In the wild, sheer cold, warm smiles arrive in Beijing next month for the Winter Olympics. They are the U.S. Ski Team. Put your coats and goggles on, it’s time to ski!
There are a total of 34 athletes who will represent the United States for the Winter Olympics. The Alpine team consists of 11 female athletes and 7 male athletes. 15 athletes joined the Freestyle Skiing Team and 8 will be in the Freeski Team. One of the highlights of the Alpine team is the two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Mikaela Pauline Shiffrin. At just age 26, she has the most decorations as an American alpine skier. She is the first and only female athlete up to date who has won the six FIS Alpine Ski World Cups.
From Buffalo, New York, the Alpine Team welcomes Tricia Mangan. Her big family of 5 would get involved in rowing races in college. Mangan graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Dartmouth College and continues her passion for skiing ever since. During her free time, Mangan gets involved with Fast and Female, a charity organization from Canada that is committed to bringing healthy sports activities for young kids and tweens. In both 2019 and 2020, Mangan was awarded the Collegiate All America First Team honors.
Another representative of New York state is Chris Lillis in the Aerials Team. From Pittsford, New York, Chris notably won the Freestyle Aerial Skiing at the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships in 2021. He was the youngest man to have ever won the FIS aerials World Cup. On the side, Lillis teaches guitar and piano to students in Park City. Lillis actually came from a family of athletes, being the second brother of the three expert skiers in his family. He intends to follow in his brother’s footsteps to the Winter Olympics.
The Winter Olympics will have its opening ceremony tomorrow, February 4th, 2022. The competition is fierce; who will win? Who will slay the day?
“Not only do we have a group of very talented veterans, but we also have so many first-time Olympians who have a shot at the podium, and I can’t wait to see what they do.” – Mikaela Shriffin
