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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Tony Jurgens (R)

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Recognizing USA Gold Medalist Jessie Diggins in the Minnesota House

Friday, April 13, 2018

Hello from St. Paul,

 

Yesterday I had the honor of hosting USA Olympic gold medalist (and Afton resident and constituent) Jessie Diggins, her sister Mackenzie, and her parents Clay and Deb at the State Capitol.

 

 

It was truly a special day, as I wanted to give Jessie and her family the recognition they deserve and give all of us in the Minnesota House a chance to show our appreciation for Jessie’s historic Olympic accomplishments as the first American to win gold in cross-country skiing.

 

 

This is Jessie’s first trip home since winning gold, and therefore the first opportunity to be greeted in her home state - and it happened on the House floor.

 

Afton resident John Kaul and our Minnesota House photography staff did a tremendous job keeping up with all of the day’s events and took some outstanding pictures, so I wanted to share some of them with you throughout this update.

 

After a short visit in my office, we began the day with a meet-and-greet with supporters, legislators and staff, where people could take pictures, receive an autograph, visit with the family, and have a gold-medal cookie prepared by Emily’s Bakery in Hastings.

 

 

 

From there we held a press conference at the Capitol regarding my bill that supports bringing an International Ski Federation Nordic World Ski Championship to Minnesota.

 

 

My bill would direct the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission to support the preparation and submission of a competitive bid to host the event in our state. The goal of bringing this championship to Minnesota is not new, but I believe state involvement could help the plan cross the finish line. With Jessie taking the gold medal in cross country several weeks ago, interest is now at a peak and we’d like to take advantage of the momentum.

 

If you’re interested in learning more about this bill and Jessie’s thoughts on holding the championship in Minnesota, click here for a report from Fox 9, and here for KARE 11's story.

 

Finally, we arrived at the House floor. Jessie joined Speaker Daudt at the podium and gaveled us into session.

 

I was then able to read and present her with a House resolution recognizing her gold medal win, and the full House and gallery then gave her two well-deserved standing ovations.

 

 

 

 

If you would like to see the full House resolution presentation, please click here.

 

 

Again, it was truly a pleasure to host the Diggins family and Minnesota’s gold medal winner.

 

 

Jessie is truly a remarkable young woman and an inspiration to many. I’m so pleased she and her family could visit the State Capitol so we could share our pride with them, and am hopeful we gave them a memorable experience.

 

 

Have a good weekend.

 

 

 

Tony