was really great to see that come back around where they could then see their results and process the race in a different way, rather than just a time on a clock, but a true race strategy. It was good but they’re definitely recovering after that still.”
Now, the Storm is resting up for the Swain Invitational on Saturday, October 4, at Enger Park Golf Course. Hosted by Lake Superior College and local high school programs, the course is famous for both its challenging elevation and sweeping views of Duluth.
Wahlstrom, who has coached for many years, said each squad stands out for different reasons.
“For the boys, I feel like they really believe that they have the talent and they’ve been ready to put the work behind the talent,” she said. “It’s really cool to hear them process their races in a very constructive way. And then also see them apply that to how they execute practice. They’ve really just matured a lot, which has been really fun to kind of watch that process in terms of how that’s affected their training and their racing ability.”
While the boys lean on depth and experience, the girls are carving out their identity through adaptability.
“What’s been really fun is there’s been a lot of shifting of who is stepping into that lead role,” Wahlstrom said. “I think it is really easy to just assume one runner is our lead runner.”
Instead, the top three girls share the role, stepping up for one another when someone has an off day. That dynamic has also influenced the younger runners.
“That pack of three girls is pretty cohesive,” she said. “The younger crew behind them has modeled that in the same kind of way, just in terms of allowing themselves to surprise themselves and the team. If they know they’re having a great race, they don’t hold themselves back. They allow it to themselves to move forward.”
For Wahlstrom, this flexible mindset has become a defining strength.
“They’ve kind of allowed themselves to go with the flow and if they feel like they’re going to push themselves harder, they allow themselves to do that,” she said.
Cautious about making predictions, Wahlstrom still shared her hopes for the weeks ahead.
“It would be nice for these kids to be able to have a strong showing at our home meet, which is our conference meet,” she said. “And hopefully, once we get to the section time, we’re able to see some folks go on to the state meet, as well.”
From early tests to upcoming challenges, the Storm is proving that resilience and teamwork can carry them far. Best of luck to the North Shore Storm Cross Country teams in the weeks ahead!
