The opening ceremonies of the 2018 Winter Olympics got under way today, Friday, February 9, in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and Colorado is definitely present and accounted for. As we noted in a previous post, eleven women members of the U.S. Olympics team currently live in the state, with many of them having been born here. And Colorado men are even more heavily represented. Twenty have ties to our fair state. Meet all of them here.
In all, 31 Coloradans will be competing in Pyeongchang — by far the most from any state. The next closest is California, with 22, just two more than the number of Colorado men alone.
There are certainly big names among the female athletes from Colorado, including Lindsey Vonn, who's appeared in a slew of NBC promos for the games for weeks and weeks, and Mikaela Shiffrin, an incredibly accomplished skier seemingly ready to take her fame to the next level.
But there are also plenty of Colorado men of note — among them snowboarders such as Aaron Blunck, who took first in the superpipe at X Games Aspen circa 2017. Others offer a slew of great stories. The Nordic Combined squad includes a set of brothers, Brian and Taylor Fletcher, while bobsledder Nathan Weber is an active duty Green Beret and freestyle skier Torin Yater-Wallace descends from surfing royalty.
And then there's Gus Kenworthy, a silver medalist in the 2014 Winter Olympics who's both the first openly gay member of the U.S. Olympic team and a man not shy about speaking his mind. During an appearance on Ellen this week, Kenworthy ripped homophobic vice president Mike Pence, who represented the United States at the opening ceremonies. which began at 4 a.m. Mountain Standard Time today. "To have someone leading the delegation that's directly attacked the LGBT community...it just seems like a bad fit," he said, adding, "I feel like the Olympics is all about inclusion and people coming together, and it seems like it's not really doing that."
Plenty of people would like to give Kenworthy a medal for these words alone. Below, see photos of each Colorado competitor and learn more about them from their Team USA biographies.
Name: Casey Andringa
Sport: Freestyle Skiing
Event(s): Moguls
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 180 lbs.
DOB: 10/6/1995
Birthplace: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Hometown: Boulder, Colorado
College: University of Colorado Boulder, Marketing
Team/Club: Ski Club Vail
Olympic Experience
• Olympian (2018)
Other Career Highlights
• 2015 FIS Junior World Championships, 3rd (dual moguls)
Personal: Son of Jeff and Pam ... Has on older sister, Heidi, and one brother, Jesse ... Is a drummer in a local band, Salty ... Hobbies include surfing, climbing and photography.
Name: Ben Berend
Sport: Nordic Combined
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 145 lbs.
DOB: 6/29/1995
Birthplace: Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Hometown: Steamboat Springs, Colorado
High School: Steamboat Springs High School, ’13
College: University of Utah
Team/Club: Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
Olympic Experience
• Olympian (2018)
World Championship Experience
• Most recent: 2017 — 8th (team normal hill/4x5K), 40th (large hill/10K), 41st (normal hill/10K)
• Years of participation: 2015, 2017
• Top finish: 8th (team normal hill/4x5K) – 2017
Other Career Highlights
• 2015 FIS Junior World Championships, 7th (team normal hill/4x5K)
• 2014 FIS Junior World Championships, 9th (team normal hill/4x5K)
• 2013 FIS Junior World Championships, 9th (team normal hill/4x5K)
Personal: Son to Hans and Heidi Berend ... Has one sister, Sabina ... Hobbies include mountain and road biking, running, reading, hiking and board and card games.
Name: Aaron Blunck
Sport: Freestyle Skiing
Event(s): Halfpipe
Height: 6'
Weight: 165 lbs.
DOB: 4/12/1996
Birthplace: Englewood, Colorado
Hometown: Crested Butte, Colorado
High School: Vail Ski & Snowboard Academy (Vail, Colorado)
Team/Club: Ski & Snowboard Club Vail
Olympic Experience
• Two-time Olympian (2014, 2018)
• Sochi 2014, 7th (halfpipe)
World Championship Experience
Most recent: 2017 — gold (halfpipe)
Years of participation: 2013, 2017
Medals: 1 (gold)
Gold — 2017 (halfpipe)
Youth Championship Experience
• Winter Youth Olympic Games Innsbruck 2012, bronze (halfpipe)
Other Career Highlights
• 2017 FIS World Cup Standings, 3rd (halfpipe)
• 2017 X Games Aspen, 1st (superpipe)
• 2016 FIS World Cup Standings, 2nd (halfpipe), 7th (overall)
• 2014 FIS World Cup Standings, 2nd (halfpipe)
• 2013 FIS World Cup Standings, 4th (halfpipe)
Personal: Son of Lisa and Michael Blunck ... Has one brother, Nolan ... Began skiing when he was eighteen months old ... First competed in freestyle skiing at age eight ... Hobbies include skateboarding, biking, fishing, camping and snowboarding.
Name: David Chodounsky
Sport: Alpine Skiing
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 185 lbs.
DOB: 6/25/1984
Birthplace: St. Paul, Minnesota
Hometown: Crested Butte, Colorado
High School: Crested Butte Academy (Crested Butte, Colo.) ’03
College: Dartmouth College ’08, Engineering and Earth Sciences
Olympic Experience
• Two-time Olympian (2014, 2018)
• Sochi 2014, DNF (slalom)
World Championship Experience
• Most recent: 2017 — 11th (giant slalom), 12th (slalom)
• Years of participation: 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017
• Top finish: 11th (giant slalom) — 2017
Personal: Son of Anna and Martin Chodounsky ... Married to Ramsay ... Began skiing at the age of two, when his parents pushed him down the hill in the front yard ... Hobbies include fly fishing, biking and spending time outdoors with his dog.
Name: Chris Corning
Sport: Snowboarding
Event(s): Slopestyle, Big Air
Height: 5' 8"
Weight: 165 lbs.
DOB: 9/7/1999
Birthplace: Silverthorne, Colorado
Hometown: Silverthorne, Colorado
Team/Club: Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club
Olympic Experience
• Olympian (2018)
World Championship Experience
• Most recent: 2017 — silver, bronze (slopestyle)
• Years of participation: 2017
• Medals: 2 (1 silver, 1 bronze)
• Top finish: Silver — 2017 (slopestyle)
• Top finish: Silver — 2017 (big air)
Other Career Highlights
• 2017 FIS World Cup Standings, 9th (slopestyle), 10th (big air), 10th (overall)
• 2016 FIS World Cup Standings, 1st (slopestyle), 2nd (freestyle overall)
• 2016 FIS Junior World Championships, 1st (slopestyle), 1st (big air)
Personal: Son of Brook and Laura Corning ... Started snowboarding at age seven ... Hobbies include dirt biking and camping ... Hopes to one day go to culinary school.
Name: Mick Dierdorff
Sport: Snowboarding
Event(s): Snowboardcross
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 185 lbs.
DOB: 4/30/1991
Birthplace: Bellevue, Washington
Hometown: Steamboat Springs, Colorado
High School: Steamboat Springs High School (Steamboat Springs, Colorado)
College: University of Utah, Business
Team/Club: Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
Olympic Experience
• Olympian (2018)
Other Career Highlights
• 2017 FIS World Cup Standings, 5th (snowboardcross)
Personal: Son of Mary and Skip Dierdorff ... Has one sister, Molly ... Started snowboarding at age ten ... Frames houses part-time ... Hobbies include camping, fishing, hiking, hunting, mountain biking and playing golf.
Name: Alex Ferreira
Sport: Freestyle Skiing
Event(s): Halfpipe
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 140 lbs.
DOB: 8/14/1994
Birthplace: Aspen, Colorado
Hometown: Aspen, Colorado
College: Westminster College
Team/Club: Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail
Olympic Experience
• Olympian (2018)
Other Career Highlights
• 2017 FIS World Cup Standings, 6th (halfpipe)
• 2016 FIS World Cup Standings, 6th (halfpipe)
• 2016 X Games Oslo, 2nd (superpipe)
• 2015 FIS World Cup Standings, 5th (halfpipe)
• 2015 X Games Aspen, 3rd (superpipe)
• 2014 FIS World Cup Standings, 7th (halfpipe)
• 2014 X Games Aspen, 3rd (superpipe)
• 2013 FIS World Cup Standings, 9th (halfpipe)
Personal: Son of Marcelo, a former professional soccer player ... Began skiing at the age of three ... First skied moguls before switching to halfpipe ... Enjoys trampolining, hiking, biking, running, traveling and woodworking.
Name: Bryan Fletcher
Sport: Nordic Combined
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 140 lbs.
DOB: 6/27/1986
Birthplace: Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Hometown: Steamboat Springs, Colorado
High School: Park City Winter Sports School (Park City, Utah) ’04
College: Westminster College and Utah State University
Olympic Experience
• Two-time Olympian (2014, 2018)
• Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014, 6th (men's team), 22nd (large hill/10km individual), 26th (normal hill/10km individual)
World Championship Experience
• Most recent: 2017 — 8th (team normal hill/4x5K), 9th (team sprint large hill/2x7.5K), 14th (normal hill/10K), 31st (large hill/10K)
• Years of participation: 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017
• Medals: 1 (1 bronze)
• Bronze — 2013 (team normal hill/4x5K)
Personal: Son of Tim and Penny Fletcher ... Has one younger brother, Taylor, who is also a member of Team USA ... Has a daughter, Ellery, with wife Nikki ... Is a cancer survivor ... Co-founded ccThrive, a charity that aims to help young cancer survivors thrive after cancer ... Hobbies include mountain biking, camping, kayaking and hiking ... Began skiing at age four.
Name: Taylor Fletcher
Sport: Nordic Combined
Height: 6'
Weight: 155 lbs.
DOB: 5/11/1990
Birthplace: Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Hometown: Steamboat Springs, Colorado
High School: Steamboat Springs High School (Steamboat Springs, Colorado) ’08
College: Westminster College
Olympic Experience
• Three-time Olympian (2010, 2014, 2018)
• Sochi 2014, 6th (men's team), 20th (large hill/10km individual), 33rd (normal hill/10 km individual)
• Vancouver 2010, 11th (large hill team ski jumping), 45th (large hill/10 km individual)
World Championship Experience
• Most recent: 2017 — 8th (team normal hill/4x5K), 9th (team sprint large hill/2x7.5K), 21st (normal hill/10K), 36th (large hill/10K)
• Years of participation: 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017
• Medals: 1 (1 bronze)
• Bronze — 2013 (team normal hill/4x5K)
Personal: Son of Tim and Penny Fletcher ... Has one older brother, Taylor, who is also a member of Team USA ... Enrolled at the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club at age four... Hobbies include cycling and cooking.
Name: Red Gerard
Sport: Snowboarding
Event(s): Big Air, Slopestyle
Height: 5' 5"
Weight: 116 lbs.
DOB: 6/29/2000
Birthplace: Westlake, Ohio
Hometown: Silverthorne, Colorado
Team/Club: Burton Global Team
Olympic Experience
• Olympian (2018)
Other Career Highlights
• 2017 FIS World Cup Standings, 1st (slopestyle), 4th (overall)
• 2015 FIS Junior World Championships, 4th (slopestyle)
Personal: Son of Conrad and Jen Gerard ... Has four brothers, Brendan, Creighton, Malachi and Trevor, and two sisters, Asher and Tieghan ... Began snowboarding at age to ... Has his own trick park at his house ... Hobbies include skateboarding and golf.
Name: Jasper Good
Sport: Nordic Combined
Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 163 lbs.
DOB: 5/10/1996
Hometown: Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Olympic Experience
• Olympian (2018)
Other Career Highlights
• 2016 FIS Junior World Championships, 6th (team normal hill/4x5K)
• 2015 FIS Junior World Championships, 7th (team normal hill/4x5K)
• 2014 FIS Junior World Championships, 9th (team normal hill/4x5K)
Personal: Son to Jeff and Nancy Good ... Has one sister, Sierra ... Played soccer through high school ... Hobbies include mountain biking, ski touring, trail running, camping and riding his unicycle.
Name: Simi Hamilton
Sport: Cross-Country Skiing
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 175 lbs.
DOB: 5/14/1987
Birthplace: Aspen, Colorado
Hometown: Aspen, Colorado
College: Middlebury College ’09
Team/Club: Stratton Mountain School
Olympic Experience
• Three-time Olympian (2010, 2014, 2018)
• Sochi 2014, 5th (team sprint classic), 10th (4x10K relay), 27th (sprint freestyle)
• Vancouver 2010, 13th (4x10K relay), 29th (sprint classic), 64th (15K freestyle)
World Championship Experience
• Most recent: 2017 — 5th (team sprint classic), 10th (4x10K relay), 28th (sprint freestyle)
• Years of participation: 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017
• Top finish: 5th — 2017 (team sprint classic)
Other Career Highlights
• 2017 FIS World Cup Standings, 9th (sprint)
• 2016 FIS World Cup Standings, 10th (sprint)
Personal: Son of Skip Hamilton and Ruthie Brown ... Has one sister, Jenny ... Began skiing at age two and competing at age thirteen ... Three-time NCAA All-American at Middlebury College ... Hobbies include biking, backcountry skiing and rock climbing.
Name: Noah Hoffman
Sport: Cross-Country Skiing
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 160 lbs.
DOB: 8/1/1989
Birthplace: Denver, Colorado
Hometown: Aspen, Colorado
High School: Aspen High School (Aspen, Colorado) ’07
Team/Club: Vail Ski and Snowboard Club
Olympic Experience
• Two-time Olympian (2014, 2018)
• Sochi 2014, 10th (4x10K relay), 24th (50K freestyle), 29th (15K classic), 30th (skiathlon 15K/15K)
World Championship Experience
• Most recent: 2017 — 50th (50K mass start), 57th (skiathlon 15/15K)
• Years of participation: 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017
• Top finish: 10th (4x10K relay) — 2013
Personal: Son of Sharon and Michael Hoffman ... Has one sister, Maggie ... Began skiing at age four ... Hobbies include reading, playing tennis and soccer, alpine skiing and spending time with family and friends.
Name: Hagen Kearney
Sport: Snowboarding
Event(s): Snowboardcross
Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 175 lbs.
DOB: 11/6/1991
Birthplace: Buffalo, New York
Hometown: Norwood, Colorado
High School: Telluride Mountain School (Telluride, Colorado) ’10
Team/Club: International Snowboard Training Center
World Championship Experience
• Most Recent: 2017 — 7th (snowboardcross)
• Years of Participation: 2013, 2017
• Top Finish: 7th - 2017 (snowboardcross)
Other Career Highlights
• 2017 FIS World Cup Standings, 5th (snowboardcross)
Personal: Son of Richard Kearney ... Has one brother, Harry ... Started skateboarding before he began snowboarding ... Began snowboarding at age nine ... Hobbies include skateboarding, playing guitar, riding motorcycles and mountain biking.
Name: Gus Kenworthy
Sport: Freestyle Skiing
Event(s): Slopestyle, halfpipe
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 175 lbs.
DOB: 10/1/1991
Birthplace: Chelmsford, Great Britain
Hometown: Telluride, Colorado
High School: Telluride High School (Telluride, Colorado) ’10
Olympic Experience
• Two-time Olympian (2014, 2018); Olympic medalist (1 silver)
• Sochi 2014, silver (slopestyle)
World Championship Experience
• Most recent: 2017 — silver (slopestyle)
• Years of participation: 2011, 2013, 2017
• Medals: 1 (1 silver)
• Silver — 2017 (slopestyle)
Other Career Highlights
• 2017 FIS World Cup Standings, 10th (halfpipe)
• 2016 X Games Aspen, 2nd (superpipe, slopestyle)
• 2016 FIS World Cup Standings, 8th (halfpipe)
• 2016 X Games Oslo, 3rd (superpipe, big air)
• 2015 FIS World Cup Standings, 2nd (halfpipe), 8th (slopestyle)
• 2014 FIS World Cup Standings, 8th (slopestyle)
• 2013 X Games Tignes, 3rd (slopestyle)
• 2013 FIS World Cup Standings, 7th (halfpipe)
Personal: Son of Peter and Pip Kenworthy ... Has two other brothers, Hugh and Nick ... Began skiing shortly after he was able to walk ... Hobbies include skateboarding, jumping on the trampoline and chasing snow throughout the year.
Name: Wiley Maple
Sport: Alpine Skiing
Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 220 lbs.
DOB: 5/25/1990
Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Hometown: Aspen, Colorado
High School: Aspen High School (Aspen, Colorado) ’08
College: Westminster College, Philosophy
Team/Club: Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club
Olympic Experience
• Olympian (2018)
Other Career Highlights
• 2010 FIS Junior World Championships, 9th (downhill)
• 2009 FIS Junior World Championships, 6th (downhill)
Personal: Son of Julie and Mike Maple ... Has one sister, Alex ... Father Mike helped University of Colorado Boulder to two NCAA ski racing titles ... Sister Alex also skied at University of Colorado Boulder ... Hobbies include hiking, biking and rock climbing.
Name: Jake Pates
Sport: Snowboarding
Discipline(s): Snowboarding
Height: 5' 7"
Weight: 150 lbs.
DOB: 7/30/1998
Birthplace: Boulder, Colorado
Hometown: Eagle, Colorado
High School: World Academy (Eagle, Colorado)
Team/Club: Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club
Youth Championship Experience
• Lillehammer 2016, gold (halfpipe, slopestyle)
Other Career Highlights
• 2017 FIS World Cup Standings, 7th (halfpipe)
• 2016 FIS World Cup Standings, 6th (halfpipe)
• 2015 FIS World Cup Standings (halfpipe)
Personal: Son of Christopher and Amy Pates ... Has a brother and sister, Cole and Charlie Sue ... Started snowboarding at age eight ... Hobbies include skateboarding, fly fishing and spending time with friends ... Also teaches skateboarding lessons to inspire youth in his community.
Name: Troy Terry
Sport: Ice Hockey
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 170 lbs.
DOB: 9/10/1997
Birthplace: Highlands Ranch, Colorado
Hometown: Highlands Ranch, Colorado
High School: USA Hockey National Team Development Program (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
College: University of Denver
Olympic Experience
• Olympian (2018)
Other Career Highlights
• 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship, gold
• 2015 IIHF Men's Under-18 World Championship, gold
Personal: Son of Chuck and Susan Terry ... Has one brother, Trent ... Played one season for USA Hockey's National Team Development Program (2014-15) ... Won the 2016-17 NCAA Division I title with University of Denver ... Drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the fifth round (147th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft.
Name: Nathan Weber
Sport: Bobsled
Height: 6'
Weight: 223 lbs.
Hometown: Pueblo West, Colorado
Other Career Highlights
• 2017-2018 Four-Man World Cup for pilot Codie Bascue- 7th in Park City #1 (11/17); SILVER in Park City #2 (11/17); 8th in Whistler (11/17); 11th in Winterberg (12/17); 9th in Altenberg (1/18); 6th in St. Moritz (1/18)
• 2017-2018 Four-Man World Cup for pilot Justin Olsen - 9th in Koenigssee (1/18)
• 2017-2018 Two-Man North American Cup for pilot Nick Cunningham - SILVER in Park City #2 (11/17)
• 2017-2018 Four-Man World Cup for pilot Justin Olsen - 19th in Igls (12/17)
• 2016-2017 Four-Man North American Cup for pilot Nick Cunningham - BRONZE in Park City #1 (1/17); GOLD in Park City #2 (1/17)
• 2015-2016 North American Cup for pilot Justin Olsen - 7th in Calgary #1 (11/15); 6th in Whistler #2 (11/15)
• 2012-2013 Two-Man North American Cup for pilot Colin Coughlin -7th in Park City #2 (11/12), SILVER in Calgary #1 (11/12)
• 2012-2013 Four-Man North American Cup for pilot Jake Peterson -SILVER in Park City #2 (11/12), 5th in Calgary #1 (11/12), GOLD in Calgary #2 (11/12)
Personal: Sgt. First Class in the U.S. Army and is an active-duty Green Beret.
Name: Torin Yater-Wallace
Sport: Freestyle Skiing
Event(s): Halfpipe
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 148 lbs.
DOB: 12/2/1995
Birthplace: Aspen, Colorado
Hometown: Basalt, Colorado
High School: Aspen High School (Aspen, Colorado)
Team/Club: Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club
Olympic Experience
• Two-time Olympian (2014, 2018)
• Sochi 2014, 26th (halfpipe)
World Championship Experience
• Most recent: 2013 — 2nd (halfpipe)
• Years of participation: 2011, 2013
• Medals: 1 (silver)
• Silver — 2013 (halfpipe)
Other Career Highlights
• 2017 FIS World Cup Standings, 4th (halfpipe)
• 2016 X Games Oslo, 1st (superpipe)
• 2015 FIS World Cup Standings, 7th (halfpipe)
• 2013 FIS World Cup Standings, 2nd (halfpipe), 7th (overall)
• 2013 X Games Tignes, 1st (superpipe)
• 2013 X Games Aspen, 2nd (superpipe)
• 2012 FIS World Cup Standings, 2nd (halfpipe), 8th (slopestyle)
• 2012 X Games Tignes, 1st (superpipe)
• 2012 X Games Aspen, 3rd (superpipe)
• 2011 X Games Aspen, 2nd (superpipe)
• 2011 X Games Tignes, 3rd (superpipe)
• Became the youngest medalist in Winter X Games history in 2011, winning the silver medal at X Games Aspen at age 15
Personal: Son of Ron and Stace Yater-Wallace ... Has one sister, Saren .... Grandson of Renny Yater, one of the first commercial surfboard builders of the 1950s and founder of Yater surfboards in Santa Barbara, California ... Hobbies include skateboarding.
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