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A poster of Jesse Diggins hung on the wall of Alaina Soneshin’s childhood home. Sonnessin attended Wayzata High School, grew up in Plymouth, less than an hour away from Afton, and admired Diggins, who was an Olympian and worked hard to become one of the top cross-country skiers in the world.
More than a decade later, Sonnessen and Diggins shared the course at Theodore Wirth Park during this weekend’s FIS World Cup event. About 40,000 spectators gathered to watch the races Saturday through Sunday, with thousands of children in the grandstands, along the course and on the sidewalks. The children took every opportunity to surround themselves with their favorite skiers, hoping to meet them, get their autographs, and secure their coveted equipment. The kids even ended up wearing racing bibs and skis.
For Sonnesen, the scene reminded him of his youth, when he was a skier aspiring to become the person he is today. She cheered on her local athletes, and seeing the young skiers who ran out to cheer meant everything to her and other Minnesotans.
“I’m one of those kids who grew up on trails like this,” Sonnesin, 27, said. “I hope that there is at least one girl or boy who is inspired by this today. Even if it’s just one person, it means we’ve done something really great.”
Sonnesin, the 2013 junior national champion and multiple team state champion at Wayzata, praised the show Minneapolis put on when it hosted the World Cup for the first time, adding that the foreign skiers she spoke to He said he liked the event and hopes it will be held again. twin city. She finished 51st in Sunday’s women’s 10k race.
Race results: women’s 10k
Margie Freed of Apple Valley, who won the 2016 Minnesota state championship at Eastview, joked that the course was so noisy she thought her eardrums had ruptured. She was also happy to see so many children participating, cheering on the skiers’ every step, and she said she saw a piece of herself in each of the children.
“It’s really amazing. I just want to inspire everyone,” said Freed, 26. “I know it’s really important to have people to look up to, so it’s really great to have so many great American skiers and skiers around the world to look up to.”
Fried noted that Worth Park has also hosted several high school races, including the 2022 Junior Nationals, giving kids the chance to say they raced the same courses as World Cup skiers. . Fried was 41st on Sunday.
Hundreds of children wait in the sign zone near the finish line, just as Sonnessen and Fried once did, and skiers from all over the world follow in their footsteps, just as Sonnessen and Fried did all those years ago. It seemed like he was trying to leave behind.
Along the fence was a pink poster that read “SKI LIKE A GIRL,” and there were more signatures than could fit on it. Retaining the competition were recent Wisconsin state champions 16-year-old Greta Dickman of Iola, 12-year-old Adeline Lensmire and 9-year-old Eloise Lensmire. The three said it was great to watch the races in person and see the people they looked up to on TV.
It was just as Soneshin had hoped.
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