We had 42 young skiers compete at the 33rd Annual Junior Muffin races this year! Cooler temps a bit of bit of new snow over the past few days made for great conditions, with even a bit of gentle snow falling at the start of the race. It is always inspiring seeing the enthusiasm and passion for this great sport on full display with the up-and-coming generation of speedsters. Some truly fast skiers out there, and everyone competed with Heart!!
In the Senior Muffin Race (ages 13-19), the race format was a 2-person freestyle relay with three legs per skier, each leg approximately 1.5km. The co-ed winner was team '6/7 Squared': Lindsay Smith and Bode Dykstra. First place for the girls division was team 'Crystal Nordic': Avery Kelly and Ava Higley. The boys winner and first overall was team 'Frame Moggers': Finn Grayson and Liam Wierzba.
Costume contest winners were team ‘Dos Amigos’ of Adrien Wierzba and Asher Schwartz dressed up as a hunter and a turkey, and every time the turkey crossed the exchange zone, all the spectators gobbled!!
We had some great competitors in the Mini-Muffin category, with the youngest racer at 3 years old! We thank everyone who came out to the Cross Country Ski Headquarters and made this day a wonderful time for the XC ski community.
Overall Muffin Race Relay Team Results
Cross Country Ski Headquarters
Sunday February 22, 2026
| Place | Time | Finishing Bib | Team Name | Club Name | Individual Name | Individual Name | Boys | Girls | Coed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42:55 | 223 | Frame Moggers | Vasa | Finn Grayson | Liam Wierzba | X | ||
| 2 | 43:38 | 219 | 6 7 Squared | Vasa | Lindsay Smith | Bode Dykstra | X | ||
| 3 | 43:50 | 218 | Jurassic Raptors | Vasa | Nate Gorman | Harrison Jeffries | X | ||
| 4 | 45:39 | 233 | Crystal Nordic | Crystal Nordic | Avery Kelly | Ava Higley | X | ||
| 5 | 45:52 | 230 | Fraternity of Finlandia in our Mesozoic Era | Vasa | Jack Mazurek | Ava Zeratsky | X | ||
| 6 | 47:27 | 232 | Jail Break | Vasa | Emma Dykstra | Salomon | X | ||
| 7 | 50:27 | 229 | Nub's Nob Nordic Racing | Nub's Nob | Henry Burris | Toby Dawson | X | ||
| 8 | 52:56 | 222 | Sylvia & Wheezy | Vasa | Wheezy Cliff | Sylvia Coulter | X | ||
| 9 | 53:36 | 226 | The Hellfire Club | none | Noah Doornbos | Finn Petersen | X | ||
| 10 | 53:40 | 221 | Dos Amigos **COSTUME WINNER | Vasa | Adrien Wierzba | Asher Schwartz | X | ||
| 11 | 57:29 | 228 | Wick's Dogs | none | Maxmillian Froelich | Ames MacCarthy | X | ||
| 12 | 61:00 | 216 | Monster Mash | 1/2 Vasa 1/2 none | Ophelia Tomey | Thalia Springborn | X |
Relay Individual Splits
Individual relay splits are used to award Michigan Cup Points.
| Place | Name | Club Name | Boy | Girl | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liam Wierzba | Vasa | X | 20:56 | |
| 2 | Bode Dykstra | Vasa | X | 21:09 | |
| 3 | Jack Mazurek | Vasa | X | 21:13 | |
| 4 | Salomon DeBruyn | Vasa | X | 21:15 | |
| 5 | Harrison Jeffries | Vasa | X | 21:42 | |
| 6 | Finn Grayson | Vasa | X | 21:59 | |
| 7 | Nate Gorman | Vasa | X | 22:08 | |
| 8 | Lindsay Smith | Vasa | X | 22:29 | |
| 9 | Avery Kelly | Crystal Nordic | X | 22:33 | |
| 10 | Ava Higley | Crystal Nordic | X | 23:06 | |
| 11 | Toby Dawson | Nub's Nob | X | 23:35 | |
| 12 | Ava Zeratsky | Vasa | X | 24:39 | |
| 13 | Anabelle Sketch | Vasa | X | 24:51 | |
| 14 | Asher Schwartz | Vasa | X | 25:48 | |
| 15 | Emma Dykstra | Vasa | X | 26:12 | |
| 16 | Sylvia Coulter | Vasa | X | 26:12 | |
| 17 | Wheezy Cliff | Vasa | X | 26:44 | |
| 18 | Noah Doornbos | none | X | 26:46 | |
| 19 | Finn Peterson | none | X | 26:50 | |
| 20 | Henry Burris | Nub's Nob | X | 26:52 | |
| 21 | Thalia Springborn | none | X | 27:40 | |
| 22 | Ames MacCarthy | none | X | 27:50 | |
| 23 | Adrien Wierzba | Vasa | X | 27:52 | |
| 24 | Maxmillian Froelich | none | X | 29:39 | |
| 25 | Ophelia Tomey | Vasa | X | 33:20 |
Min-Muffin Results
Mini-Muffin Ages 10-12 |
|
| Place | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Anna Higley |
| 2 | Aaron Greenberg |
| 3 | Lily Tomczak |
| 4 | Jacob Dornbos |
| 5 | Sonny Spiecer |
| 6 | George Kusku |
| 7 | Emelia Kemp |
| 8 | Nina Petersen |
| 9 | Theo Neils |
Mini-Muffin Ages 7-9 |
|
| Place | Name |
| 1 | Flora Kemp |
| 2 | Boyd Barker |
| 3 | Sayla Colie |
Mini-Muffin Ages 5-6 |
|
| Place | Name |
| 1 | Henry Colie |
| 2 | Ewen Kemp |
| 3 | Ford Barker |
Mini-Muffin Ages 3-4 |
|
| Place | Name |
| 1 | Lila Barker |
| 2 | Juniper Tyran |
