BIWABIK - For Laura and Brooke Pasmick, skiing has been a family tradition since they could, well, ski. So much so that they couldn’t escape it, even if - and when - one of the sisters tried.

“Yeah, they put us on skis when we were two,” said Laura, a junior on the Ely Nordic ski team. “So, skiing has been a huge part of our lives.”

“I think my favorite part is they had to force her to do it.”

Her being Brooke Pasmick, a freshman.

“Yeah, I did not want to do it,” Brooke said. “My parents said you have to do one year of ski team. And I fell in love with it.”

Together, the duo helped the Wolves attain their first state championship in team history at Giants Ridge in Biwabik on Thursday.

“It was an amazing feeling,” Laura said. “Especially for me, because she was fighting for some of the bottom spots because our team is really, really deep. So I knew it could have been her or it could have been some other skiers. It was an incredible feeling knowing I could go in and do it, and she could share in whatever victory I got as well.”

“I think it was really fun, because I’ve always looked up to my sister,” Brooke said. “And now we get to do it together, so it’s a really awesome experience.”

The sisters also left their own mark on the record books individually.

After opening the day in 47th place in the morning freestyle, Laura passed 18 foes in the afternoon classic en route to a 29th-place finish in 35:17.3 that clinched the Wolves’ team title.

“Definitely my favorite of the two techniques,” Laura said. “I know going in if I have a bad skate race I have a chance to turn it around in classic because that’s where I flourish normally.

“That was the first race I went into it saying, ‘OK, Laura, you can push it harder on this next hill, you can do this.’ And I honestly can’t remember passing people ... it was just me and the course.”

Meanwhile, Brooke made the biggest leap in the standings statewide, passing 36 skiers to finish 79th overall in 37:21.0.

When Laura crossed the finish line as Ely’s fourth skier, and final scorer, it marked the moment the Wolves’ state championship was realized.

“That was the most phenomenal feeling ever,” Laura said. “We as a team, yeah, we were ranked second or third (during the season), and after the first race we were first, but we didn’t put that into any of our heads. So just crossing the finish line, (coach Paula Anderson) was at the end and she just engulfed me in this hug and she said, ‘You did it!’ I was like, ‘What?’ I started bawling.”

“I’m not a very emotional person, but I just started welling up with tears,” Brooke said. “It was just this great feeling to be with my team and some of my best friends, that we could win together.”