Family, community help Diggins in quest for gold
When cross country skier Jessie Diggins heads to Sochi, she'll have a huge support base in the St. Croix Valley.
The 22-year-old Diggins is the youngest skier on the U.S. cross-country women's team.
She's been cracking ceilings in competitive skiing since she was 4. Now, she's an Olympian who likely will race the 15-kilometer skiathlon and the 4 by 5-kilometer sprint.
Over the years, she's built a fan base from Willow River State Park in Hudson, Wis., to Stillwater High School. Several mom-and-pop businesses throughout the St. Croix Valley also championed her ascension to Olympic medal contender.
She tells the St. Paul Pioneer Press the support's been incredible. She says she'll be successful if she can look back on her races in Sochi and know she's given her all.
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