With the second annual Capitol Square Sprints event kicking off this Saturday, the streets of downtown Madison (WI) are buzzing and rumbling tonight with dump trucks bringing in manmade snow and workers building artificial hills out of metal staging and plywood. The excitement is tangible as spectators and excited racers from all over the country get ready for this weekend's long-anticipated events.
www.capitolsquaresprints.org ). But there are an expanded number of other exciting events this year including ice sculpting, a snowboard rail jam competition, high school and Junior Olympic qualifying sprints and sprint relays, open skiing for beginners and recreational skiers, a ski expo where people can try out the newest top-of-the-line ski equipment, disabled skier races, and more.
 is that this is going to be another extremely exciting and fun event. For some, the mere thrill of being able to ski in the middle of a busy capitol city is enough to make it worth the trip. For others, it's a chance to demonstrate the power, speed, and fluidity of xc racing to thousands of first-time spectators while going head-to-head with some of the fastest skiers living in the country. </p>
<p>Stay tuned for a preview of Saturday evening's team sprint event and a look at some of the top contenders.</p>
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