Minnesota cross-country ski community readies for Loppet Cup, high school state tournament
MINNEAPOLIS — The cross-country ski World Cup Tour is about to make its stop in Minneapolis. But it's not the only event; this week also contains the high school cross-country skiing state tournament. WCCO caught up with a top prep skier as the sport reaches a boiling point.
A section cross-country ski race victory meant beating a friend and rival.
"Just kind of surprised him with a little sprint at the end and was able to take him down," said Anders "AJ" Westanmo, describing his victory in the Section 2 race.
Westanmo, a junior at Bloomington Jefferson High School, will be a top contender at the state tournament, which starts on Wednesday.
"I'm aiming for top three ideally," he said. "Obviously the goal is to win. I haven't really thought about winning prior years, but this year there's a chance."
Besides state, Westanmo is looking forward to this weekend's Loppet Cup, the long-awaited return of the World Cup cross-country tour to the United States.
"That's gonna be pretty awesome. Excited to see Zach (Ketterson) race," said Westanmo, "(and) Jessie Diggins. That'll be super fun. Especially since it's right here at home."
Hometown and worldwide competition will be bringing the best on the planet to a new audience.
"Usually when people hear cross-country skiing, they envision just casual walking backcountry," said Westanmo. "But I think this will really like, 'Wow,' when they see this. Because a lot of people have never seen racing."
With the world tour and the high school state tournament convening in one Minnesotan week, for prep cross-country skiers, it's quite possibly one of the most anticipated weeks ever.
"Yeah one of 'em," smiled Westanmo. "Besides junior nationals, this is up there, for sure."
