With over 1,200 skiers the Mesabi Invitational is the largest ski race in the nation, and this year the boys’ varsity team hopes to prove why it’s ranked fifth in the state, according Head Coach Doug Peterson.

Peterson said he is looking forward to competing against other schools in order to see how Park will perform against the best.

“There will only be three teams in the mix to win the race,” Peterson said. “We’ll be able to see people who’ve been avoiding us in races this season.”

Both the boys’ and girls’ varsity teams will compete against the highest ranking teams in the state on Jan. 10.

Junior Sam Olson said he thinks his team will be able to succeed against so many other high ranking teams.

“We’re expected to be one of the best teams in the state,” Olson said. “I’m confident we’ll rank and do really well.”

According to Peterson one of the reasons Mesabi is important is that it gives the team a preview of how the skiers will perform in the state and sections meets. The only way for Park to make it to state is to beat Southwest, which is ranked third, along with the rest of the teams in their section. Mesabi will be the first time they compete head to head in the same race.

“Southwest is our main competition,” Peterson said. “After this weekend we’ll have a good idea of how we match up.”