Effie Pannkuk is already having a great season on the Mont du Lac racing team. The 7-year-old just took first place at the home meet on Sunday.

It was a goal she had set for herself after starting racing last year. “I like the medals,” she told us.

This year, she’s dealing with the loss of her mom, Abbie, who died last month.

“We are trying to find the positives, to really get through these first few weeks and the first month,” Ian Pannkuk told us. He’s Effie’s dad and Abbie’s husband. “What we found is that being outside, and the physical activity, and being with the friends and this community, has meant the world to us.”

When you’re speeding down the hill, you have to really concentrate.

“You have to be focused to have a good run,” Ian added. “For Effie, it’s been really helpful and healthy.”

When they were working on the obituary information, they came up with the idea to help raise money for scholarships at Mont du Lac.

“Abbie learned to ski here during the pandemic,” Ian said. “We knew from her perspective, that it’s a really powerful place to put positivity and energy.”

Plus, it’s a family for them to lean on, in this healing process. “I really like my coaches,” Effie said.

And Effie said she felt Abbie’s presence during her race, helping her push to first.

To donate to the scholarship fund: https://gofund.me/1b7ba041