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150,000 Fans Flock To St. Paul For Crashed Ice Finals

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The toughest of the tough made their way down the treacherous, twisted course known as Crashed Ice Saturday night in St. Paul as some 150,000 fans watched, event organizers say.

The track was the most technical Red Bull has made. It had drops, turns and jumps – all running down St. Paul's Cathedral Hill.

The fastest 32 athletes from around the world raced during Saturday night's World Championship, and Kyle Croxall, of Canada, took first place, defending his title.

But even with the massive crowd, there weren't any big problems.

Cmdr. Steve Frazer, of St. Paul police, said all of the law enforcement agencies in the city were present at the finals.

"We have to ability to dispatch officers. We have representatives from fire, police, public works, parks and rec, [security], and Red Bull," Frazer said. "If anything should happen at the event, instantly we are talking about what the solution is."

St. Paul added 50 officers to the schedule for Crashed Ice. That display of force, police said, is a deterrent to crime.

However, authorities also had undercover officers in place, as well as some in raid gear.

It was a family fun event, and many in the crowd said they are focused on the future of Crashed Ice in Minnesota.

Indeed, among the American competitors Saturday were two brothers from Red Wing, Minn.

Andrew and Danny Bergeson have skated in Crashed Ice competitions around the world.

Andrew placed 26th overall Saturday. Daniel came in 69th.

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