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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: After a glorious weekend that surpassed all expectations, it’s time to look back at some of the big picture takeaways from the weekend, and to remind our audience of some things that flew under the radar.
The Fans
The unmistakable imprint on the Minneapolis World Cup was that of the fans. They were boisterous, colossal, and amazingly non-partisan. Every skier passing through the mixed zone from every country remarked that it was the loudest cheering they had ever heard, and most skiers acknowledged being cheered by name. It was uniformly skiers’ first response when asked what stood out to them on the course. A common refrain was that they couldn’t hear their own breathing. Even experienced veterans accustomed to the limelight—like Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR), and Harald Oestberg Amundsen (NOR)—remarked that not only had they never experienced anything like it, but that fans were cheering for everyone, not just the home team, and usually by name. Federico Pellegrino became emotional when describing fans cheering his name as he went by.
But make no mistake; when an American passed through the course—especially Jessie Diggins, and Gus Schumacher—the noise was deafening. Perhaps the only oversight the organizers made the entire weekend was the lack of a decibel meter on the video screen— like the ones they have in sports arenas. Whatever the decibel level is when noise equals the sound of a jet engine during take off; that’s what it would have been.
The World Cup Attracts Big Names
Senator Amy Klobuchar attended the opening ceremony. Freed from the constraints of politics, she freely answered questions about her thoughts on the event. The thing that stood out to her was, “our great spirit of volunteerism.” She continued that “because you can’t put something on, especially with the weather challenges we had, without great volunteers. We know how to do big events. We did the Super Bowl, and this is the Super Bowl of cross-country skiing, we’re excited to have everyone here.” She also revealed that she started cross-country skiing at Theodore Wirth Park. She thought the hills were gigantic.
The Volunteers
Organizers from the Loppet Foundation orchestrated over 700 volunteers to pull off the event. There were people directing traffic and parking, helping photographers, screening secured areas, assisting skiers, collecting trash, and dozens of other assignments. Much of it wasn’t glamorous, but it all needed to be done. And it was done with smiling faces and cheer. “Minnesota nice” prevailed.
Klaebo Is a Good Guy.
How Johannes Klaebo manages his energy is one of the great mysteries of nature. He was at the venue early and stayed late until every media request and fan autograph had been fulfilled. On Saturday, he began to exit the athlete’s area late afternoon, long after most racers had departed, and long after the last race was completed. “I wish this could be part of the World Cup circuit every year because the atmosphere is amazing,” he said. “All the athletes are eager to have this part of the World Cup. Just warming up is so much fun; you can’t even hear your own breath. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Norwegian, Swedish, French, or an Italian guy; people were cheering for everyone!”
He acknowledged the extraordinary demands upon his time, “Sprint days are really hard,”he said after finishing a long Sprint day. “I’ve been here since 8:45 this morning, and I still need to go through doping control. Before I’m back at the hotel, it will probably be 5:00. It takes a lot of time and energy, but it was so much fun racing. I think this is what cross-country skiing needs: what they have done here in Minneapolis is present cross-country skiing in a really cool way, which is really important.” That’s quite an endorsement from the best skier of his generation.
As Klaebo left the athlete’s secured area there were literally hundreds, perhaps thousands, of fans forming a tunnel for him to pass through. As he waded into the crowd, he was greeted with the kind of fervor and enthusiasm normally reserved for rock stars or royalty. Each fan asked for his autograph. Every request was met with a congenial and unhurried demeanor as he tirelessly signed away without giving the slightest impression of being burdened. It was truly impressive and demonstrated a generous personality that cannot be faked. When a Norwegian coach was asked if this kind of reception was normal for Klaebo, he emphatically said “no, this is bigger than normal!”
Klaebo stopped and spoke to the media along the way. He wasn’t rushed; he was cordial, and his answers were thoughtful responses not just canned jargon.
His behavior immediately after races in the mixed zone was also impressive. After riding high from winning Saturday’s Sprints he still had the perspective to say that he said he would be cheering on Sunday for Jessie Diggins.
On Sunday when he just missed the podium, and was clearly disappointed, he nonetheless spoke with every media representative who wanted to talk, and couldn’t stop talking about how happy he was for Gus Schumacher, even though it cost him his own presence on the podium. Klaebo interacts with people with a calm and focused attention that is quite amazing, exuding a thoughtful demeanor and presence which is hard to describe.
European Racers Were Gracious and Liked North America
It was striking how generous most European skiers were with their time after races even if they hadn’t made the podium, and were tired and cold. All took the time to speak and most shared candid thoughts. Each and every one was awed by the crowd noise, was happy to be in America, and thought that World Cups should be held here more often. The Europeans were clearly happy to be here.
Many admitted that they were skeptical in advance of the event, especially about the race venue. But once they skied the course and enjoyed the crowds, doubters were converted. They were enthusiastic about returning to Minneapolis soon.
People Like Andrew Musgrave: Go Figure
On Sunday after the race, there was a party at Utepils, a local brewery, where a live recording of the Devon Kershaw show was held. The show was hosted by Nat Herz with Andrew Musgrave (GBR) as a special guest. Gus Schumacher also joined the recording via Zoom. The room was packed to capacity with fans waiting to hear Kershaw’s insights live, and Musgrave could have been auditioning for a guest spot on one of the late night talk shows. He’s a witty, amiable guy who clearly is always searching out a good time. He once said that maybe people like him because he’s from a non-traditional ski nation. But he’s selling himself short. People like him because he’s self-deprecating and just very likeable.
Diggins Looked Truly Happy
From the pre-race press conference to her smile crossing the finish line, she was clearly happy to have reached the rewarding conclusion of a career long aspiration: hosting a World Cup event in her home state.
No One Predicted Gus Schumacher
Of all the performances over the weekend, the one which easily stood out was that of 23 year old Gus Schumacher’s. The expectation coming into the weekend was that it was Diggins’ moment. But even Diggins readily acknowledged that the time belonged to Schumacher. On Sunday she said, “I’m so proud of Gus, I’m so happy for him. I’m not sharing the spotlight with him; it’s his. This is Gus’ day, and I want everyone to know that.”
Prior to Sunday, Schumacher’s best World Cup Individual Distance performance had been in 2021 when he finished eighth in Val di Fiemme in a 15 k Mass Start Classic race. While all eyes had been focused on Diggins—and not to understate her performance—when an unexpected athlete gives the best performance of his life on the biggest stage and outdoes the best in the World: it is something special. If Diggins had taken first place Sunday it would have been wonderful, but not necessarily shocking. Schumacher’s performance left the crowd in a transcendent state of wonderful ecstatic shock and disbelief.
It was a wild and wonderful weekend in Minneapolis. It was so successful that there might now be a dilemma. Will the International Ski Federation (FIS) try to recreate the magic by bringing the World Cup back to Minneapolis? Would Minneapolis want to host it again? It was a lot of work and gut-wrenching anxiety with the weather problems. But all of those questions can be answered later. For now, Minneapolis and the World Cup should sit back, relax, and take a victory lap.
