Rochester Alpine Ski team captains help create 'belonging and community'

Dec. 22—ROCHESTER — Ella Pattinson and Johannes Madsen are the respective captains of the Rochester Alpine girls and boys ski teams. The teams include skiers from Mayo, John Marshall, Century and Lourdes, as well as a handful of southeastern Minnesota schools.

Pattinson is a John Marshall senior who is in her sixth season with the Rochester Alpine Ski team and Madsen is a Mayo senior who is in his third season with the team.

Pattinson and Madsen have both coveted the opportunities that the ski team has provided them and appreciate now being captains. The Post Bulletin spoke with both captains about the upcoming 2022-23 season:

POST BULLETIN: How long have you been downhill skiing?

E.P.: I've been skiing since I was 2 1/2 years old and racing since I was 10. My dad (Mike Pattinson) is manager of Tyrol Ski and Sports and he has also coached little kids how to ski at Welch Village, so I have been doing it for a long time.

PB: Any memory of skiing as a 2 1/2-year-old?

E.P.: I remember I never wanted to wear my ski goggles. But then I'd cry when my eyes got cold and quickly learned to wear my goggles. I also remember getting to go into the chalet to get a donut. That helped me want to be there. But as I grew up and got a little bit older, I got over the cold and really started to enjoy the skiing.

PB: How good of a skier were you when you joined the Rochester Alpine Ski team as a seventh-grader?

E.P.: I was just an average skier then. I'd finish somewhere in the middle in meets. But as I've grown up on the ski team, I've had some good older mentors who I looked up to who helped me get better. Last year, that was (Mayo graduate) Jake Vandal. He was really aggressive when he skied and I admired that. But it really helps being around other people and watching them ski. That is one of the best tools I've had.

PB: You were close to advancing to state last year and have yet to make it in your high school career. How motivated are you to get there as a senior?

E.P.: Getting to state has been a goal of mine. But I have always had the awareness that our section is really good, with lots of teams from the Cities, (making it tough to advance). I always get nervous at the section meet, so I don't think I've ever performed my best there. But now I am working on being aggressive during those ski runs, especially when the stakes are high.

PB: The last two summers, you've gone to Mount Hood in Oregon for a ski camp. What's that been like?

E.P.: It's super fun. It's five straight days of skiing. The coaching and the training there is really valuable. I write down notes and comments that coaches make while I'm there.

PB: How much do you value the Rochester Alpine Ski team?

E.P.: I've met some of my best friends on this team and made a ton of connections. We're a really tight group. I've met so many people from (the Rochester Alpine Ski) team.

PB: What is it about Alpine skiing that is special to you?

J.M.: The community of being on this team is a huge aspect for me. And there is something inherently great about pushing yourself to the limit as you go down a hill. There is something exhilarating about it that I've not gotten anywhere else.

PB: You're a captain on this Rochester Alpine Ski team. What does that mean to you?

J.M.: It's the first year I've been a captain and I regard it as a huge honor. It's important that I stay connected with the team and make sure everyone feels a sense of belonging and community. You want to know the names of everyone and keep the morale up.

PB: Your mom is from Iceland and your dad is from Denmark. Have you been to those places?

J.M.: I lived in Iceland for a while in my youth and I also moved there for a year during the (COVID-19) pandemic, doing school online, staying with my grandparents.

PB: What is Iceland like?

J.M.: The nature there is absolutely stunning. There is no end to the beauty; there is something new around every turn.

PB: How about Denmark, any time there?

J.M.: I have been to Copenhagen a few times and my grandma lives in Jutland (mainland part of Denmark and northern part of Germany). I have not lived there but I am moving there in August, going to a folk high school where I'll take a deeper dive into the field I want to go into in college. For me, that will be architecture.

PB: As a senior, this is your final season on the Rochester Alpine Ski team. Any goals that you're setting?

J.M.: It is tough to make it to state because our section is so good. But it would be phenomenal if I could make it to state this year. I am a firm believer in shooting for the moon and then landing in the stars.