The Winter Olympics in Italy have delivered a captivating mix of fun, drama, intrigue, and humor – a much-needed escape from a world that feels on fire most days. As spectators, we’re taken in by the spectacle and skill of these extraordinary athletes, and we’re clearly not alone.
Social media is buzzing with commentary that perfectly captures the excitement and absurdity of the Games:
“Winter Olympics is so crazy…everyone is either wearing knives on their feet or throwing themselves down a mountain. and then there’s curling.” (@tennisbish) So true.
“I feel like a lot of the Winter Olympic events started out as dares that really got out of hand.” (@TwinzerDad) Spot on.
“The Winter Olympics are so funny because how do you even find out you’re good at launching yourself off a mountain and surviving.” (@mldiffley) An excellent point.
Even Saturday Night Live’s Colin Jost shared his shock after a bobsled ride-along in Lake Placid, NY: “I truly thought my body was going to break apart. I’m not exaggerating. It was so much more intense than I expected.” His copilot, Bryan Berghorm, added: “Astronauts blasting off into space pull about 3Gs, but [bobsledders] pull about 5.” That’s wild.
Many Winter Games sports involve some form of flying over ice or snow – at breakneck speeds, with laser-focused precision, all in pursuit of the fastest time. For those who only catch the Olympics every four years, the events can blur together. Take skeleton, luge, and bobsledding: they all feature athletes racing down similar icy tracks, but their sleds, positions, and team sizes make each sport different. (Side note: Why do skeleton competitors willingly hurtle head-first at speeds up to 90mph, armed with only a helmet?!)
It’s the same with the athletes. When they march into the Opening Ceremony in matching uniforms, it’s easy to overlook just how unique their stories are. Sure, it’s true that most either wear blades on their feet or barrel down mountains, but they’re so much more than that.
Consider just a few standout examples:
- Elana Meyers Taylor finally claimed her first gold medal in bobsled at her fifth Olympics – at age 41. With six Olympic medals, she now shares the record for most medals by a female U.S. Winter Olympian. But the role she cherishes most? Mom to her sons, Nico and Noah, both of whom are deaf. After her gold-medal race, watching her sign to them that she’d won gave us goosebumps.
- Old family videos show Jordan Stolz struggling to keep up with his sister on a frozen Wisconsin lake. Today, he’s the fastest man on ice, winning two gold medals (so far). A reminder that it’s not how you start – it’s how you finish.
- After becoming the youngest U.S. women’s figure skating champion at 13 and ranking in the top six at the 2022 Winter Games, Alysa Liu stepped away from skating at 16 when it stopped being fun. A ski trip with friends rekindled her passion, and after two and a half years, she returned to the ice, winning the 2025 World championships and a team gold last week in Milan. Liu, with her piercings, striped hair, and quirky style, is unapologetically herself. She now skates for sheer joy – a rarity at the elite level, and so fun to watch.
- Men’s figure skater Ilia Malanin entered these Olympics after 14 straight victories. He seemed relaxed as he helped the U.S. win team gold, but fell short of expectations in the individual event, finishing 8th. The lesson? Even the “quad god,” a 21-year-old from Virginia, is human; he has good days and bad days, making him all the more relatable.
- Bea Kim, a 19-year-old U.S. snowboarder, spoke at the United Nations about climate change’s threat to winter sports and the planet, inspired by shifting snow conditions she saw firsthand around the globe. She recognizes the environmental impact of her travels but still thrifts her clothes as much as possible to minimize fashion waste, believing even small steps can make a difference. She’s an inspiration on and off the mountain.
Olympic athletes have superhuman abilities, earned through years of dedication and training. Yet beneath all the layers – the uniforms, the helmets, the gear – their real stories shine brightest when we get to know them as people. Learning their backgrounds and motivations helps us relate.
Turns out, they’re not so different from the rest of us after all.
Please share this post and remember: the REAL you matters. So get busy doing what you are meant to be doing in this world!
