Team USA curler, a Minnesota lawyer, tells News themezone

Two-time national curling champion Rich Ruohonen said he’s proud to represent the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, even though “it’s been tough” in his home state of Minnesota.

“I’m a lawyer there. I’ve been a lawyer there for 28 years and I’ve been through a lot of tragedies, a lot of hardships. And, you know, we want to focus on the Games, but at the same time, what’s happening there is wrong,” Ruohonen told News themezone when asked how he feels about the Olympics and about the news that’s been coming from his home state. In recent weeks, federal immigration agents have killed two people in high-profile shootings in Minneapolis during their operations there.

“We have inalienable rights in our Constitution: freedom of the press, freedom of speech, the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures and to be free from arrest, you know, without probable cause. And those rights are not respected in Minnesota,” Ruohonen said.

Despite the turbulence at home, Ruohonen told News themezone that the Olympics show the best of what it means to be a Minnesotan and an American. As News Minnesota reported As of Tuesday, Ruohonen, at 54, is the oldest American to compete in a Winter Games.

“The Olympics bring this unity, this respect and this compassion, and Minnesota has demonstrated it and used it,” Ruohonen said. “Respect, compassion, empathy for people that is sometimes missing in our country, but we, I don’t want to be wrong, we are playing for the USA. We love the USA. We love the USA. We love what the flag is and what it represents. And we are here to support our families and our friends who gave so much for us to be here today.”

Luc Violette, another member of the US national curling team, said many American fans had traveled to Cortina, Italy, to support the athletes.

“America is everywhere. We feel really welcome here and we will continue to feel (welcome),” he said.

During Tuesday’s mixed doubles event, Corey Thiesse became the first American curler to win an Olympic medal when she won silver alongside Korey Dropkin.

But curling is a sport that many Americans aren’t necessarily very familiar with.

“I mean, I’ll be frank. It’s weird,” Violette told News themezone. “How someone came up with this sport is crazy. I still don’t know. There are still parts of the physics we don’t understand, but… it really brings together a lot of skills. Our coach always says that the best curler is a well-rounded person, so we love it, and we hope this type of exposure shares that love of our sport with many others.”

Ruohonen said the sport has changed a lot over the years.

Thirty years ago, for example, “it wasn’t such a physical sport,” he said. “You could win and be very overweight or smoke a cigarette on the ice.”

He said that “the game has developed to an incredible level in my lifetime.”

“When you’re sweeping, you’re putting most of your weight on the broom and moving it back and forth. And you’re on tiptoe a lot. So you have to be strong,” he said. “You’ve got to have a strong upper body. You’ve got your legs. You’re constantly sliding into a lunging position. That alone is tough. And I don’t know if you’ve ever tried just standing on the ice, say six or eight hours a day. Stay there, don’t do anything once and see how your back feels and how your muscles feel, because when we play two games in a day, sometimes we’re on the ice for six to eight hours.”

Team USA curlers said they have spent a lot of time explaining the sport. So what is it about?

“I usually relate it to bocce ball,” Violette told News themezone. “It’s about what you get at the end of the end, after all the stones are thrown. You want more [curling stones] closer to the middle than the closest one on the opposing team. And yes, sweeping makes the rock go further. And there is a directional element. We can make it curl more, curl less. It is called curling because the rock curls or curves. And it’s difficult. Come try it.”