Washington's Olympians

Photo from Unsplash

            After waiting four years, the Winter Olympics have finally arrived in Milan, Italy. Although often overshadowed by its summer counterpart, the Winter Games feature a wide variety of sports accommodating all sorts of tastes. There’s freestyle skiing for exhilaration, curling for strategy and patience, skating for fast-paced racing, and much more, all of which result in of the most exciting and anticipated events in recent years. And this time, Washington state has produced some of America’s Olympians – something which we should carry with pride.

            Up first is Luc Violette, a world class curler from Granite Falls. Although Violette is known for winning multiple curling championships, this year serves as his official debut as an Olympian. The son of world class champion Tom Violette, Violette’s first Olympic experience is one that both establishes a legacy and represents Washington state. Even off the ice, Violette is an accomplished civil design engineer – Violette often comments how engineering complements well with the intricate and calculating physics that make up the sport of curling.

            Another Olympian is Corinne Stoddard, a short track speedskater that grew up in Tacoma. Like Violette, Stoddard has won many junior events but has yet to win on the global Olympic stage – a feat she is aiming to break this year.  During the last 2022 Olympics, Stoddard suffered an injury and was unable to bring back any awards. Now, just a couple days ago, Stoddard became the first American woman to make the Olympic short track podium!

            “I remember watching speedskating at the last Winter Olympics in 2022. I was super surprised when I found out I was watching an athlete from Washington,” said junior Robert Zhou.

The final Olympian is Katie Hensien, an alpine skier from Redmond. A former world cup qualifier, Hensien was introduced into her sport after skiing at our local Crystal Mountain. It’s only natural that Washington, given its snowy mountains, has produced a world-class skier – and that skier is Hensien. Other than skiing, Hensien is passionate about empowering other women athletes to pursue their sports, and is set to represent this mission in her slalom event.

“I’m very excited to watch the Olympics, especially with Washington representation this year!” said sophomore Matthew Ma.

            Ma, a fan of skiing, is a good example of true Washington dignity. These Olympians should be a symbol of pride for us Washingtonians – having local athletes making it to the world stage is no small feat, and with the 4-year gap between each Olympic event, it’s important to support them while we can.