Lubarski Takes Over as Bemidji Nordic Ski Head Coach

Nina Lubarski was named the newest head coach of the Bemidji nordic ski team, taking over for long-time head coach Mark Walters who announced his retirement last week.

It seemed only fitting Lubarski would be picked to fill the “ski boots” of her predecessor. She spent the last 11 years under his tutelage as an assistant coach at Bemidji. The familiarity will aid in the transfer of power and create seamless transition, especially when it comes to the culture the Lumberjack skiers have become accustomed to.

“What I’m looking forward to most is just continuing to just keep this family kind of feel that we have with the ski team,” Lubarski said. “Everybody gets along. The boys and girls, they practice together, they work together. We’ve always just had a really good vibe and just good team sportsmanship.”

“Mark and I did a lot of co-coaching [together],” she continued. “He put a lot of responsibility on me. He always said, ‘We’re both the head coach,’ all the years that I was working with him, so he taught me a lot. Mark did a lot with building up the program, getting the numbers bigger, getting kids to stay year after year. If I can hang on to that, that’s what I hope I can do.”