2018 Olympics with a Minnesota twist

“USA! USA! MINNESOTANS LEAD THE WAY!” Okay, maybe the South Korean crowds didn’t sing Minnesota’s praises quite that way but you know the folks back home sure did—they were over the moon with excitement!  Lindsey Vonn—bronze medal in Alpine Downhill.  Great job for the comeback kid in what is most likely to be her last Olympics competition!  Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall—gold medal in Cross-country team sprint.  Thrilling race deemed miraculous and impossible!  Women’s Hockey—gold.  Glorious upset against a rival neighbor to the North!  Team Shuster—gold in Curling.  Impossible and improbable again and again and again making it “another Miracle on Ice.”

This is the Olympics.  This is the competition that brings out the best in the hardiest of stalwart athletes.  These are the games where anything can happen—defending champions successfully defend, underdogs soar, Team Reject wins, and everyone beats their personal best.  And the world watches.  Now they know what South Korea, Canada, and the United States (read: the North) see in Curling.  Now they know that the smallest of countries with the smallest of teams can compete on the international stage and win.  The Olympics offers validation for years of training and inspiration for the continuation of the sport.  Now Minnesotans may add Curling to its list of winter favorites.  Check it out at any of the five-soon-to-be-six clubs in the Twin Cities. 

Looking for an excuse to go North?  Now is the perfect time.  Take inspiration from the Olympics and check out your winter sports options this month in Cook County.  Renew the fun of the North as you explore the great outdoors.  If you have been exploring the outdoors all winter already, you might want to take a break indoors and enjoy a hotdish, and a movie.  Might we suggest a film about a winter sport like curling, say, “Men With Brooms” (2002) or any number of movies about hockey, starting with “The Mighty Ducks” (1992)?  Or just have fun reliving the excitement of the 2018 Winter Olympics on Youtube.  Whatever your choice, make the most of Minnesota’s Cool North.

CREDIT:  michaelwedermann, pixabay.com

monicaVolpin, pixabay.com