This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA—The World Cup in Minneapolis is ramping up today with skiers practicing on the course and the American team holding a press conference. If you’ve never been to a World Cup race before, the vibe is unlike anything else you’ve ever experienced at a ski venue.
U.S. ski team members Julia Kern, Jessie Diggins, Rosie Brennan, and JC Schoonmaker held a press conference for international media today. A common theme of the questions was “What is it like to be skiing on home soil?”
“This is really emotional for me, ” responded Diggins. “So if I start crying, bear with me. Last time I raced in Minnesota, I was 19…it’s so cool to see how many people have rallied for this. It’s incredible to see how many people have pulled out all the stops to make this happen. I could retire happy now.” She quickly added that she has no plans to retire!
Rosie Brennan also had much to say about her satisfaction with racing in front of an American audience. “I’m incredibly proud and grateful be able to show off our country,” she said, “And to have so many friendly faces. We were greeted with hundreds of friendly volunteers at the airport, ever since then it’s been a great time.”
Among the comments made were how impressed the skiers were with the conditions. With six to seven inches of fresh snow falling Wednesday night and cold temperatures moving in, Minneapolis has been transformed overnight into a winter wonderland. “We’re so happy that we got the snow,” said Diggins.
“Every course is different,” said Brennan. “This one doesn’t have the longest or steepest hills, but that means there’s no rest. I think it’s going to be a great course. The course preparation has been top notch…it will make for some really exciting racing.” Kern also had nothing but praise for conditions. “I’m so amazed with how the Loppet has been able to prepare the courses. The grooming was impeccable today. I spoke with other athletes on other teams; they were blown away by the course conditions.”
The Stifel U.S Ski Team has unequivocally expressed its anticipation and satisfaction to be racing in North America. It’s also an opportunity for skiers to get fan support that they don’t regularly see in Europe. When asked what having loud fan support would be like, Brennan made her enthusiasm clear. “This is a first for me,” she said. “In the 2018 Olympics in Korea, there weren’t a ton of people there, and Beijing had nobody [due to Covid]. I’ve not done a race where there are this many people cheering for me and know who I am. I’m excited to see what that’s like. We’ve been to Falun World Championships where there are tons of people cheering and they’re loud, but they’re not my people! To have my whole family…to know they are out there, I hear them, and recognize their voices, and sometimes that can be the difference in getting that last little bit out of yourself.”
Kern was also looking forward to a supportive crowd. “People should expect a really lively excited crowd that is incredibly passionate,” she said. “Can you imagine any other country having to wait this long for its home World Cup and it’s all unleashed in a weekend! I can’t wait to be numb in my ears from all the screaming.”
The only downbeat note is the absence of Ben Ogden, who fell ill in Canmore and will miss the rest of the season. Schoonmaker commented on Ogden’s absence: “Ben is a huge part of this team,” Schoonmaker said. “He brings the mood up. Hearing that his season was ending was pretty devastating. We’ve been talking about it a lot the last couple of days. It sucks, plain and simple. But it’s not like we have one leader that we look to, so when Ben goes down, it’s not like we’re looking for someone to step it up and take his position. We are just a group of ourselves and are good friends.”
