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Sports
Dan Kraker

Nation's top young cross-country skiers compete this week in Minneapolis

Skiers take to the trails at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis.
Skiers take to the trails at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis on Jan. 17, 2020.
Evan Frost | MPR News file

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Hundreds of young cross country skiers from around the country — including from as far away as Alaska — are in Minneapolis this week to compete at the Junior National Cross Country Ski Championships.

The U.S. Ski & Snowboard event at Theodore Wirth Park features more than 400 skiers from ages 14 to 20. At least 50 of the racers are from the Midwest region, many from Minnesota.

The last time Wirth Park hosted the Junior Nationals, in 2011, a young Jessie Diggins swept nearly all the events.

Claire Wilson, executive director of the Loppet Foundation, which is putting on the event, said this year’s competition could very well include some future Olympians.

“They have worked very hard for many years to get here,” Wilson said. “So there is going to be some really high-quality competition happening.”

The event kicks off with an opening ceremony Sunday, in which athletes will march across the Stone Arch Bridge, carrying flags representing their regional ski associations. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey will greet them at the other end of the bridge.

Racing starts Monday at a specially designed, World Cup-caliber course at Wirth Park, featuring steeper hills and more challenging terrain than what’s typically available to recreational skiers. Artificial snow guarantees the course will be ready for racers, Wilson said.

A mixture of classic and skate ski technique, sprinting and longer distance events are scheduled throughout the week, with days set aside for training on Tuesday and Thursday. The final day of racing is set for Saturday, March 12.

Wilson said the number of high school cross-country skiers she sees at Wirth “has just exploded” since Diggins helped win the first U.S. Olympic gold medal in cross-country skiing in 2018. That interest has only intensified since Diggins won two additional medals at the Winter Games this year in Beijing.

“We will be hosting probably close to 1,000 family members who've come to watch and cheer,” Wilson said, “and then of course with all the interest in cross-country skiing and with all the celebration around Jessie.” Wilson said she’s expecting a big spectator turnout.

The event is free and open to the public. Races will also be livestreamed.

In a welcome video to competing skiers, Diggins told them she’d be watching, wished them luck, and encouraged them to focus on the process, not the results.

“Try to execute every race to the very best of your ability,” Diggins said. “And just go out there and ski as fast and as hard and as smart as you can, and then you have earned the right to be proud of yourself when you cross every finish line.”