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Dane Mizutani: It’s time to make Minnesota a regular host site for the World Cup

dane mizutani, pioneer press
·3 min read

The biggest snowstorm of the winter came in the final 24 hours leading up to the World Cup this weekend. Because of course it did.

Though the organizers from the Loppet Foundation deserve a ton of credit for working tirelessly to make sure the show would go on regardless of the unseasonably warm weather, the last minute addition by Mother Nature made for a picturesque setting at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis. It was perfect.

The magic that followed proved what Afton native Jessie Diggins has always believed. That her home state of Minnesota should be a regular host site for the World Cup.

“Everybody came ready to celebrate cross country skiing,” Diggins said. “I hope people are leaving super inspired, because I know I am.”

There’s no doubt about that.

More than 40,000 people showed up for the World Cup this weekend, bringing the energy for the sprint races on Saturday, then the distance races on Sunday. The constant roar from the crowd was unlike anything Diggins has ever experienced in her career.

“Nothing is ever going to feel like this again,” Diggins said. “I’m just enjoying it as much as I can.”

It wasn’t just Diggins enjoying the support from her home state. The common refrain among athletes was how incredible the environment was throughout the competition.

“It was awesome racing here,” said Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, an Olympic medalist from Norway. “I think we need to come back way more often.”

Those feelings resonated across the board as the cheers on the course echoed from the start line to the finish line.

“It was an amazing experience,” said Frida Karlsson, an Olympic medalist from Sweden. “It doesn’t get any better than this for us.”

This was the first time in more than 20 years that the World Cup has been hosted in the U.S. It’s fitting that Minnesota got the ball rolling considering Diggins has become the face of the sport on the home front. That doesn’t mean she should be the main person fighting for the World Cup to return.

It’s time for Minnesota to capitalize on the momentum. Why not make sure this becomes an annual thing? There is certainly a hunger for it.

“I think this weekend proved that cross country skiing is a big deal,” said Claire Wilson, executive director of the Loppet Foundation. “There are a lot of people that want it here.”

If the Loppet Foundation decides it wants to make another bid at the World Cup, it should be reserved the right to run point. The event was a smashing success largely because of the attention to detail the small nonprofit maintained throughout the planning process.

If the Loppet Foundation decides it wants to hand off the baton, other organizations in Minnesota should be lining up at the chance to make this a longstanding tradition. There is something special brewing here after the World Cup this weekend. It would be a shame if it didn’t continue.

“We kind of said, ‘We’ve got this opportunity. Hopefully we’ll have more. We don’t know,'” Diggins said. “It was amazing to see the community rally together.”

Here’s to hoping this is only the beginning for Minnesota.

“I think the rest of the world wants to come back,” said Gus Schumacher, who this weekend became first man from the U.S. to win a distance race in the World Cup in more than 40 years. “I hope we can make it happen again.”

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