Quantcast
skip navigation

Proctor/Hermantown Nordic skier Della Bettendorf is in the middle of her family’s 12-child pack but is among the state’s leaders

By Christa Lawler, the Minnesota Star Tribune, 02/03/25, 8:00PM CST

Share

Della Bettendorf is ranked No. 3 among the state’s high school Nordic skiers, thanks in part to a role model sister and a trail in her yard.

MN high school boys and girls Nordic skiing

Della Bettendorf of Proctor/Hermantown won by 30 seconds in her first race of the season. (Provided)

DULUTH – It was before breakfast and Carrie Bettendorf noticed three of her children were missing. The mystery didn’t last long. Her daughter, Della, texted a photo from the family’s 1-mile groomed classic trail through their yard.

Of course. A bit of pre-breakfast skiing.

“That’s how they’ve all learned,” Carrie Bettendorf said.

Della Bettendorf, a senior on the Proctor/Hermantown Nordic Ski racing team, is near the middle of the family’s 12 children, all of whom were initiated into the sport via pull sleds across the snow until graduating to skis once they could walk.

As their family grew — the oldest, Hannah Olson, is 25, and the youngest, Bjorn, is 6 — so has the line of Bettendorfs on the trail. It’s one of the ways this tight family spends time together. In the offseason, they run.

For more on the Bettendorfs, click here to read this story on startribune.com.

Skiing Hub Headlines

MN high school skiing
MN high school boys and girls Nordic ski rankings
Among Minnesota’s high school Nordic skiers, concern piles up as snow doesn’t
MN high school boys and girls Alpine and Nordic skiing results for Jan. 2, 2025
MN high school boys and girls Nordic ski rankings