Gold Medalists Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins inspire Talkeetna Elementary Students

by:  Katie Writer – KTNA

On Wednesday, Alaskans woke up to exciting news. Kikkan Randall of Alaska and Jessie Diggins from Minnesota won an Olympic gold medal in the women’s cross-country sprint relay. Talkeetna Elementary School celebrated the historic win by showing the students the race in class. KTNA’s Katie Writer spoke with former US Nordic Ski Team members, Tazlina Mannix and Aubrey Smith as well as PE teacher, Jamie Westnedge, about the excitement brought to Nordic skiing this week.

Talkeetna has it’s own history of grooming fast Nordic skiers. In their younger years, both Tazlina Mannix and Galen Johnston had to ski to the bus stop and you know there was some fast sprints as to not miss the bus.

Tazlina reflects on her memories skiing on Talkeetna Elementary School trails, which her 

parents, Karen and Arthur Mannix developed years ago.

“I have just wonderful memories of racing around those trails with my friends, doing Easter egg

hunts on skis. My parents both were so involved in skiing and the community and also got both my brother and I into skiing as a mode for transportation. I just thank them both so much for teaching me to be healthy and fit and want to be outside.”

Aubrey Smith, the special education teacher at Talkeetna Elementary is a former US Nordic Ski Team Member who competed with Randall in the 2003 World Championships in Val de Femme, Italy.

“We roomed together for several years, you know, doing international competitions and national competitions. It is so fun to see her finally full fill her dream, you know. It was both of our dreams at that point and of course I stepped out, but it is so amazing. I know how much work that is. To hear her quote, saying that she has been working so hard for this for twenty years.I know how much work that is just day in and day out…I know how much that means.”

Smith and 2nd grade teacher, Mary Ostermick shared the footage with the students in class.

“It was my first time seeing the race with the kids. It was just so exciting. And I turned to our principal, Becky Moren and said, ‘Wow, this is so special to watch the whole race from start to finish with this commentary.’ And because this sport is especially special to what we can do in Talkeetna, what they get to do in PE, what they get to do in Junior Nordic.’ And so they are going going out there newly excited about this sport, because they can see it is possible to get up on a world stage. I had to tell them “Hey, you guys are part of history right now. This is the first time women’s cross country have ever gotten a medal. This is a really special day to witness this.”

In the afternoon, it was their turn to boot up and hit the ski trails. PE teacher, Jamie Westnedge is enthusiastic about transferring the fitness they have been working on in PE onto the snow.

“And we spend about a month and a half just out on the trails skiing, learning safety protocols, learning about trail etiquette and just having fun exposing them to skiing.”

The timing could not have been better for the students to see US Nordic Skiers win Olympic Gold!

Who knows if one of the next generation of young skiers will realize Olympic dreams.