Paralympic Event Comes to Theodore Wirth Park

Skiers will pack Theodore Wirth Park in a few weeks as the city welcomes some of the best paralymians in the sport of skiing. The Paralympic Nordic Skiing World Cup will showcase more than one hundred physically disabled athletes from twelve countries.

“This is the first time the United States has hosted a major Paralympic Nordic ski event in seven years,” Director of High Performance Paralympic Nordic Skiing for the U.S. Olympic Committee John Farra said.

The seven-day event will begin in Cable, Wisconsin on January 26 and wrap up at Theodore Wirth Park on February 1-2 with a sprint race and a long distance race.

“We invite everyone to come out and watch these events,” Farra said. “I guarantee it will be one of the most amazing athletic displays anyone has seen.”

Farra says athletes include a Navy SEAL who lost his legs to a roadside bomb, a paralyzed solider injured in a helicopter rescue and a local Minnesotan who was born without one of her forearms.

Many of the athletes competing in the upcoming events are working towards the Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia two years from now.

“We are really excited for the public to see these athletes in action,” Farra said.

Before the skiers can hit the course, the park has to be prepped. Despite the lack of snow so far this season, Event Director Mike Bono says that’s not a concern.

“One of the reasons this park was chosen for this event was our ability to host large groups and our ability to make snow,” he said.

The park already has a good snow pack down and the chilly temperatures predicted over the next few weeks should keep the snow in top skiing condition.

“These athletes expect a tough competition, but competition is always better with crowds of spectators,” Farra said. “We hope people bring their noisemakers and cowbells and cheer these athletes on.”

The best time to catch some of the action at Theodore Wirth Park is between 12:00pm-1:00pm on February 1 and from 1:00pm-2:00pm on February 2.