DULUTH — When it comes to international competition, our region is most commonly associated with snowy-season sports like curling, skiing and of course, hockey.
For many Northlanders, though, the Summer Olympics are where they can see their passions practiced at the highest level.
ADVERTISEMENT
Four local pros told the News Tribune why they're looking forward to the quadrennial games that open in Paris on Friday.
Mountain biking
Mountain bikers everywhere know about Duluth. The city has one of only six trail networks, worldwide, recognized as Gold Level Ride Centers by the International Mountain Bicycling Association. The local focus, though, is on recreation rather than competition.
"Our trails are designed to be a more enjoyable experience, and not necessarily the best test of an Olympic-level athlete," said Ansel Schimpff, executive director of Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores.
Trails like the one bikers will be racing on in Paris are "machine built," Schimpff explained, with a crushed limestone surface to minimize the impact of rainy weather.
"The closest thing we have to that would be out at Spirit Mountain," said Schimpff. "We have an all-weather trail, which is their really good climbing trail. Then there's a fun descending link into that called Knowlton Rocks, which is just a really good mix of traditional single-track with some really technical rock gardens and some fun jumps and corners."
Local bikers avidly follow international competitions, said Schimpff. A handful of U.S. riders who could win mountain biking medals this year include Riley Amos, Haley Batten, Christopher Blevins and Savilia Blunk.
The world's eyes, though, will be on the "incredible" Tom Pidcock, a British cyclist who was a top Tour de France contender until a case of COVID forced him to drop out. He's the defending Olympic gold medalist in cross-country mountain biking and hopes to defend his title in Paris.
ADVERTISEMENT
Even if they aren't contending for Team USA, Northland cyclists enjoy participating in local races and take inspiration from the world's top athletes.
"A lot of the bike-handling skills are pretty similar" at all levels of riding, said Schimpff. "The Olympic mountain bike course is getting more and more challenging, but really, that's just matching what people are out riding on a daily basis."
Gymnastics
No matter who gains gold in Paris, the high-profile gymnastics competition will be a win for studios like Krista Almquist's Twin Ports Gymnastics in Superior. "There's going to be a big Olympics boom," said Almquist. "Kids are watching gymnastics, and they're like, 'I want to do that because it looks super cool!'"
The local gymnastics community is small and tight-knit, said Almquist.
"We've got the Duluth Y, and we've got us, and that's basically it as far as competitive gymnastics goes. We support each other instead of fighting against each other."
A contingent of Northland gymnasts traveled to Minneapolis in June to watch the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
"That was super exciting for them, because it was right there in our own backyard, and they were able to watch these amazing athletes," said Almquist. She added that the students have a "hometown hero" to celebrate in Suni Lee, the Olympic gold medalist from St. Paul.
ADVERTISEMENT
"These kids understand the commitment of having to come (to practice) and the hard work of being in the gym," said Almquist. "Watching these athletes on TV, (they think), 'They went through the same things that I had to go through, and I could be there someday.'"
Twin Ports gymnasts have been regionally competitive, said Almquist, but no competition draws the public's attention like the Summer Olympics. "This is such a big time that our sport gets to be represented," she said.
Taekwondo
If there's a sport that proves you can come from anywhere to succeed, it's taekwondo. Although the martial art originated in Korea, it's provided an opportunity for first Olympic medals by countries including Vietnam, Afghanistan and Gabon.
"Taekwondo is really popular worldwide," said Jessa Swift, chief instructor at Swift's Leadership Martial Arts. That includes in Duluth, where Swift has seen strong interest since setting up shop nine years ago. In fact, she's looking at the possibility of expanding her Denfeld neighborhood studio.
"It's a really good, positive community for martial arts," Swift said, citing local instructors' strong reputations. "This is a great place to train and learn."
Swift said her students "get pretty excited" to watch taekwondo in the Summer Games.
"The Olympic-style sparring is very quick," she said. "It almost looks like fencing in terms of how the footwork does a lot of forward and back. The kicks almost look straight when you watch them, almost like your foot is a sword."
ADVERTISEMENT
Even at the amateur level, said Swift, taekwondo is a vigorous sport that draws participants of all ages.
"It has a lot of appeal, I think, because of the self-discipline, respect, confidence, focus — all these values that are taught along with the punches and kicks," she said.
Swift will keep an eye on U.S. competitor CJ Nickolas, who she said is "fun to watch, very dynamic."
A British athlete named Jade Jones, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, will be back this year to compete at her fourth Summer Games. "She's amazing," said Swift.
"What's exciting about the Olympics," said Swift, is that taekwondo athletes are "regular people that train like warriors in the game. That amazing skill through perseverance and hard work. Anybody has the capability of doing that. It helps to be born with the talent, (but) I've seen so many students that can barely stand on one foot that turned out to be amazing martial artists down the road."
Paddling and surfing
Randy Carlson had to choose: Olympic dreams or Duluth.
"I was looking at the prospect of trying out for the U.S. whitewater slalom team in kayak, and I advanced to the 15th boat in the U.S.," Carlson said. "It was clear to me to get in the top five, I could not live in Duluth. I'd have to train elsewhere."
ADVERTISEMENT
Carlson chose Duluth. "I have so many interests," he said. "I just wanted to have the variety of recreational opportunities, versus locking in on just one."
He found that variety not only in recreation but in his job as well: Carlson teaches whitewater kayaking, canoeing, surfing, stand-up paddle boarding and snow kiting at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Under his guidance, UMD installed a unique whitewater jet system in its swimming pool, but even that pales next to what Paris now has.
"They built a nautical stadium, a stadium dedicated to water sports," said Carlson. "In addition to whitewater competitions, they'll have canoe sprint and rowing, all in this one nautical stadium."
The Olympic surfing competition won't be held in Paris, or even in Europe. It will be at a famed surf site in Tahiti.
"The volume of water at the midline above the heads of the surfers is terrifying," said Carlson, "because it's coral reef, and you can get driven down to the reef and dragged on that sharp reef."
Surfers including U.S. hotshots Caitlin Simmers, Caroline Marks and Carissa Moore will face a daunting situation, but they would discover an entirely different type of challenge if they brought their boards to Duluth.
"Lake Superior surfing is a lot colder water," said Carlson. "The current and the wind on Lake Superior kind of mess with your positioning, and so you have to work a lot harder to get to the spot where you can take off on the wave."
ADVERTISEMENT
A new paddling event Carlson's particularly excited to see this year is kayak cross, in which four competitors at a time jockey for position as they race across a course. Unlike slalom racing, in which each competitor takes the course alone, "kayak cross will be pretty rowdy, with four paddlers in the water at one time," said Carlson.
Though strong-water sports at the Olympic level require specialized environments not found in the Northland, Carlson's students occasionally come into proximity with the greats.
"I bring UMD students to California, and Griffin Colapinto lives in one of the towns where we surf," said Carlson, naming a surfer on Team USA. "Something that's kind of cool about these two sports is that these elite athletes could be standing right next to you."
When Colapinto and his teammates ride the waves in Tahiti, Carlson will be watching.
"Any time any of that is on television," he said, "it'll stop me in my tracks."
The Trust Project
