Ski team Head Coach Wayne Hey has retired after 24 years of service to the program and will be succeeded by Assistant Coach and ARHS alumna Linnea Henningson.

Hey, who will turn 70 this year, has been the Algonquin ski team coach since the program’s inception in 1999. The program started with 20 male competitors and just five female members.

“There was a small amount of people that came out in the beginning, then it started growing from there,” Hey said. “You really noticed a large increase in girls competing, which was nice to see, and then we got bigger in size as we went along through the years.”

The number of participants in the program has fluctuated in recent years, which Hey attributes to the lasting influence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were carrying almost 40 kids on the team, and now after the [the pandemic] you’ll notice that the group size has dropped off,” Hey said. “I don’t know whether it’s the cost of the program, or whether people just aren’t interested in being [physically] close to others.”

According to Hey, the most enjoyable part of skiing is taking in the fresh air on the mountain and meeting other skiers. 

“I hope [the athletes] got a lot of info out of the experience,” Hey said. “I like to see [their skills] come along, at the end of the season they’re much better skiers, which they’re going to take that along with them for their whole life and if they have a family, they’ll pass it on.”

Junior Annika Harmsen, who has been part of the team since freshman year and started skiing at the age of four, is grateful to have been coached by Hey and believes the transition between coaches will be a smooth one as Henningson, who competed for Algonquin before graduating in 2014, takes the lead next season.

“[Hey is] definitely very invested in skiing; his character in general is very calm and collected, and he always tries to instruct us to the best of his capabilities,” Harmsen said. “I think it’ll be a really easy transition [between coaches]… [Henningson] put in a lot of work this year.”

Harmsen adds that Hey helped the ski team in rebuilding their team bond after the pandemic greatly affected participation and instruction.

“This year was the first year where [the team spirit] really came back, both thanks to Wayne and just in general,” Harmsen said. “The team has really grown together.”

Hey hopes to continue skiing for leisure as he enters retirement, accompanied by his wife and three children. When reflecting on his career, he believes the most fulfilling part was the impact the program has had on its members throughout the years.

“I think my favorite part was them [leaving] at the end of the day with a smile on their face and seeing kids improve as far as skiing skills go,” Hey said.